SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dichistius capensis (Smith No. 187.1)
COMMON NAMES: Galjoen, damba
DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES: Endemic to southern Africa occurring from southern Angola to Durban (Smith and Heemstra 1986)
DISTRIBUTION OF STOCK: As above
HABITAT
ADULTS & JUVENILES: Adults and juveniles occupy the same habitat: exposed surf-zone and shallow sub-tidal reefs, including kelp beds. They are most abundant at the interface of sand and reefs. Galjoen never enter estuaries
EGGS & LARVAE: Little known about distribution, eggs are known to float and have been described by Leis and van der Lingen (1997). Larvae are particularly vulnerable to starvation during very early life (van der Lingen 1994)
MIGRATION: A complex pattern that includes resident and dispersive behaviour has emerged from tagging studies. The majority of tag returns (>75%) suggest resident behaviour, with ranges smaller than 500m, while others are known to migrate vast distances, throughout the range of the population. The disparity is not correlated with season, size or sex. Although larger individuals show a greater propensity for dispersal, the trend is not consistent as some small fish have moved large distances and some large fish were recovered at their release area after several years (Attwood and Bennett 1994)
FISHERY: The vast majority of galjoen are taken by the recreational shore-fishery and spear-fishery. A net-fishery that once operated has been banned, but illegal catches are still common on the WC. Galjoen are occasionally taken by light tackle boat anglers. The sale of galjoen is illegal
BIOLOGY AND POPULATION DYNAMICS
GROWTH CURVE: Males Lt = 472mm TL(1-e-0.252/yr(t-0.694yrs)) SWC (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
Females Lt = 677mm TL(1-e-0.142/yr (t-0.282yrs)) SWC (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
LENGTH-WEIGHT: Wt(g) = 9.03 x 10-6 TL(mm)3.12 SWC (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
LENGTH RELATIONSHIP: FL(mm) = 0.91 TL + 2.71 SWC (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
LENGTH AT 50% MATURITY: Males 31cm TL, Females 34cm TL (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
AGE AT 50% MATURITY: Males and females reach maturity in their sixth year (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
REPRODUCTIVE STYLE: Gonochoristic (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
M:F SEX RATIO: Samples are always biased towards females, as they grow faster and enter the fishery earlier but no reason to suspect that the ratio differs from 1:1 (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
SPAWNING SEASON: October to March (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
SPAWNING LOCALITY: Throughout range
MAXIMUM LENGTH: 670mm TL
MAXIMUM WEIGHT: 6.5kg (SASAA record)
MAXIMUM AGE: Oldest aged fish in Bennett and Griffiths’ (1986) sample was 13 years, but fish over 600mm TL have not been reliably aged. M. Kerstan (MCM) examined an otolith of a 640mm TL fish in 1988, and suggested an age of over 20 years
LENGTH AT FIRST CAPTURE: 350mm TL (minimum legal size)
AGE AT FIRST CAPTURE: Males 6 years, Females 5 years
NATURAL MORTALITY: Not reliably estimated. Males M = 0.38 year-1, females M = 0.32 year-1 (Bennett 1988)
FISHING MORTALITY: Males F = 0.53 year-1, females F = 1.08 year-1 (Bennett 1988)
RESEARCH PRIORITIES
Continuation of study on fish movement patterns. Continuation of monitoring of catch per unit effort and age structure in MPAs at Goukamma, De Hoop, Cape Point, Tsitsikamma, and in exploited areas at Cape Point and Still Bay. More areas need to be covered
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
Careful monitoring of the fishery by means of shore patrols (roving creel surveys) should be undertaken throughout the distribution of this species on a regular basis. Improved law enforcement is required on the WC to reduce illegal netting for galjoen.
The above information obtained from SOUTHERN AFRICAN MARINE LINEFISH STATUS REPORTS.
In 1992 galjoen was listed as the national marine emblem of RSA. The Galjoen was arguably the first endemic fish to be recognized in South African waters.
