46-591: Thyrsites atun ( Euphrasén , 1791), known as the snoek in South Africa and as the barracouta in Australasia , is a long, thin species of snake mackerel found in the seas of the Southern Hemisphere , and a popular food fish in South Africa , particularly along the west and southwest coast. Despite its Australasian name, it is not closely related to the barracuda . The fish can reach
92-589: A 300 m (980 ft) maritime zone around each island became South Africa’s island marine reserve in 1981 and were administered as part of the then-Woody Cape Nature Reserve. Up to then, the islands had fallen under the control of the Guano Islands section of the Division of Sea Fisheries. The Eastern Cape Nature Conservation service, which subsequently became the Directorate of Nature Conservation of
138-515: A canned food. Snoek is usually bought fresh at the quay side. In and around Cape Town , this may be at Hout Bay , Kalk Bay and as far as Gordon's Bay . Up the West coast and down the coast towards Mossel Bay , much of the catch is often salted and air dried for local consumption. Fresh snoek is typically barbecued over an open grill or wrapped up in aluminium foil with butter and herbs and served with boiled sweet potatoes and "tamatiesmoor" –
184-595: A carpenter, was able to make a boat for them. The survivors subsisted primarily on fish, birds and eggs until they were able to reach land. The ship was carrying a significant quantity of gold and silver, some of which was illegally salvaged in more recent times. Bird Island was named by the survivors as they left the island in their boat. Bird Island ( 33°50′26″S 26°17′10″E / 33.84056°S 26.28611°E / -33.84056; 26.28611 ( Bird Island ) ), Seal Island and Stag Island lie in close proximity some 40 km (25 mi) east of
230-461: A deep water port will include a heavy-industry complex. Mooted occupants include an aluminium smelter and an oil refinery . They see the development as posing, according to BirdLife: a huge threat to the seabirds of the St. Croix group. The development would result in increased pollution and shipping activity, which would affect all breeding seabirds negatively. The NGO notes that the population of
276-507: A few days in this state, the fish are then hung up to air dry. The dried fish forms part of the community's staple diet as well as useful trading commodity. Much in the same way as the Portuguese use dried cod to make bacalhau , in these communities the dried fish is soaked in changes of fresh water until the fish is soft. This fish is then added to soups, stews and casseroles using indigenous and locally grown vegetables and often eaten with
322-581: A fried up hash of chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs. Another favourite is a kedgeree using smoked snoek. In the Cape Malay community snoek is a foundation for many dishes. Dishes include smoorsnoek , snoekbredie (a stew ), fish bobotie , and snoek pâtés. In the subsistence fishing communities around the Cape's West coast, snoek together with other species of fish are cleaned, sliced and then packed flat and heavily salted with coarse salt. After
368-439: A length of 200 centimetres (79 in) SL though most do not exceed 75 centimetres (30 in) SL. The maximum recorded weight for this species is 6 kilograms (13 lb). It is very important to commercial fisheries and is also a popular game fish . It is currently the only known member of its genus . T. atun has 19 to 21 dorsal spines and about 113 dorsal rays, 1 anal spine and 10 to 13 anal rays, 35 vertebrae. The body
414-462: A negative effect. In the end, the vast majority of 10 million tins of snoek from South African along with 9 million tins of Australian barracuda were sold off as cat food. Bengt Anders Euphras%C3%A9n Bengt Anders Euphrasén (born 1756 in the parish of Habo , historical province of Västergötland , Sweden; died 25 December 1796 in Stockholm) was a Swedish botanist. Euphrasén studied at
460-567: A range of invertebrates, have been identified as less frequent prey from analysis of stomach contents. The snoek is a near apex predator. They are known to be taken by South African fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus in South African waters. Thyrsites atun is widely distributed in the colder waters in the Southern Hemisphere. In the southwest Atlantic, it is known from Uruguay, Argentina and Tierra del Fuego. In
506-495: A variety of staples – potatoes, yams or rice. Though very popular in regions like South Africa, it was not so popular to certain generations of British residents during—and particularly immediately after—the Second World War due to it being considered a food item of deprivation. Canned Snoek was imported in large quantities into Great Britain and government marketing of the product was not successful and may have had
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#1732772351199552-604: Is a maritime bay in the Eastern Cape , South Africa . It is located on the east coast, 683 kilometres (424 mi) east of the Cape of Good Hope . Algoa Bay is bounded in the west by Cape Recife and in the east by Cape Padrone. The bay is up to 436 m (1,430 ft) deep. The harbour city of Gqeberha is situated adjacent to the bay, as is the Port of Ngqura deep-water port facility. The Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias
