Kingklip

Kingklip is a slender, elongate fish of the cusk-eel family, with a continuous dorsal fin running down its back, a rounded tail and a beautifully marbled pinkish to brownish body. It lives on and around deeper rocky reefs and the edges of trawl grounds, sheltering in holes and crevices and ambushing fish, squid and crustaceans.

Most kingklip are taken in deeper water off the Western and Eastern Cape by hook-and-line and trawl fisheries rather than by divers, and it is one of the most valued table fish in the country. Because it is slow-growing and long-lived, stocks are managed carefully, and anglers are encouraged to respect size and bag limits.