Phillip C. Heemstra’s research while affiliated with Africa Institute of South Africa and other places

For every described species of fish, there is only one valid scientific name. The scientific name comprises two Latin (or Latinised) words, which together make a unique species name that can be used only for that particular species. The species Epinephelus guaza, our common yellowbelly rockcod (Family Serranidae), was described and named by the famous Swedish biologist Carl von Linné (Linnaeus) in 1758. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature stipulates that the starting point for zoological names is the tenth edition of Linnaeus’s catalogue of animals, called Systema Naturae, which is assigned the publication date of January 1, 1758. Names published before 1758 are not allowed, unless they have been published in a valid description after 1758. Some species have been given two or more scientific names, in which event the oldest name is usually considered the valid name, and the later (more recently published) name (or names) are regarded as junior synonyms.

Records kept meticulously by the Natal North Coast Angling Club for a number of years showed conclusively that fewer and smaller elf (Pomatomus saltatrix) were being caught in their fortnightly competitions. The anglers realised that the elf were in need of protection, and asked for some sort of control on the catching of these fish. A commission of inquiry called the Smith Committee was appointed in 1980 to look into the matter. The Committee recommended that catching of elf be prohibited during their breeding season from September to November; that during the rest of the year there should be a daily bag limit of four fish per angler, and that the sale of elf be completely prohibited. Thanks to the strict enforcement of regulations based on the Smith Committee’s recommendations, more large elf are now being caught, and the populations along our entire coast have increased.

In earlier times along South Africa’s 3 000 km coastline were numerous isolated communities. Interested in angling and pursuing fishing on a small scale, the inhabitants gave names to the fishes they caught. First, in 1652, came the Dutch settlers who gave names of well-known European fishes to the similar fishes that they found at the Cape. Names like “steenbras”, “kabeljou”, “snoek”, etc. are derived from these. Malay slaves and freemen from the East brought their names with them, and many were manufactured or adapted as the need arose. The Afrikaans names for the Cape fishes are relatively uniform. Only as the distance increases from the Cape (e.g. at Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth) do alternative names for the same species occur.

Dr. D. S. Henderson, Chairman of the 1. L. B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology and Vice Chancellor of Rhodes University This book is a unique, international collaborative effort ranging all of the colour plates for the book. For the past of 76 scientists, representing 15 countries. Several skilled eight years, she has been assisted in the research, writing artists and photographers have also contributed to the and editing of the book by Dr. P. C. Heemstra. numerous and beautiful illustrations. Research done in It is essential for the proper management of the marine South Africa was supported by the Council for Scientific fish resources of southern Africa that we know what species and Industrial Research. Work on the book at the J.L.B. we are dealing with. This book will greatly facilitate the Smith Institute was also funded by the Department of identification of our fishes. It will thus be of vital import­ National Education and The Trustees of the Sea Fishes of ance to the understanding and wise use of our tremendously Southern Africa Book Fund. Expenses of visits by ichthy­ diverse and valuable fish fauna. ologists from overseas were defrayed by a grant from the We are proud of the affiliation of the J.L.B. Smith Insti­ John S. Schlesinger Foundation. tute with Rhodes University and happy to see the successful Although this book is an impressive contribution to the completion of this long-awaited work.

A few early travellers to the Cape described and in some cases illustrated the fishes they encountered, and several species were taken to Europe to be described by the great zoologists of the 18th and 19th centuries. Linnaeus, Bloch, Schneider, Cuvier and Valenciennes all named fishes from South Africa. Andrew Smith, a physician who became the first director of the South African Museum in Cape Town, published his Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa in serial fashion from 1838 to 1849. This important work contamed descriptions and illustrations of 41 fishes as well as many other animals. Additional descriptions and illustrations of sharks by Smith were used by Müller and Henle (1841) in their monumental work on elasmobranchs.

The dorsal, caudal and anal fins are called the median fins, as they lie in the median (middle) vertical plane of the fish. In some fishes, the spinous dorsal fin is joined to the soft-rayed fin to form a single dorsal fin. The pectoral and pelvic fins are known as the paired fins, because there are two (left and right fins) of each. The distal part of a fin is the outer (marginal) part; the proximal or basal part of a fin is that portion nearest the body. The adipose fin is a short, fleshy, median fin situated on the caudal peduncle.

Consider that the oceans cover three-quarters of the earth’s surface and that fishes occupy every livable habitat in the sea. Add in the freshwater fishes, which occur wherever lakes and rivers are found, and one could fairly say that fishes dominate the earth.

The Chondrichthyes (comprising the sharks, rays and chimaeras) are characterised by a skeleton that is entirely cartilaginous, but more or less hardened by calcification. In this group fertilisation is internal and accomplished by means of the paired intromittent organs at the inner edge of the pelvic fins of males. These organs, misnamed “claspers”, are actually used to transfer sperm into the oviducts of the female during copulation. Although a few elasmobranchs have adapted to life in fresh water, the chondrichthyans are primarily marine fishes. They have developed an unusual solution to the osmotic problems of life in the sea. By keeping a high concentration of urea in their blood and other tissues, the chondrichthyans are able to maintain the ionic balance of their tissues relative to seawater. After death, the urea is soon broken down to ammonia, which may give the shark flesh an unpleasant smell or taste. Soaking the flesh in a 50% solution of water and vinegar for an hour before cooking will remove all traces of urea and ammonia. Most chondrichthyans are good eating, but the flesh is usually somewhat dry (like the white meat of tuna fishes) and should be cooked accordingly. Any chondrichthyan destined for the table should be thoroughly bled immediately after death and kept on ice or frozen until it is to be cooked.