Fish

Strepie

Sarpa salpa

A small golden-striped bream that shoals in dense numbers over the reef, known locally as strepie or karanteen.

Also known as carranteen, karanteen

Strepie
Photo: Guido and Carrara family · CC BY 4.0
Typical size
Commonly 15-30 cm
Habitat
Shoaling over shallow reef
Depth
Shallows to ~30 m

The strepie is a slim seabream with bright yellow-gold stripes running the length of a silver body. It gathers in tight, fast-moving shoals - 'big shoals of carranteen' on the spot lists - grazing weed and small invertebrates over shallow reef.

It is a small fish, mostly a bait or pan-sized catch, but its shimmering shoals are one of the more striking sights on the inshore reefs.