The Lampuka is called Dolphin fish, Dorado or coryphaene and there is a reason for all of these names. It is referred to as Dolphin fish because it can leap out of the sea like a dolphin. It is also called Dorado because it has a golden luster underneath which fades away soon after it is caught. Another more uncommon name is coryphaene because its latin name is coryphaena hippurus.
Characteristics and Habits
The dorado is flattened sideways. The forehead is steep in male adults but rounded in females and juveniles. It has abeautiful blue colour above, and a yellowish green and silvery flank. Towards the abdomen there is a golden luster. There are dark blue spots and narrow lines on its sides. Those who have only seen this fish in its dead state in a fish shop or on a stall at the fish market may think that I am describing a tropical fish rather than the ‘ugly-looking’ dorado. But I assure you that if you see it in its natural habitat you would remain amazed by its beauty. At least this was my reaction the first time I saw it! It can reach lengths of more than a metre and it is a fast grower. In fact the weight grows rapidly between the second half of the month of September and the first half of the month of October.
The dorado is a predatory fish and it swims at high speeds close to the surface. It tends to gather under floating objects and this characteristic is exploited by fishermen to catch it. It feeds mostly on small fish but also on fish larvae, mollusks and crustaceans.
It is thought that the dorado spawns in the western Mediterranean especially in June and July. It is more commonly found in the western Mediterranean, possibly due to the temperature and salinity differences between the western and eastern Mediterranean waters.
Fishing Methods
Trolling (trejjex) is a very popular fishing method adopted by amateur fishermen who possess a boat. This method makes use of a line with a hook at one end which is hidden by white seagull feathers (rix), (and hence the Maltese name trejjex), or artificial lures. Live garfish (imsella) or cuttlefish (siçç) may be used. Fish commonly caught by this method include frigate mackerel (tumbrell), little tunny (kubrit), garfish (imsell), small specimens of tunny (tonn), Mediterranean barracuda (lizz) and other predatory fish. Probably the most common trolling method is used to catch the dolphin fish (lampuka). Fishing clubs lay kannizzati in mid-August about 3 to 4 nautical miles away from the coast but the fish also ventures much closer.
The length of the trolling line may vary between 10 and 20 metres. In October the thickness of the line and size of the hook has to be increased as the fish grows rapidly. Lures include plastic cuttlefish as well as strips of squid and octopus. Live bait is always more preferred to artificial bait. Today most fishermen only use one, and a flag is not usually adopted. Technology such as the GPS makes it easier for the fishermen to find them.
This Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) is used to catch the lampuka. This fish arrives in Maltese and Gozitan waters in early August and stays on till January. It is during this season that fishermen stand the best chance of bringing in revenue from the sale of their catch and a successful year may depend much on the amount of catches of this fish. It is not known when the kannizzati fishing method was first used locally but tariff prices of the 17th century include lampuki and this fish had a low market price denoting that it was caught in large quantities, and so probably this effective method was already being exploited. Up to a few years ago, this technique utilized to catch the lampuka was only practiced by Maltese fishermen. However, Sicilian fishermen have recognized the ingenuity of this device and are exploiting it in their own waters.
The dorado, and the pilot fish (fanfru) which are also caught by this method but in much lesser quantities, are migratory fish and tradition holds that the dorado gives birth near the small island of Filfla and also dies there. These fish swim at the surface and scientifically little is known about their migratory and spawning habits. They are remarkable in that they collect around any floating object in the open sea. In fact, the method used involves the laying of floats out at sea since the shade these produce attracts the fish.
Supposedly, these fish do so to escape the dolphin which is a potential predator and which is afraid to venture into the shaded area since it thinks that it is going to be encircled and entrapped. The lampuki and fanfri have therefore ‘learnt’ that they are safer from predators when under floating objects. The float consists of one or two large masses of cork slabs or The kannizzata jablo. A loop passed through a hole bored at the end of each float connects them loosely at a distance of approximately 60cm. The floats are anchored by a slab of limestone. Since cork is becoming very expensive, many times fishermen are substituting it by any type of floating material. Each floating unit is called a çima. In 1972 a fisherman from St Paul’s Bay discovered that algae and other growths appearing on palm leaves floating in the sea, provide good food for the lampuka.
He therefore tied the leaves to the float and this had a considerable success. From this date onwards, all fishermen started tying palm fronds to their kannizzati. The gathered fish are then encircled by a purse seine net resembling much the one used in the lampara fishing, the main differences being that the length of the net is smaller, the meshes are slightly larger and no pursing rings are present. The middle section where the fish gravitate on being hauled in, is called the funti. The setting wing of the net is 75m long by 400 meshes deep. Each mesh is 25mm bar and made from nylon (polyamide) continuous filament denier 210/6, the second wing being 85m long by 400 meshes deep. The centre of the net or funti is made from nylon continuous filament denier 210/9.
The landing bag is 15m long by 400 meshes deep. Each mesh is of 16mm bar and made from nylon continuous filament denier 210/27. The cork line is longer than the leadline. It is of nylon cordage of 6mm diameter and carries approximately 500 synthetic floats of 85x45mm. When the float has been encircled by the net it must be removed from the way. This is done by using a long pole hook by which the float is slipped between the foot ropes and is pushed under the net. The net is then hauled in with the fish by winching the foot ropes on board. To ensure that sites are orderly allotted and that the fisherman does not use any other fisherman’s floats, the laying of floats is controlled by the Department.
The first float load by every fisherman is done on the presence of the Fisheries Officers and the other floats have to be laid seawards along his route (rimja), each float being placed at a visible distance from each other. The different routes designed for the use of full-time fishermen, part-timers and also amateurs fan out of our islands. Kannizzati fishing has always been the most important fishing device employed by our fishermen and in fact, landings of dorado may amount to about 40% of the total landings of fish throughout the year. This method is however starting to lose some of its importance now that new and more profitable.
Stanley Farrugia Randon