July 1961 School Magazine

Erisbcne Giris' Grommcr School Mqgdzine

July,196l

Brisbdno Girls' Grmmqr School McAczine

July, 196l

Since the flesh deteriorotes very ropidly, they must be bled upon being cought ond eoten os soon qs posslble. They cre dn excellent smoking ond conninq fish, ond now mqny olso recch the morkets in this form qs weil os fresh ones. But the seo does not only horbour Tcriler. Controsted with these sur{oce lish qre the plocid bottom dwellers-the Flounder, whose eyes ore close together on one side of the heod. When the fish ore hotched, the eyes ore on opposite sides but one migrotes towqrds the other before the bones ond tlssues hqrden. The underside upon which the fish rests is colourless but the upper surfoce moy olter its pigmentotion to suit its surroundings. This carnivore diifers from o Sole in thot its {ringe oround the body does not join up with the toilfin. Some fish crre venomous os distinsuished from poisonous ones. The former inflict serious injury but ore quite qood to eot, while the loter moy not be eoten. A qood tesi is to ploce q silver coin in cr slit in the flesh while it is boilinq ond, if it is blockened in ony woy, the fish is poisonous, but these qre rother rore ond comprise moinly toods. The Butterfly Cod or Red Fire Fish (Pterois voliions) belongs to the venemous sroup in thot it possesses needlelike spines on its dorsol surfqce which couse o most serious ond ogonizing condition. It is very beoutiful with streomer-like fin roys ond membrones ond is Jound in corol regions. Another is the Cotfish, which hos borbels oround the mouth which resemble cot's whiskers. The spines .qre on dorsol ond side Jins. An interesting thing to notice obout them is thot the femole corrles the eggs in her mouth until they hotch ond refroins from eoting during this period. Reloted to the Scorpion ond Stone Fish (Synoncejo horrido) sroup is the Bullrout (Notesthes robustus) o most desiroble pon-fish which is olso found in the estuory ol Bigqero Creek. With lcrqe spines on the side of the heod it moy inflict o poisonous liquid which couses the recipient consideroble poin. Not to be con- {used in ony woy with these ore the Porrot Fish (Pseudoscdrus pulchellus), which, os thejr Lqtin nome suggests, ore exiremely ,colourful ond beoutiful, ond live in the corol reefs. They hove lorge, sharp, ond very uqly teeth, which they use for rosping olgqe ond crushing corol, but their most remorkoble feoture is their blue bones. They ore not poisonous. It probobly s^^?ns stronse thot such Jish os Cod and Porrot Fish live in the Broodwoter, Southport, but in {oct there is on extensive "hole", some ports of which reoch sixty feet in depth, qnd where oll monner o{ deep seo ond reef {ish

ore to be found. Surrounding thls ore seoweed "flots" which seem to be breeding srounds, but within is the home of o lorge iurtle (severol feet ocross the shell) which olten surfqces to breqthe. It is quite pioyful ond tome to the extent thot it will come very close to the boot. Recently c young turtle wos olso seen. A Remorq (cr sucking fish, with on ovol sucking disc on top of the heod) wos cought here. These ore ossocioted with shorki ond turtles by ottoching themselves to them ond thus obtoining free tronsport ond olso shoring the food of tho host. Notives use them to cotch turtles, which hove greot commerciol volue in the North. SquiC, Schnopper, Sweetlip. ond Iew hove been cousht ot tlmes, qs weli qs reef-fish of less likeoble noture such os the Moroy Eel, cr lonq thick-bodied lish with fins reduced ond covered with touqh slimy skin. They bite viciously ond hove o continuol wrlthing movement which renders them more revolting. JMherever there ore fish there ore certoin to be predotors- Shorks. They hove roush skln (no scoles), five or more gill slits with o mouth well below the heod. Eoch species hos different teelh but eoch hos o replocement set behind the feorful ones in view. Certoin chemicols ond dork colours, it is soid, do not atiroct shorks. Their commericol volue lies in the ]ivers (mcrnufociured into medicinol oil), the skin which is the toughest leother known, ond the flesh mode into "{loke" meot. The Grey Nurse (Corchorios orenorius) is the most common ond not mcrny lqrge ones hove been seen. Cnce there wos o lorge Hommerheod Shork (Sphyrno Cuvini) Iurking oround, which become stronded on o sondbonk in obout nine inches of woter. Ii throshed the woter, leopinq hish into the oir, disployinq its chorocieristic heod with the eyes ot the extremities of the hommer. For obout fl{teen minutes lt strugqled with its greot body (obout nine feet in lenqth) uniil it monoged to get into deeper chonnels. Colled o shork by most people, but reolly oi the roy fomily, is the Shovelnose with its semitronsporent snoui ond thicl< toil. Sheltered from the surf by Strodbroke Islond, the Brood- woier is o colm exponse of woter which is o hoven for mony mqrine creotures-on onglers' porodlse. -Volerie Gibson.