Mangrove Jack caught down in Eden!
A little lost, this Mangrove Jack was waaaaaay down South...Whales migrating north, Killer-jellyfish spreading south, Clown fish swim to Sydney… Stop the press! A Mangrove Jack has been caught off Eden in far southern New South Whales.
What’s going on with the world?
Ok, we understand this news isn’t going to get its own special on ‘60 Minutes’, and the Clownfish was a totally awesome movie character; but we thought it was pretty interesting that a Mangrove Jack was caught this week south of Merimbula on the NSW coast. Caught by the Imlay, a commercial trawler and identified by one of the fisho’s on board, Mangrove Jack are more at home in the waters North of the QLD border.
Known for their particularly hard strikes, often referred to as ‘explosive’ and revered as one of the most fun fish to catch in the world, Mangrove Jack (also known as Mangrove Red Snapper) are typically found in mangrove-lined estuarine systems, although they’ve been known to head for the offshore reefs to spawn. Landing one is difficult, because they like to hide around sharp reefs, and will dart around the mangroves once hooked. Many an angler has lost a good lure thanks to one of these little guys, but if you have managed to hook one, apparently they’re excellent eating.
The same trawler also extended the known range of the Queen Snapper back in February, when it caught one in similar circumstances off Eden, NSW.
Have you ever caught something that seemed a little lost? Maybe these fish have been watching ‘Finding Nemo’, and are eager to see the upcoming sequel…
