Doctorfish Tang

It is a Doctorfish Tang.
It is January 28th, 2021 and I am out at Boynton Beach Inlet doing some fishing. Unfortunately, it was super windy that day. It was so windy, in fact, that sand was blowing sideways from the shore!

This is the first time I caught a Doctorfish Tang! The doctorfish tang is known to be a delicacy in other countries; however, I did not know at the time, so I did not keep it.

Acanthurus chirurgus, commonly called doctorfish or doctorfish tang in English and barbero rayado or cirujano rayado in Spanish, is a tropical marine fish common in the Atlantic Ocean. Reaching a maximum size of 39 centimetres (15 in) and 5.1 kilograms (11 lb), Acanthurus chirurgus gets its common name for the structures called "scalpels", which are found on either side of the caudal peduncle. The "scalpel" is used during fights with other doctorfish and as a defense mechanism against predators. Its coloration generally varies from blue-gray to dark brown. 10 to 12 vertical bars are always present, but often faint. The edges of the caudal, dorsal, and anal fins are blue. There is also a faint blue ring that can be seen encircling the "scalpel" on either side. There is a black morph, as well, but it is neither a subspecies nor a regional mutation. It has only been documented a limited number of times.

Видео Doctorfish Tang канала Travel and Adventure with Viet!