Fish of the Rocky Shore

Beneath the waters of La Gomera there are not only large stretches of sand, but also a plentiful supply of rocky areas. For me, this makes the place very interesting, because I can watch both habitats at the same time and see the very different fish which live in each of them.

The bigger fish living on the sandy bottoms rely on hunting smaller fish, and since there is no plant life there the smaller fish are scavengers. All of the fish – both the hunters and the hunted – are disguised to be precisely the same pattern and colour as the sand, betraying their whereabouts only by shadows and by the scars which a few of them carry. They hunt not by chasing but by creeping up and springing out.

The fish of the rocky shore live very different lives. Many, like the damsel fish, the ornate wrasse, and the parrot fish are very brightly coloured. They do not hide; they stay out in the open. They do not skulk along on the bottom; they are mid-water fish. (more…)

Who lives on the sandy bottom under our boat?

The Ship’s Naturalist is a kind-hearted girl who wouldn’t hurt a fly. She might catch it and feed it to a toad, of course, but she wouldn’t swat one. Nor does she eat dead pigs, cows, rabbits, sheep, or chickens – but she does have a weakness: she loves fish. At the age of four, when asked to make a list of her favourite things, Roxanne wrote, “Fish, Mummy, Chocolate.” Over the course of the past eight years the list has changed. Mummy has slipped down. But fish are still somewhere near the top. Even so – even whilst hunting for our dinner – Roxanne still finds the time to study the behaviour and lifestyle of her intended victims. (more…)