598-428: Is elongate and compressed, with a single lateral line on the upper body then curving ventrally. Body colour is blue-black on top with a paler belly, first dorsal fin is black. Contains an anticoagulant in its bite. In the South African population 50% sexual maturity occurs at 3 years at a fork length of about 73 cm. Spawning occurs during winter and spring, (May to November with a peak from June to October) along
644-571: Is found from Moçâmedes in northern Angola , along the coast of Namibia and the coast of the Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces of South Africa as far east as Algoa Bay , but mostly between the Kunene River and Cape Agulhas . Although it is distributed circumglobally, Thyrsites atun lives in coastal waters, and regional populations may consist of discrete stocks. Off New Zealand, three stocks are recognised. Off Australia,
690-595: Is one of only six breeding sites in the world for the Cape gannet ( Morus capensis ). “Larus dominicanus (the Kelp Gull ) and Haematopus moquini (the African Oystercatcher ) are found throughout the Algoa Bay complex. The island group is also known to hold large numbers of Sterna vittata ( Antarctic Tern ), which in winter roost on the island in their thousands (regularly holding between 10% and 20% of
736-435: Is the largest of the Algoa Bay islands – according to BirdLife . It is relatively flat and rises to 9 m (30 ft). Seal Island is 0.6 hectares (1.5 acres) in size and lies 360 m (1,180 ft) north of Bird Island. Stag Island is even smaller at 0.1 hectares (0.25 acres) and is 320 m (1,050 ft) north-west of Bird Island. "Much of the island group is covered by sparse growth of mixed vegetation dominated by
782-636: The Eastern Cape Province, managed the islands after April 1992 according to BirdLife. The Woody Cape reserve was subsequently incorporated into the Addo National Elephant Park, which boasts that it is home to Africa’s “big seven” – the elephant, lion, leopard, rhinoceros, buffalo and the whale and great white shark that inhabit the bay. Conservationists are wary of the Ngqura development which in time, in addition to
828-483: The Otago gold rush of the 1860s. It is sold fresh, smoked, canned and frozen. It can be cooked by frying, broiling, baking and it can also be microwaved. In South Africa, it is often braaied (a form of barbeque). It is also made and eaten as fishcakes in regions such as Japan . It is prepared most often by grilling , frying or smoking . Snoek is oily, extremely bony (although the bones are large and easily removed from
874-647: The African penguin in the bay has been increasing steadily during the last century. “There are only a few growing colonies in the world, and it is thought that these birds may be relocating here from colonies that are in decline in the Western Cape or farther afield. Certain factors are known to affect seabirds throughout their ranges. Competition with commercial fisheries, especially purse-seining for surface-shoaling fish such as anchovy (Engraulis capensis) and pilchard ( Sardinops sagax ), has been implicated as one of
920-538: The Ngqurha breakwater and Brenton Island on the seaward side. The second group consists of Bird, Seal and Stag Islands. All six islands and their adjacent waters are declared nature reserves and form part of the Addo Elephant National Park . The islands are closed to the public. Worthy of mention as an obstacle to navigation is Despatch Rock, 2.4 km ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 mi) due east of
966-483: The Port Elizabeth suburb of Summerstrand . The rock, which is submerged at high tide, is marked with a light. Further south, about 1 km ( 5 ⁄ 8 mi) southwest of Cape Recife, the western starting point of the bay is Thunderbolt Reef. Though not in the bay, this hazard to navigation has claimed many ships carelessly entering or leaving. Thunderbolt Reef is submerged save for spring low tides and
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#17327723511991012-476: The St Croix group or 53 km (33 mi) due east of Port Elizabeth and 7 km (4.3 mi) from the nearest landfall at Woody Cape – part of the Addo Elephant National Park . Bird Island has a lighthouse, erected in 1898 after a series of shipwrecks in the vicinity of the island. Doddington Rock, West rock and East Reef lie just South-West of the group of islands. At 19 hectares (47 acres), Bird Island
1058-482: The World ' (this is not an historical account): The early Portuguese navigators, endowed with patience, were more than sixty-nine years struggling to round this cape before they got as far as Algoa Bay, and there the crew mutinied. They landed on a small island, now called Santa Cruz, where they devoutly set up the cross, and swore they would cut the captain's throat if he attempted to sail farther. Beyond this they thought
