Catch of the Day

silver fish - Cocagne, Gondwana Studio, Gordon's Bay, Western Cape, Helderberg, South Africa [© 2010 Paul Godard]

FISH & SEAFOOD : FRESH OR FROZEN

Gordon’s Bay Fisheries is a proud supplier of fresh fish as well as fresh and frozen seafood products.

Sole (East Coast) [fish]

Austroglossus pectoralis

soles East coast - Gordon's Bay Fisheries, Gordon's Bay, Western Cape, Helderberg, South Africa [© 2010 Paul Godard]

Other Common Names

East Coast Sole/Mud sole/Ooskus Tongvis (RSA), Sole De Vase (France), Lenguado Austral Del Este/Lenguado De Fango (Spain)

Other Scientific Names

Synaptura pectoralis

Etymology

Austroglossus - Southern tongue
pectoralis - a reference to the large right pectoral fin that exceeds the head length.
East Coast Sole - East Coast refers to its main occurrence and Sole was derived from the Latin word solea - meaning the sole of the foot.

Features

The right side of the Sole is dark brown with no distinctive markings and houses both eyes. The blind side which appears to be the bottom side of the fish has no pigmentation and accommodates the mouth. The right pectoral fin exceeds the length of the head, which distinguishes it from the very closely related West Coast Sole (Austroglossus microlepis)

Size : 30 cm | Weight : 0.4 kg

Ecology

Soles are benthic fish, found in muddy seabeds between 10 and 100m deep. They feed by disturbing the sandy bottom exposing their prey, which includes benthic invertebrates such as polycaete worms, crustaceans, molluscs and small fish. Daily activities o this fish tend to be sluggish.

Distribution

Occurs from Cape Point, all the way up the East Coast to Maputo, where it's targeted by bottom trawlers.