Half Luderick - Half Drummer?

[Jack741]

Went for a swim at Seaforth today near Pickering Point and saw this guy swimming in waist deep water. He had a weird swimming style and after a bit of chasing I managed to catch him with my hands.

Any ideas?

Edited December 5, 2014 by Jack741

[Scratchie]

For the record, luderick are blackfish. Did you mean drummer?

Either way, weird looking fish! Or is this one of those computer hybrid one?

Any other photos of its capture?

[Linc]

wtf... looks like someone dipped his back half in the parramatta river

[thefisherman6784]

Yeh looks like someone dipped half of him in black paint

Cheers thefisherman6784

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Jack741]

whoops meant to say drummer haha
now edited the title

Edited December 5, 2014 by Jack741

[NaClH2OK9]

Reasonable call scratchie. The head looks wet the tail looks dry. Something 'fishy' here

[Scratchie]

I'll ask you one more time jack, is this a real capture or a photo enhance one?

Scratchie mod team

[Jack741]

Not edited
just put up second photo to put the size of fish into perspective

[Scratchie]

Not edited

just put up second photo to put the size of fish into perspective

Thanks for your response. A very weird capture indeed. Maybe just one of those freak of nature things. What did you do with it?

[Jack741]

No worries

I just let him swim away after a few photos
His back half seemed much heavier in the water making him swim strangely with his head lifted
Had a crap sense of direction as well, swam straight into my sisters leg (que squeals) then practically jumped into my hands haha

[Ryder]

He looks sick and starving .

Could be a broken spine, lower half of him is dying

[NaClH2OK9]

Thanks for sharing. I'd agree with diseased or injured. Certainly don't sound like a mutation. Can't imagine it wouldn't have been picked off much younger.

[spaners]

Oh,look at his little face,looks like he is smiling....

[Linc]

He looks sick and starving .

Could be a broken spine, lower half of him is dying

Good call I reckon, that would explain the ease of capture as well.

[GreyNurse]

I'd be sending the pic into the DPI. They might be intrested to study that. Or they might know what is going on with the discolouration and odd swimming behaviour. I thought initially that it might b a bacterial or fungul thing, but I agree with Ryder. Likely trauma related. I did some research on Google, but just about all fish diseases refer to pet fish. If you get a reply back from Fisheries, post it, if you would. I, for one am curious, as I'm targeting Luderick this summer as a new species for me.

[muddie]

I have seen this in a fish tank. One of my discus fish looked like this, half normal colour, half dark. I googled it and found it sometimeshappens, usually when the fish gets spooked and bumps it's head hard on the glass. The fish recovered fully within a few days.

I suspect it is brain/spine bruising, maybe similar to concussion. The fish may have recovered, or, if swimming so badly, may have become dinner for something bigger I suppose.

[Yowie]

I would also suggest a spinal injury, though nothing major. Have caught a few tailor over the years with a few 'S' bends along the middle of the spine.

[Jack741]

Yeah broken spine seems to be the general consensus.
Sent an email to Fisheries just then to try and get a definitive answer.
I'll post the reply when it comes

[muddie]

Not necessarily broken. Given that the fish I have recovered easily, and quickly, I suspect just bruising to the spinal chord or something like that

[qnut]

i'd agree with nerve damage to the fish in question, causing discolouration of the rear quarters. I have noticed some ifnot similar discolouration in injured poddy mullet (bite marks to the back dorsal fin)

[Dave_]

This is one strange looking fish. The only thing I've ever seen that looks anything like this is a weird Aussie Bass that looked like it was half Carp! It was a legit fish that one of my mates caught. I'll try and find the pic.