Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 145 2021 May

Page 8

Autumn Ghosts A

by Nathan Huizing

s the inshore water temperatures begin to decline after Summer, a rather odd-looking animal makes its way up into the bays and estuaries as part of its annual spawning migration. With its uniquely distinct features such as its shiny chromed up skin, extra-long dorsal spine, large pectoral fins that almost resemble wings and last but not least, the bizarre trunk-like appendage that protrudes from its upper jaw. Callorhinchidea Milii, ghost shark or better known as the elephant fish is one of the craziest looking critters to inhabit the waters of Tasmania! Fishing News - Page 8

Shore-based elephants are great fun!

These fish tend to start showing up at the start of January, but begin to make their presence known around early March till the end of April when they school up in big groups to begin spawning. Adult elephant fish typically gather near river mouths and estuaries where they will spend several weeks depositing their eggs in the sand or mud. These eggs will then begin to hatch roughly eight months later and the juveniles will spend up to three years in the shallower coastal waters before they eventually move towards the deeper water as they mature. Adult elephant fish can be found

along the edge of the continental shelf in depths of up to two hundred metres outside of spawning season.

Ghost Hunting Finding elephant fish can be relatively easy if you use the information I’ve already mentioned when planning your approach. Throughout Autumn focus on large mud or sand flats around river mouths or in big estuaries. I have had more success on mudflats, especially if there is a bit of rock and shellfish thrown in the mix. When it comes to the depth I have caught

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