Rare Black Ruff caught
Report and Photo from Rachel Green
One of three juvenile Black Ruff landed on Monday 24th January 2022
There was an interesting find on the fishing day held on Monday 24th January.
Leo Glass and Nathan Swain caught, what we think to be three juvenile Black Ruff (Centrolophus niger) fish. They were caught using a hook and lure, in approximately 45 - 50 m deep water off the Molly Gulch. area during the day. One of the fish I have frozen in the freezer measures 34 cm long.
The last recorded one caught was by Eric McKenzie in 2017.
I did a bit of research on them and these fish appear to live in more tropical and temperate waters.
The species is not recorded in the definitive Tristan da Cunha 'Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island' edited by Peter Ryan, so it is an important record to add to our growing website wildlife section for a community always on the look-out for anything unusual.