2 August
2009
A
Bogue,
Boops
boops, was caught in a Red
Mullet net in 10 metres of water about half
a mile off the shore at Seaton, south east Cornwall, by Chris
Dominic on the FV Emma May.
This
fish was about 17 cm (6 - 7"), but they can grow to 38 cm (14").
They are a shoaling fish and are a commercial species in southern Europe.
They are classified in the Sparidae Sea Bream
family and I assume they are good eating. They are rare in British
waters and most have been caught in the Channel Islands, but they have
also been found in Torbay and several other places. They are regularly
caught in Red Mullet nets in Mount's Bay Cornwall in the autumn, but this
is the first I had heard of from Whitsand Bay.
Guernsey commercial fisherman Steve Fallaize landed a bogue, Boops boops, north of L'Ancresse on the 9 February 2009.
This fish had a total weight of 566 grams
Total length 383 mm
Fork length 333 mm
Standard length 312 mm
Bogue belong to the family sparidae (sea bream). They are common Mediterranean
fish. It is uncommon in Guernsey waters but a few are caught every
year. All the Guernsey records I have for this fish come from the
L'Ancresse area (north of Guernsey). To give a sense of this fish's
rarity Steve Fallaize has never seen this fish before and he has been fishing
commercially in Guernsey waters since 1986.
Dr. George Minos, Assistant Professor, Department of Fisheries &
Aquaculture Technology, N. Moudania, Greece writes "Boops: It is an ancient
Greek word "Voops" = Vous (ox) + of (ofthalmos, eye). It comes from the
appearance of the fish. It has big eyes related to its body, like ox."
Pronounced "Beau - ops" I believe and not "boops"
Steve Fallaize also, tantalisingly, caught a tiny sea bream today (couple
of inches long) which he returned to the sea, which he believes was a white
bream, Diplodus sargus. Had this been confirmed as a white bream,
it would have been the first captured record from Guernsey waters.
Best wishes,
Richard
Richard Lord