Sphyraena forsteri
April 11, 2019
The bigeye barracuda is a very gregarious coastal predator. It is one of four species of small barracudas that can be occasionally encountered in Indonesian waters:
S. forsteri, occasional on the reefs, reaches a size sufficient to interest the spearo, especially if one manages to shoot several individuals in one shot which is possible considering how tight to each other are the schooling fish. It is very recognizable once captured by its rear dorsal fin, orange with a white tip.
S. obtusata / flavicauda, striped / yellow-tailed barracuda are very difficult to differentiate from each other; They are the smallest, have yellow tail and sometimes the back too, and display many horizontal brown or golden stripes all along the body. They are too small to be worried.
S. helleri, heller’s barracuda, theoretically the largest of the four although I have not seen any larger than 600 / 700g each. It differs from the two former by the absence of yellow color and the presence of blue bands on the back, and from S. forsteri by its rear dorsal fin of uniform color.
Despite its modest size rarely exceeding a kilo, the big-eye barracuda is a playful catch because the target is difficult and it can liven up a slightly sluggish spearfishing day.
This barracuda is generally captured by bomb diving or stalking in mid-water.
Because of its generally modest size and despite pretty sharp teeth, it presents little danger.
Its meat is perfectly acceptable.
