What fish am I

[bugman]

Hello all
I can best be described as something resembling a parrot (venus tusk) fish.
I was pulled out of 35 metres of water by an angler fishing off Mooloolaba on Monday using Tuna flesh.
I was a beautiful greeny/blue colouration and I weighed about 3kgs.
My scales were very big - around the size of a 50 cent piece.
The biggest difference between me and a parrot fish was I didn't have long incissor teath but a rather a plate on both the top and bottom of my mouth. Obviously I eat coral rather than flesh on a regular basis.
I also had a lsightly different shaped head.
I have been caught on film but have not been processed yet. To very large fillets of my flesh are now sitting in a freezer and my captor is wondering if I would make a lovely meal steamed in a champagne sauce.
I feel very concerned that I don't know what I am.
Please help
Signed
Mystery fish

[Beggsy]

Hey Bugman,

Is this what you got ????

Parrot Fish

Scientific Name Family: Scaridae
Location QLD, NT
Season All year round
Size To 45 cm
Australian Species Code 37 386000
Taste, Texture White flesh, flaky. Good eating.

Information:

Parrot fish have tusk-like front teeth fused together and this gives the appearance of a "beak" hence the name 'Parrot' fish.

They have small mouths and most are coral chewers rather than carnivores. But will take crabs, crayfish and molluscs.

Male and Female parrot fish have very different colouring.

[bugman]

Beggsy,
No doubt it was from the parrot family but it wasn't what I would describe as your run of the mill parrot fish (like the one in your picture).
I know I should come up with some more decriptions but I'm struggling to remember any - it was a blueish green tinge rather than the normal red-green - slightly different shape- different head and mouth features.
The problem is the pictures I took were number 3 and 4 of a 24 exposure film. I'm still up to 4.
Thanks anyway
Brett

[Jason_L]

sounds like a venus tusk fish to me. aka, bluey, blue bone..


can you remember the colour of the bones. a simple way to tell if it's a tusk fish is by teh colouru of the bones

[jaybee]

Is this her .. ??? Maori Wrasse...

[webby]

Hi Bugman, By your descriptions it could be a Blue barred
parrot, they are very seldom caught on line, ranging from
cape morten north. any parrot is good eating. heres a pic
anyway might help.
regrds

[bugman]

We have a winner !!!!!
Webby that's her,
She put up a hell of a fight and looked fantastic out of the water, beautiful blue clouration.
I was tempted to put her back but at that stage we only had one sweetlip on board after 5 hours fishing.
Beautiful big fillets that looked the same as other parrot so I'm sure she'll eat well.
PS, If they're not regularly caught on line does that mean I'm a good fisherman or just plain lucky?
Thanks to everyone here
Bugman

[webby]

;DHi Bugman, They are one of the
biggest parroties you can catch grown to some 1m, the reason your description clicked, a few years ago, i
was fishing with my brother who lives
in Bowen, we were out on the reef, he
caught one that went some 6kg , took
him over 30min to land her as he only
uses handlines. hell of a job to keep
it outa the coral. have a photo of it.
Fisheries at Bowen said they very
seldom take baits, tink he was using
a small octupus, anyway great catch
regads