Seventyfour seabream facts for kids
The seventyfour seabream (scientific name: Polysteganus undulosus) is a type of fish found in the ocean. It belongs to the family of fish called Sparidae, which includes seabreams and porgies. This special fish lives only in the southwestern Indian Ocean, near Southern Africa.
Quick facts for kids Seventyfour seabream |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Sparidae |
| Genus: | Polysteganus |
| Species: |
P. undulosus
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| Binomial name | |
| Polysteganus undulosus (Regan, 1908)
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| Synonyms | |
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Contents
About the Seventyfour Seabream's Name
The seventyfour seabream was first officially described in 1908. An English zoologist named Charles Tate Regan gave it the scientific name Dentex undulosus. Later, it was moved to the group of fish called Polysteganus.
This group is part of the Sparidae family. This family is known for seabreams.
What Its Name Means
The name Polysteganus comes from two Greek words. Poly means "many," and steganus means "covered." This refers to the scales on its head. They extend between its eyes.
The second part of its name, undulosus, means "with wavy lines." This describes the wavy, light-edged dark stripes on the upper part of its body.
What the Seventyfour Seabream Looks Like
The seventyfour seabream has a moderately deep body. Older fish tend to be longer and less deep. Its head slopes steeply up to its neck. Young fish have a small bump above their eyes, but adults do not.
Its dorsal fin has 12 strong spines and 10 soft rays. The anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The pectoral fins are about the same length as its head when young. In adult fish, they are longer than the head.
Colors and Markings
This fish is a beautiful bright red color. It has many blue horizontal lines along its body. A single yellow line runs along its lateral line. Its lips have blue lines, and the bone below its eye is also blue.
There is a large, dark oval spot on its side. This spot is located under the spiny part of its dorsal fin. The anal fin is reddish with blue and yellow spots. Its tail fin is also reddish.
Size of the Fish
The seventyfour seabream can grow up to 120 cm long. However, most fish are typically around 80 cm. The heaviest recorded fish weighed about 16 kg.
Where the Seventyfour Seabream Lives
This fish lives only in the southwestern Indian Ocean. You can find it off the coast of Southern Africa. Its range extends from southern Mozambique down to Knysna in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Its Ocean Home
The seventyfour seabream lives at depths between 40 and 160 m. Adult fish prefer deep-water reefs and tall rock formations offshore. Younger fish live in shallower offshore reefs, but still deeper than 20 m.
Seventyfour Seabream's Life and Habits
The seventyfour seabream is a predator. This means it hunts and eats other animals. Adult fish mainly eat other fish. They especially like sardines and mackerels. They also eat smaller reef fish, cephalopods (like squid), and crustaceans (like crabs).
Younger fish mostly eat tiny shrimp-like creatures called mysids. They also eat other small invertebrates. These fish often gather in large groups, called shoals, over underwater peaks.
Migration and Lifespan
Young seventyfour seabream tend to stay in one area. However, adult fish travel north during the winter months. They move from the southern coast of South Africa to the eastern coast. They do this to spawn. This journey might also be because they follow the annual migration of sardines. Scientists believe the seventyfour seabream can live for more than 20 years.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The seventyfour seabream is a special kind of hermaphrodite. This means its reproductive organs have both male and female parts. However, they do not change sex during their lives. They function as either male or female.
Most individuals become ready to reproduce around 8.8 years old. Some fish can mature as early as 4 to 5 years old. They usually reach sexual maturity when they are between 65 and 75 cm long.
The seventyfour seabream lays its eggs between July and November. The busiest time for spawning is from August to October. During this time, adult fish gather over offshore reefs. These reefs are 50 to 100 m deep, off the eastern coast of South Africa. This includes areas in KwaZulu-Natal and the Transkei.
Each female can lay between 1 million and 3 million eggs. After the eggs are laid, they float in the water. They are thought to drift south with the Agulhas Current.
Fishing and Protecting the Seventyfour Seabream
The seventyfour seabream was severely overfished in the 1900s. This fish grows slowly and matures late. It also gathers in large groups to spawn. These traits make it very vulnerable to overfishing.
In the 1960s, the number of seventyfour seabream dropped sharply. Its living area also shrank. Strict fishing rules were put in place. But the fish population did not recover well. So, in 1998, a 10-year ban on fishing was started.
Recovery Efforts
By 2007, a study showed a small recovery in the fish population. The ban was then extended for another 5 years. Creating "no-take" Marine protected areas has also helped. The Pondoland Marine Protected Area is one example.
Despite these efforts, the illegal market price for seventyfour seabream remains high. This encourages illegal fishing. The amount of fish caught dropped from over 1,000 tonnes in the early 1900s. It fell to less than 400 tonnes in the 1920s and 1930s. By the 1980s, only 5.4 tonnes were caught.
The fishing ban was extended until 2013. The population status needs to be checked again. Recently, young seventyfour seabream have become more common. Fishermen report seeing many of them between the mouth of the Kei and East London. This suggests that the conservation efforts are working. It seems the population is recovering.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the seventyfour seabream as Critically Endangered. This means it is at a very high risk of becoming extinct.
 | Misty Copeland |
 | Raven Wilkinson |
 | Debra Austin |
 | Aesha Ash |
