in for identification, particularly if the fish in question is suspected to represent a new record for the area or perhaps is very rare. Also members of the public may have the opportunity to collect fishes in remote areas that are not easily reached by museum scientists. For example, several years ago, a medical officer aboard an experimental offshore drilling platform obtained a valuable collection of deep reef fishes on Australia’s North West Shelf that were accidentally captured when the drill was brought up from 120 m depth. In this case none of the fishes were recognised by the crew which included several anglers. The specimens were wisely preserved and sent to the Western Australian Museum. Several species from this collection proved to be previously unknown to science.
Specimens can easily be sent to museums via parcel post if first properly preserved (see above section). They should be removed from the preserving solution, rinsed, and wrapped in moist cloth (cheesecloth is ideal) or newspaper, then sealed in several layers of plastic bags. The bags can then be posted in a well padded cardboard box. In Australia fishes can be sent to any of the following institutions depending on their state of origin: (1) Department of Ichthyology, Western Australian Museum, Francis Street, Perth, W.A. 6000, (2) Department of Ichthyology, Northern Territory Museum, P.O. Box 4646, Darwin, N.T.0801, and (3) Department of Ichthyology, Queensland Museum, P.O. Box 3300, South Brisbane, Qld. 4101.
FISH PHOTOGRAPHY
Nearly everyone carries a camera on fishing and diving expeditions these days. Good photographs can be valuable in determining the identification of a questionable fish, particularly if the catch has already been eaten. Anglers frequently rely on hastily taken snapshots in order to later identify their catch. Their usefulness is sometimes diminished because little care was taken in preparing the fish. The following steps will ensure the photos are of good diagnostic quality: (1) The specimen should be photographed when fresh as live colours fade rapidly after death. (2) An attempt should be made to spread out the fins. With small fishes you can hold the fins erect with sewing pins on a piece of flat styrofoam or cardboard. (3) Wet fish should be blotted dry with a cloth or paper to prevent harsh glare when photographed. (4) The specimen should be placed on a suitable contrasting background and photographed as close as the lens will allow for sharp focus, attempting to fill the frame. (5) It is helpful if a ruler or some other object of known length can be placed besides the fish when it is photographed in order to determine its length later on.
Underwater photography is a fascinating hobby and will add a new dimension to your diving activities. Fish photography, if done on a regular basis, is an excellent method of learning the fishes of an area. Most beginners start out with a Nikonos or one of the relatively inexpensive automatics in a perspex housing. However, to obtain high quality fish portraits it is advisable to use an SLR camera housed in a special case made of perspex or aluminum alloy. In addition, strobe lighting is a must. The cost of the basic outfit ranges from about $3,000- 5,000, so only the serious photographer will consider this alternative. Even for accomplished divers it requires much practice and patience before good results are obtained. The combination of a moving subject on variable backgrounds present a great challenge.
Diver at work, Madang, Papua New Guinea. Underwater photography is the best way to record the fantastic range of colours shown by coral reef fishes. (R. Steene)
DANGEROUS FISHES
The region’s seas are generally safe for normal swimming and wading activities, but there are a number of fishes potentially capable of causing injury. They can be divided into several broad categories including species that bite, sting, or which may cause poisoning if consumed.
Biters - first and foremost in this category are the whaler sharks and their relatives (Plates 1 to 3). In addition there are a number of smaller reef fishes which, although they pose no threat to swimmers, can inflict painful bites if handled carelessly by anglers. For example, barracudas (Plate 69), razorfishes (Plates 78 and 79), and triggerfishes (Plates 100 and 101) are notorious in this respect. As a rule of thumb any fish with large, obvious teeth should be handled with care.
Stingers - virtually any fish which possesses rigid fin spines is capable of inflicting wounds if handled carelessly. Most are non-venomous and can be treated in the same manner as any puncture wound. Surgeonfishes (Plates 93 to 95) are equipped with scalpel-like spines that are either fixed in an erect position or fold into a groove along the base of the tail. Spearfishermen in particular, need to exercise special care when removing these fish from spears as large specimens can sever a finger. The most dangerous category of stingers includes fishes which have venomous spines. The best known of these are stingrays (Plates 4 and 5), catfish (Plate 11), scorpionfishes (Plates 18 to 20), and spinefeet (Plates 92 and 93). For all of these fishes the recommended first-aid procedure is to immerse the injured area in hot water (as hot as bearable), repeating until the pain subsides. Apparently the protein base of the toxin is denatured by heat and relief is sometimes immediate. In cases where the victim is stung by several spines, or if the wound is deep, medical assistance should be obtained. Firefishes, Lionfishes and stonefishes (Plates 18 and 19) have very potent venom in all fin spines. Several deaths have occurred as a result of people who failed to receive immediate first aid after treading on stonefishes.
Poisonous fishes - there are two main types of fishes in this category. The first includes species that have naturally occurring poisons either in their external mucus or in some internal organs, frequently the viscera or gonads. The best known examples are pufferfishes, porcupinefishes, and boxfishes (Plates 103 to 105). Although these fishes are eaten by the Japanese when specially prepared by licensed chefs, they are considered extremely dangerous and specimens from local waters should never be eaten. The symbol P is used in the species accounts to indicate fishes that are naturally poisonous. The second group of poisonous fishes includes species that acquire toxic properties during their life cycle by accumulating a dinoflagellate that lives on dead coral or among algae and is first consumed by herbivorous fishes which are eventually eaten by larger predatory fishes. The toxin known as ciguatera is accumulative and large fishes such as the Red Bass (Pl. 41-12) and Barracuda (Pl. 69-12) are potentially the most dangerous. The symptoms from eating ciguatoxic fish appear from one to 10 hours later and range from mild dizziness, diarrhoea, and a numb sensation of the lips, hands, and fingers, to extreme nausea, coma, and total respiratory failure. The degree of poisoning depends on the amount of fish that is consumed and the concentration of toxin it contains. As a matter of safe practice it would be wise to avoid eating large barracuda, Red Bass, or extraordinary large gropers, all of which have been implicated in ciguatera poisonings in other regions.
FISH VS. FISHES
Confusion is frequently expressed over the use of the words fish and fishes. The term “fish” in particular, is often used inappropriately. It is grammatically correct to use fish when referring to a single individual or more than one individual if only a single species is involved. For example, one might say “there were 100 fish in that school of Spanish Mackerel.” The term fishes is a plural form that is used when referring to two or more different species. For example, “we saw hundreds of fishes while diving on the reef’.
HOW