Can you imagine, if all the sport teams like Sharks, Dolphins etc. are instructed to change their names to galjoen or damba?
Galjoen is regarded by many as an excellent fish to eat. Extremely good for braai.
Many of the “Macho” anglers, and there are quite a few of them around for my liking, will refer to anglers which fish for edible fish only, as “galjoen fisherman”. I will take a catch of any fussy edible fish any time with real satisfaction and get really upset, when a “vacuum cleaner” of any sort picks up my bait.
Bait:
Many anglers believe that the best bait for galjoen is redbait, and many fish are caught on redbait.
I strongly believe that when fishing for galjoen from the rocks the No1 bait of choice for me will be mussel worm. These type of worms are usually found in the colonies of black mussels and in my opinion are worth the effort of collecting and using as a bait for galjoen. All that said, one shall keep in mind that the galjoen can be very fussy and if you had a success on one day with specific bait, that may not be the case on the following day. If you are targeting galjoen using redbait and the angler next to you keep pulling them out using mussel worm or blood worm, there are two things you can do:
Traces:
Rock bottom:
The use of small hook is extremely important if you target galjoen.
In general, when constructing traces for rock bottom one shall use line with considerable lesser braking strength for the sinker, than the one used for the hook. This will give you a better chance to land a fish if your sinker gets stuck in the “bricks”, as braking the line holding the sinker will still allow you to bring in the fish. Make sure that the braking strength of the line still allows you to properly cast, without loosing the sinker during the cast.
It is also, generally accepted that the best sinkers to be used for rocky bottom are the teardrop sinkers, as they don’t get stuck as much as the cone, pyramid etc.. Some anglers also believe in making the length of the line used for the sinker snoot much shorter than the line used for the hook.
When galjoen takes the bait, in general, they move with good speed with the bait.You can expect a tremendous fight, for the size of the fish you are fighting.
COMMON NAMES: Galjoen, damba
DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES: Endemic to southern Africa occurring from southern Angola to Durban (Smith and Heemstra 1986)
DISTRIBUTION OF STOCK: As above
HABITAT
ADULTS & JUVENILES: Adults and juveniles occupy the same habitat: exposed surf-zone and shallow sub-tidal reefs, including kelp beds. They are most abundant at the interface of sand and reefs. Galjoen never enter estuaries
EGGS & LARVAE: Little known about distribution, eggs are known to float and have been described by Leis and van der Lingen (1997). Larvae are particularly vulnerable to starvation during very early life (van der Lingen 1994)
MIGRATION: A complex pattern that includes resident and dispersive behaviour has emerged from tagging studies. The majority of tag returns (>75%) suggest resident behaviour, with ranges smaller than 500m, while others are known to migrate vast distances, throughout the range of the population. The disparity is not correlated with season, size or sex. Although larger individuals show a greater propensity for dispersal, the trend is not consistent as some small fish have moved large distances and some large fish were recovered at their release area after several years (Attwood and Bennett 1994)
FISHERY: The vast majority of galjoen are taken by the recreational shore-fishery and spear-fishery. A net-fishery that once operated has been banned, but illegal catches are still common on the WC. Galjoen are occasionally taken by light tackle boat anglers. The sale of galjoen is illegal
BIOLOGY AND POPULATION DYNAMICS
GROWTH CURVE: Males Lt = 472mm TL(1-e-0.252/yr(t-0.694yrs)) SWC (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
Females Lt = 677mm TL(1-e-0.142/yr (t-0.282yrs)) SWC (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
LENGTH-WEIGHT: Wt(g) = 9.03 x 10-6 TL(mm)3.12 SWC (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
LENGTH RELATIONSHIP: FL(mm) = 0.91 TL + 2.71 SWC (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
LENGTH AT 50% MATURITY: Males 31cm TL, Females 34cm TL (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
