Fish
Stony Stonebream
Neoscorpis lithophilus
A dusky shoaling seabream of shallow rocky shores and tidepools, common from False Bay north into Mozambique and a scrappy fighter on light tackle.
Also known as stinkvis, stone bream
- Typical size
- Attains 50 cm
- Habitat
- Shallow rocky shores and tidepools
The stony stonebream, or stinkvis, is an algae-grazer of shallow rocky areas, sharing much the same broken-reef habitat as the banded galjoen. It eats red and green weed, and the black lining of its gut is thought to shut down photosynthesis of the algae it swallows. It reaches maturity around 35 cm and spawns from spring into summer off Natal, with juveniles using tidepools as nurseries.
Ranging from False Bay to southern Mozambique, it attains 50 cm and an angling record around 2.5 kg. It takes shrimp and redbait freely and gives good sport on light gear. The flesh eats well despite an unpleasant odour from the intestine, which earns it the Afrikaans name.