What began as an ordinary morning exploring Bonza Bay Beach turned into an extraordinary scientific discovery for 10-year-old KuGompo City youngster Owethu Mthandana, after he stumbled upon one of the rarest tropical fish ever recorded along the coastline.
Owethu was spending the morning on the beach with his friend, Liwua Nomavila, under the supervision of Peter Jones, when they noticed dogs sniffing around an unusually colourful fish washed up between the Bonza Bay river mouth and the ocean.
The boys initially thought it was just another fish. Instead, they had discovered a rare clown triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum), a tropical species normally found in the warm Indo-Pacific Ocean and only rarely recorded along SA’s coastline.
The remarkable find has excited marine scientists at the East London Museum, where principal scientist Kevin Cole described the discovery as highly significant.
“If you look at the distribution records for clown triggerfish, it doesn’t come as far south as KuGompo on the maps. It is very uncommon.”
Cole said the distinctive-looking fish is recognised by its striking black body covered with bold white spots and patches, a yellow mouth and vivid yellow markings across its back.
Adults can grow to about 50cm in length. They have a stocky, oval-shaped body with a large head and powerful teeth that continuously grow throughout their lives, enabling them to crush hard-shelled prey such as sea urchins, crabs and molluscs.
“The ’trigger’ refers to the locking dorsal spine, which erects to wedge the fish into crevices for defence, making it difficult for predators to extract.
“They reach maturity at around one year of age and can live for up to 20 years,” Cole said.
“It is popular in the aquarium trade because of its beauty and all captive specimens are wild-caught, which can impact local populations.
“It is also occasionally marketed fresh, although there is a potential ciguatera poisoning risk if consumed.”
As a predator of sea urchins and other reef invertebrates, the fish plays an important ecological role.
“It helps control populations that could otherwise overgraze algae or damage coral reefs. Its striking colouration may also serve as camouflage or as a warning,” Cole said.
For Owethu, however, it was simply another exciting day at his favourite beach.
“I like exploring Bonza Beach,” he said. “It’s really nice for me and one day I’m going to catch an octopus.”
The grade 5 pupil dreams of one day working on the ocean. “I want to work in the sea. I love the water.”
He recalled the moment he first spotted the fish.
“When I saw the fish, I was in the water and then suddenly the dogs were snooping around it.
“I became curious because they were running around it. When I got there, I thought it was just a random fish.”
After leaving it behind, Owethu later returned to the same spot and was relieved to discover it had not disappeared.
“I picked it up and washed it.”
The experience also taught him something new.
“I learnt that triggerfish can’t be eaten because they are poisonous. There are many different species of them.”
Jones, who helped retrieve the specimen for the East London Museum, said the discovery happened while he and the boys were enjoying their regular morning outing.
“After doing some exercises we went for a run on the beach,” Jones said.
“The boys had their soccer ball. We walked to the rocks on the left-hand side of the beach and were making our way back. When we got to the stretch between the river mouth and the ocean, Owethu picked up this fish and showed it to me.
“I’ve been diving, fishing and surfing for about 50 years and I’ve never seen a fish like that before,” he said.
“I don’t collect fish, but I could see straight away it was very unusual.”
Jones photographed the fish and shared the images on the Bonza Bay community Facebook group, where some members quickly identified it as a clown triggerfish.
Shortly afterwards, Cole contacted him with an urgent request.
“He said, ’Peter, please can you get this fish? It’s a very rare species and we’d like to measure it and include it in our official records.’”
Unfortunately, by then Owethu had returned the fish to the water before going home.
“So when we got home I told the boys to get their swimming trunks on because we were going back to look for the fish.”
Jones said they were fortunate to find it where Owethu had left it. “I was hoping nobody had picked it up.”
When Cole arrived, he congratulated the boys on their remarkable discovery and encouraged them to consider careers in marine science.
“He told the young guys, ’This is such a rare discovery. If either of you wants to study marine biology one day, please come and speak to me.’ He is a very friendly and encouraging person.”
Jones believes the experience carries an important environmental lesson. “When you walk on the beach and you see a bottle, pick it up. Take a plastic bag and collect litter. Be aware of what’s around you and protect the environment.
“If you see anything unusual or an animal in trouble, report it or help if you can. We all have a role to play.”
Cole said discoveries like Owethu’s help scientists better understand how changing ocean temperatures are affecting marine life.
“When we start getting more tropical fish species found further south, it relates to theories that our sea temperatures are getting warmer off our coast,” Cole said.
“That can certainly be related to climate change. In future we can expect to see other tropical species appearing further south than they historically occurred.”
He urged members of the public to report unusual marine sightings to the East London Museum or the East London Aquarium. “Every record helps us better understand our coastline.”
Cole also encouraged young people to consider studying marine biology.
“If young people want to study fish, sharks or marine mammals, we’d love to help develop that interest,” he said.
“We have more than 3,000km of coastline and many different marine habitats. There is still an incredible amount of research to be done.
“We live in a very special part of the world. Over the decades we’ve recorded many fascinating marine species, from southern elephant seals to unusual fish. My message is simple: keep your eyes open when you’re walking on the beach.”
“Occasionally you may look down and make an incredible discovery — just like the two young boys who found this clown triggerfish.”