AGE AT 50% MATURITY: Males and females reach maturity in their sixth year (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
REPRODUCTIVE STYLE: Gonochoristic (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
M:F SEX RATIO: Samples are always biased towards females, as they grow faster and enter the fishery earlier but no reason to suspect that the ratio differs from 1:1 (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
SPAWNING SEASON: October to March (Bennett and Griffiths 1986)
SPAWNING LOCALITY: Throughout range
MAXIMUM LENGTH: 670mm TL
MAXIMUM WEIGHT: 6.5kg (SASAA record)
MAXIMUM AGE: Oldest aged fish in Bennett and Griffiths’ (1986) sample was 13 years, but fish over 600mm TL have not been reliably aged. M. Kerstan (MCM) examined an otolith of a 640mm TL fish in 1988, and suggested an age of over 20 years
LENGTH AT FIRST CAPTURE: 350mm TL (minimum legal size)
AGE AT FIRST CAPTURE: Males 6 years, Females 5 years
NATURAL MORTALITY: Not reliably estimated. Males M = 0.38 year-1, females M = 0.32 year-1 (Bennett 1988)
FISHING MORTALITY: Males F = 0.53 year-1, females F = 1.08 year-1 (Bennett 1988)
RESEARCH PRIORITIES
Continuation of study on fish movement patterns. Continuation of monitoring of catch per unit effort and age structure in MPAs at Goukamma, De Hoop, Cape Point, Tsitsikamma, and in exploited areas at Cape Point and Still Bay. More areas need to be covered
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
Careful monitoring of the fishery by means of shore patrols (roving creel surveys) should be undertaken throughout the distribution of this species on a regular basis. Improved law enforcement is required on the WC to reduce illegal netting for galjoen.
The above information obtained from SOUTHERN AFRICAN MARINE LINEFISH STATUS REPORTS.
In 1992 galjoen was listed as the national marine emblem of RSA. The Galjoen was arguably the first endemic fish to be recognized in South African waters.
Can you imagine, if all the sport teams like Sharks, Dolphins etc. are instructed to change their names to galjoen or damba?
Galjoen is regarded by many as an excellent fish to eat. Extremely good for braai.
Many of the “Macho” anglers, and there are quite a few of them around for my liking, will refer to anglers which fish for edible fish only, as “galjoen fisherman”. I will take a catch of any fussy edible fish any time with real satisfaction and get really upset, when a “vacuum cleaner” of any sort picks up my bait.
Bait:
Many anglers believe that the best bait for galjoen is redbait, and many fish are caught on redbait.
I strongly believe that when fishing for galjoen from the rocks the No1 bait of choice for me will be mussel worm. These type of worms are usually found in the colonies of black mussels and in my opinion are worth the effort of collecting and using as a bait for galjoen. All that said, one shall keep in mind that the galjoen can be very fussy and if you had a success on one day with specific bait, that may not be the case on the following day. If you are targeting galjoen using redbait and the angler next to you keep pulling them out using mussel worm or blood worm, there are two things you can do:
- get yourself mussel worm or blood worm;
- move to another spot;
- black mussels;
- limpets;
- sand mussels;
- pink prawns;
- sand crabs;
Traces:
Rock bottom:
The use of small hook is extremely important if you target galjoen.
In general, when constructing traces for rock bottom one shall use line with considerable lesser braking strength for the sinker, than the one used for the hook. This will give you a better chance to land a fish if your sinker gets stuck in the “bricks”, as braking the line holding the sinker will still allow you to bring in the fish. Make sure that the braking strength of the line still allows you to properly cast, without loosing the sinker during the cast.
It is also, generally accepted that the best sinkers to be used for rocky bottom are the teardrop sinkers, as they don’t get stuck as much as the cone, pyramid etc.. Some anglers also believe in making the length of the line used for the sinker snoot much shorter than the line used for the hook.
When galjoen takes the bait, in general, they move with good speed with the bait.You can expect a tremendous fight, for the size of the fish you are fighting.
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