Fish
Spotted Halfbeak
Hemiramphus far
A slender surface fish with a lengthened lower jaw, skimming the warm shallows of KZN in tight schools.
Also known as black-barred halfbeak, garfish, halfbeak, needlenose
- Typical size
- Commonly 20-35 cm
- Habitat
- Surface waters of bays and shallow inshore
- Depth
- Surface layer
The halfbeak is easily known by its long, needle-like lower jaw and short upper jaw, a slim silver body and a greenish back, with dark bars or spots along the flank in this species. It lives right at the surface, where its low-slung profile and small size let it slip through the shallows almost unseen. Schools are common in warm inshore water and bays along KwaZulu-Natal.
Halfbeaks feed on floating algae, plankton and small drifting animals, and they scatter in silvery sprays when startled, sometimes skittering across the surface. They are a key prey fish for gamefish and are widely used as bait. Their delicate bodies bruise easily, so they are handled gently when netted or gathered.