Divefree

Fish

Dorab Wolf-herring

Chirocentrus dorab

A long, ribbon-like silver predator armed with fang-like teeth, hunting bait shoals in KZN's warm inshore water.

Also known as dorab, silver bar, wolf-herring, wolfherring

Dorab Wolf-herring
Photo: Sahat Ratmuangkhwang · CC BY 4.0
Typical size
Commonly 50-90 cm
Habitat
Warm inshore waters and bays, near the surface
Depth
Surface to about 50 m

The dorab wolf-herring is a strikingly elongate, laterally compressed silver fish with a blue-green back and a mouth full of large, dagger-like teeth. It patrols the warm inshore waters and bays of KwaZulu-Natal, often near the surface, where it slashes into shoals of small baitfish.

A fast, voracious predator, it is caught by anglers on spinners and live bait and puts up a lively fight. The needle-sharp teeth demand care when handling. Its flesh is very bony, so it is valued more as sport and bait than as a table fish.