Piscifauna
Demersals:
• the garoupa de pintas (cephalopholis taeniops),
• the linguado (yacium micrurum),
• the moreia pintada (muraena melanotis),
• the moreia preta (gymnothorax vicinus),
• the besugo (pagellus acarne),
• the badejo (mycteroperca fusca)
Pelagics:
• The serra or djéu (acanthocybium solandri),
• the salmon (elagatis bipinnulata),
• the dourada or lobo (coryphaena hippurus),
• the peixe-galo (zeus faber),
• the bicuda or barracuda (sphryraena guachancho).
Deep Sea Fish:
• the bonito (caranx crysos),
• the cação (mustelus mustelus),
• the charroco (scorpaena scrofa),
• the cherne (mycteroperca rubra),
• the esmoregal orcharéu (seriola rivoliana),
• the garoupa de madeira (helicolenus dactylopterus),
• the mero or merrebedjo (epinephelus aeneus),
• the pargo (pargus africanus),
• or various sargos, such as the salema (diplodus praiensis).
The pósse or voador (exocoetus volitans), which can be observed on the surface flying quite long distances, is another striking example of the fish of Cape Verde.
There are protected species, which are of interest to tourists, such as humpback whales (between December and May) and many dolphins.
This marine fauna is enriched by some migratory species, such as tuna (thunnus albacares) and the swordfish (xiphias gladius).
The seas of Cape Verde are also very rich in crustaceans, particularly on the low submarine platform that links the three most eastern islands (Sal, Boa Vista and Maio), of which the most endemic species is the lagosta rosa (palimeris charlestoni).
As the quantity of fish is not as significant as would be expected in such an enormous marine area (200 times greater than the 4,000 km² land area of Cape Verde), due to the small amount of shallow platforms, which are limited to little more than the platform round the islands of the east (Sal, Boa Vista and Maio). The annual fishing potential in the waters of Cape Verde is currently calculated at around 40,000 tons, although only around a fifth of this is fished, almost always using traditional methods, by a fleet of a little more than 1,000 boats, used by around 3,000 fishermen.
Fish share the ocean waters with another surprising form of animal life: corals.
The Most Common Corals in the Seas of Cape Verde:
• the schizocubina africana,
• various porites (in warm waters),
• favia fraguant (in shallow waters),
• various porites asteroids (in sheltered waters),
• siderastrea and millepora (in the areas of Pedra de Lume - Sal, bay of Salrei - Boa Vista and Baía das Gatas - S. Vicente), and also
• madracis, in deeper waters.
Demersals:
• the garoupa de pintas (cephalopholis taeniops),
• the linguado (yacium micrurum),
• the moreia pintada (muraena melanotis),
• the moreia preta (gymnothorax vicinus),
• the besugo (pagellus acarne),
• the badejo (mycteroperca fusca)
Pelagics:
• The serra or djéu (acanthocybium solandri),
• the salmon (elagatis bipinnulata),
• the dourada or lobo (coryphaena hippurus),
• the peixe-galo (zeus faber),
• the bicuda or barracuda (sphryraena guachancho).
Deep Sea Fish:
• the bonito (caranx crysos),
• the cação (mustelus mustelus),
• the charroco (scorpaena scrofa),
• the cherne (mycteroperca rubra),
• the esmoregal orcharéu (seriola rivoliana),
• the garoupa de madeira (helicolenus dactylopterus),
• the mero or merrebedjo (epinephelus aeneus),
• the pargo (pargus africanus),
• or various sargos, such as the salema (diplodus praiensis).
The pósse or voador (exocoetus volitans), which can be observed on the surface flying quite long distances, is another striking example of the fish of Cape Verde.
There are protected species, which are of interest to tourists, such as humpback whales (between December and May) and many dolphins.
This marine fauna is enriched by some migratory species, such as tuna (thunnus albacares) and the swordfish (xiphias gladius).
The seas of Cape Verde are also very rich in crustaceans, particularly on the low submarine platform that links the three most eastern islands (Sal, Boa Vista and Maio), of which the most endemic species is the lagosta rosa (palimeris charlestoni).
As the quantity of fish is not as significant as would be expected in such an enormous marine area (200 times greater than the 4,000 km² land area of Cape Verde), due to the small amount of shallow platforms, which are limited to little more than the platform round the islands of the east (Sal, Boa Vista and Maio). The annual fishing potential in the waters of Cape Verde is currently calculated at around 40,000 tons, although only around a fifth of this is fished, almost always using traditional methods, by a fleet of a little more than 1,000 boats, used by around 3,000 fishermen.
Fish share the ocean waters with another surprising form of animal life: corals.
The Most Common Corals in the Seas of Cape Verde:
• the schizocubina africana,
• various porites (in warm waters),
• favia fraguant (in shallow waters),
• various porites asteroids (in sheltered waters),
• siderastrea and millepora (in the areas of Pedra de Lume - Sal, bay of Salrei - Boa Vista and Baía das Gatas - S. Vicente), and also
• madracis, in deeper waters.