1104-590: The bay in the aftermath of World War II . During that conflict, Port Elizabeth was used as a research, manufacturing and storage site for mustard gas ordered by the British Air Ministry. The metropolitan municipality of Nelson Mandela Bay , which includes Gqeberha , Bluewater Bay , St Georges Strand and Coega , is located on the western shore of Algoa Bay. The bay contains six named islands in two groups of three that according to BirdLife International “are of considerable importance as they are
1150-465: The colder waters around the South Island . It is also called barracouta in this region. Off Chile and Argentina it is called the sierra . This species will form schools near the bottom or midwater; sometimes even near the surface at night. It prefers sea water temperature between 13 and 18 °C (55 and 64 °F). Thyrsites atun are reputed to attack anything that moves near them in
1196-549: The continental shelf break of the western Agulhas bank and the South African west coast, at a depth of between 150 and 400 m. The eggs and larvae are transported by currents to the primary nursery area north of Cape Columbine and the secondary nursery area east of Danger Point, where the juveniles remain until maturity. T. atun eggs hatch about 50 hours after fertilization, and the larvae initially eat phytoplankton, first feeding at 3.5 mm, about 3 to 4 days after hatching. When they reach about 8 mm long, they start eating
1242-427: The cooked fish) and has very fine scales which are almost undetectable, making it unnecessary to scale the fish while cleaning. Snoek has a very distinctive taste. In South Africa , snoek is caught and consumed along the west and southwestern coastal parts of the country. Commercially, snoek is sold as a prepared and processed food throughout South Africa, usually in the form of packaged smoked snoek, snoek pates and as
1288-417: The eastern Atlantic, from Tristan da Cunha and South Africa. In the western Indian Ocean, from South Africa and the St. Paul and Amsterdam islands. In the eastern Indian Ocean, Tasmania and the southern coast of continental Australia. In the southwest Pacific, from New Zealand and the southern coast of Australia. In the southeast Pacific, from southern Peru, Chile, and Tierra del Fuego. On the African coast, it
1334-557: The estimated total Afrotropical non-breeding population).” The island is also home to Cape fur seals ( Arctocephalus pusillus ). Other maritime species present are humpback whales , southern right whales , Bryde's whales , bottlenose dolphins , common dolphins , humpback dolphins , African penguins, African black oystercatchers , Cape gannets , Cape fur seals , Cape cormorants, white-breasted cormorants, various shark species and various pelagic birds including terns, skuas, petrels, shearwaters and albatrosses. The St. Croix group and
1380-409: The fleshy herb Mesembryanthemum (fig marigold/icicle plants). Tetragonia (duneweed) and Chenopodium (goosefoot) form localised thickets that provide cover for some seabirds," the fact sheet says. The BirdLife fact sheet adds that 14 species of seabirds, several species of shorebirds and 33 species of terrestrial birds have been recorded on the islands. Eight seabird species were known to breed on
1426-463: The islands in 2007. “These are the only islands off southern mainland Africa where Sterna dougallii ( Roseate Tern ) breeds regularly.” The islands are also home to 43% of the global population of the African penguin ( Spheniscus demersus ), the majority of which are on St Croix. St Croix also holds a locally significant breeding population of Cape cormorant ( Phalacrocorax capensis ). Bird Island
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1472-467: The larvae of other fishes, which are most abundant during spring and summer in this region. After the first year of growth they reach between 33 and 44 cm length. The main prey species of the South African population are the Clupeoid fishes sardines, Sardinops sagax and anchovies, Engraulis japonicus , on which it is a major predator in the southern Benguela ecosystem. It consequently affects
1518-558: The maritime route to the East for global trade, thereby enabling Portugal to become the worlds first global maritime superpower. Secondly, the mountain ranges around Algoa Bay, became a navigational landmark for rounding the treacherous Agulhas Bank on the route to the East, thereby depicting the midway point on the route to Goa, India (agoa means to Goa). Thirdly, Algoa Bay became known as a landing place for potable water. Joshua Slocum talks about Algoa Bay in his book ' Sailing Alone Around
1564-421: The most significant factors causing seabird population declines." The organisation has recommended that marine reserves with a radius of 25 km be created around important breeding islands, and that commercial fishing be banned or restricted in these zones. The fact sheet continues: An unpredictable threat, which is difficult to control, is chronic pollution by crude oil or other pollutants which spill into
1610-407: The name. From this point the way to India was easy with the help of Arab and Indian fishermen. Nautical charts of the bay caution mariners that "projectiles and badly corroded mustard gas containers have been found in the area between Cape St Francis and Bird Island out to depths of 400 m (1,300 ft). Trawlers should exercise the greatest caution." The chemical weapons were dumped in
