OK, so I don’t recommend anyone keep these for pets… and I’m hoping y’all can help me actually identify these guys.
My son and I were messing around some tide pools today around Sullivan’s, just having fun, and catching the various killies and silversides/anchovies you see there, using dipnets.
Took home a couple of fish that I thought were either needlefish or some sort of silverside.
Got them home, looked at them a little closer and now I’m suspecting that these are barracuda fry. I wouldn’t know what specie, but a google search on “juvenile barracuda” give me all sorts of hits that look just like these guys.
These guys may be 4-6cm long.
I actually do have a saltwater aquarium, but I’m not about to put them in a 45 gallon tank. I’ve kept a lot of natives before but this is where I draw the line lol.
If anyone here has an interest in them, and is actually capable of housing these things, let me know QUICKLY. I know we have several folks here that are scientists and marine biology students. No, nobody may have them for their 55 gallon “predator tank” . I’d rather see these go somewhere like one of the facilities down at Ft. Johnson or the SC Aquarium.
Otherwise I’m likely taking them back to the coast in the morning when we go fishing and sending them home. Meanwhile I’ll keep them in some seawater with an air pump going.
Unfortunately they didn’t survive overnight in the bucket. My plan was to release them this morning or give them to someone with suitable facility for them. Oh well. At least I know they are there, my son will remember the day daddy caught two barracuda with a dipnet lol.
… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.
I did manage to get a confirmation from a friend of mine who is a graduate of UNC-Wilmington and works for SeCore in Curacao. They are either barracuda or sennates, according to him.
Barbawang’s opinion will be helpful as well since he knows the specifics of our location.
I know some offshore fishermen seem to consider barracuda a bit of a pest, but I would have never brought these home if I had realized what they were.
… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.
I’ve caught 2 or 3 in a cast net before. I didn’t know it was special…
I don’t do offshore much (wife frowns upon me taking the jon boat with trolling motor offshore )… but there’s probably nothing special about juvenile barracuda. I think they are common and considered basically a bit of a pest.
I just found it unique, and didn’t care to kill them unnecessarily, especially since I was headed back to the water again.
… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.
. I’d rather see these go somewhere like one of the facilities down at Ft. Johnson or the SC Aquarium.