1656-501: The only islands along a 1,777 km (1,104 mi) stretch of coastline between Cape Agulhas and Inhaca Island in Mozambique." The combined surface area of these islands is said to be 40 ha (99 acres). Close inshore, near the new Ngquru harbour development at Coega , on the north-eastern outskirts of Port Elizabeth, is the St Croix group, consisting of a main island of that name and two lesser islets, Jahleel Island just off
1702-404: The population may made up from three to five stocks, and it is thought that the southern African population may comprise a northern and a southern stock, with some mixing, mostly from north to south. T. atun is found near continental shelves or around oceanic islands, and feeds on small fish like anchovy and pilchard , crustaceans , cephalopods and other invertebrates. In South Africa it
1748-478: The surf crashing on it can be observed from the mainland. Vasco da Gama named this group of islands Ilhéus Chãos (low or flat islands). In 1755, the East Indiaman Doddington was wrecked here while underway from Dover to India . Most of the passengers and crew perished, but a few managed to make it to the islands where they were marooned for seven months until one of their number,
1794-695: The veterinary school in Skara and then entered Uppsala University where he graduated in 1784. In 1788, with the support of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences , Euphrasén made a natural history trip to the Antilles , which included Saint Barthélemy and Saint Christopher island (today Saint Kitts). After his return, Euphrasén was appointed assistant professor ("deputy demonstrator") of botany in Stockholm . Algoa Bay Algoa Bay
1840-421: The water. T. atun is important as a food fish over a large part of its distribution. It supports moderate fisheries off southern Australia, Chile, and Tristan da Cunha, and major fisheries off New Zealand and southern Africa. The South African snoek fisheries have been of commercial importance since the early 1800s. Originally purely a line-fish, they are also caught by pelagic and demersal trawling. The fish
1886-710: The zooplankton populations further down the food chain. Juveniles smaller than 24 cm mostly feed on lanternfish ( Lampanyctodes hectoris ), euphausids ( Euphausia lucens ), and amphipods ( Themisto gaudichaudii ). Between 25 and 49 cm, lanternfish, T. gaudichaudii, anchovies, and sardines. Subadults from 50 to 74 cm, anchovy, euphausids, and sardines. Adults larger than 75 cm, sardines and anchovies. Offshore, snoek eat almost exclusively teleosts of both pelagic and demerssal species, including sardines, roundherring and hake ( Merluccius spp). Larger adults eat more hake, sardine and horse-mackerel ( Trachurus trachurus ). A large number of other species, including
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1932-492: Was adopted by early European settlers, who fashioned "coota sticks" from pieces of wood with bent nails attached. The meat was traditionally slow-cooked in a hāngī over several days, and could be preserved for years in bags of bull kelp sealed with fat. Early European settlers to the South Island relied on Thyrsites atun caught by Māori as a food, and the fish was one of the most common foods eaten by gold diggers during
1978-565: Was one of the most important traditional foods of Ngāi Tahu , the Māori people of the South Island of New Zealand . The fish is known in Māori as mangā , or makā in southern dialects. The name mangā is common in Polynesian languages to describe Scombriformes , and fish of a similar appearance. Māori would typically catch Thyrsites atun with lures made of Nothofagus wood and hooks made from bird bones or dog teeth. This practice
2024-465: Was originally called the " zeesnoek " (Sea Snoek) by Dutch colonists who arrived in the Cape in 1652. It is said to have reminded them of the freshwater pike (or snoek ) found in the Netherlands. In Australia it lives in western and southern Australian waters especially Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, where it is called the barracouta . In New Zealand, it is more common in
2070-463: Was the edge of the world, which they too believed was flat; and fearing that their ship would sail over the brink of it, they compelled Captain Dias, their commander, to retrace his course, all being only too glad to get home. A year later, we are told, Vasco da Gama sailed successfully round the "Cape of Storms," as the Cape of Good Hope was then called, and discovered Natal on Christmas or Natal day; hence
2116-594: Was the first European to reach Algoa Bay in 1488, where he planted a wooden cross on a small island now called St Croix or Santa Cruz island. He gave the bay a name meaning "Bay of the Rock", which was changed in Portugal to Bahia de Lagoa or Bay of the Lagoon, and which eventually became Algoa Bay. Algoa Bay became prominent for three reasons. Firstly, it was the point at which Bartolomeu Dias realized that he had opened
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