Giant Boarfish

New Zealand Giant Boarfish | Species ID Video

COMMON NAME

Giant Boarfish

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Paristiopterus labioss

LEGAL LENGTH & LIMITS

• Auckland Central and Challenger are 20 per person
• South East Area, Southland Area, and Fiorlans Area are 30 per person

DESCRIPTION

Giant boarfish (Paristiopterus labiosus) also known as sowfish have peculiar shaped characteristics, which distinguish them from other fish. The most commonly recognizable feature of the boarfish is its long snout and large thick lips. Adult boarfish have large, elongated slab-like bodies with dominant boney heads and gentle sloping foreheads – similar to that of snapper. They have extended back–swept dorsal fins with strong spines running through them. Juveniles and female boarfish have distinctive bands /stripes while the male boarfish (pictured above) have more solid coloured bodies with oblique markings and yellowish spots. The fish can vary in colours from grayish to olive with scattered markings /spots. Juveniles have short deep bodies, with shorter snouts – which become longer as they grow.

Juvenile boarfish are usually encountered in small schools while adults will normally swim in pairs (usually a male and a female pair). Boarfish can grow up to 100cm and weight up to 10kg, but are most commonly taken around the 50 to 60cm mark – around 3 to 6kg. Boarfish can be encountered in depths from 5m to 200m deep. They are commonly found on weed lines around the 15 – 20m mark, but have been re-occurring in shallower waters around 5m during summer. This is believed to be because of their spawning cycles and lack of fishing pressure on them.

HABITAT & FEEDING

Observations indicate that the boarfish are most frequently encountered on sandy areas near weed edges/weed lines. They have also been seen in broken, scattered weed edges or structures which sit on sandy or muddy bottoms. While their behaviour is not certain – these are the most common areas in which they have been documented. However, they have also been known to wander into the weed and display behavioral patterns similar to butterfish such as hiding in amongst the kelp, although this is more common in heavily populated weed lines.

Boarfish have been caught all around New Zealand – but are more abundant in northern waters where populations are greater. Giant boarfish have small bands of sharp teeth in the front of their mouth, with larger molars at the back of their jaws which they use for crushing. Boarfish use their large snouts like pigs to unearth and suck up invertebrates such as crabs, worms, brittle starfish and sea cucumbers from the sand or mud. Boarfish usually inhabit the same area/weed lines for extended periods of time.
 

AGE & GROWTH

Recently, larger numbers of boarfish have been reported – most likely due to the fact that they receive little or no fishing pressure from either commercial or line fisherman. It’s been observed that the boarfish will move into shallower waters during the summer months to spawn when the water warms up. During this period, they can be encountered in as little as 5m of water. While little is known about their growth rate it’s believed that they take a couple of years to reach full maturity and size.

FOOD QUALITY

Giant boarfish are renowned for their excellent eating quality and are highly regarded as one of the best eating fish around. They have few bones and white soft meat. Fillets can normally be quite chunky (if filleted correctly) and their flesh is delicate in flavour and texture. They can be adapted to a variety of recipes, but are best lightly pan-seared or smoked. One should not cook fillets more than 4/5 mins in total as this destroys the soft texture of the meat and makes it tougher. It’s all about maximizing the flavour of the fish – see our boarfish recipe in this issue.

HUNTING TECHNIQUES

Hunting boarfish can be pretty straightforward, the hardest obstacle is locating them and getting down to the depths where they are found. In order to locate a pair or small school – a diver usually has to work the weed lines, doing multiple dives and moving along a small distance each time. This way you cover a large area of the weed line. Your chances of landing one are more likely if you work in pairs and adhere to the ‘one-up one-down’ rule. This important safety precaution also lets you recover properly between your dives. Fifteen to twenty metres can be a dangerous depth to work in- so it’s vital you have someone watching you.

Working scattered ground, with weeds and structures on the sand will normally produce the goods. A decent bottom time is an advantage when hunting and locating the boaries as this will give you time to scan the hunting grounds and pick out the unmistakable silhouette.

Once located, they are generally easy to approach and are not as sensitive and wary of divers as the snapper. A slow, cautious approach from above is the best method to successfully land one. They don’t seem to like being approached at eye level so dropping down on them from above, ensuring that you are always in their blind spot, is normally the most effective method. By keeping the sun on your back with the light coming over your shoulder, you are more difficult to see – just like when hunting snapper. When descending past the positive buoyancy point try to freefall or glide onto them. This presents minimal movement in the water and your chances of scaring them off are far less, giving you a better chance for an accurate shot.

ABOVE: Diver descends directly onto the boarfish in their blind spot. Buddy watches diver for safty.

BELOW: Diver lies on the bottom & throws sand over his shoulder to attract the boarfish. Buddy watches diver.

Working on solid weed lines – divers can also find the boaries sitting by the weed edge where the weed meets the sand. Normally hitting the sand and throwing sand over your shoulder – creating a bit of activity and debris can raise the curiosity of the boarie - presenting you with a side-on,level shot. Sneaking through the weed and using the kelp as cover can also be effective when hunting them on weed edges. Although not too flighty, a slow, relaxed and silent approach like with any fish, will give you that extra edge to help land one. Look at your surroundings for clues that boaries are about. There will normally be some sort of indents or holes in the sand where they have been digging with their snouts, which is a good sign that you are  in the right area.

EQUIPMENT

A standard sort of setup can be used to hunt boarfish – a single rubbered 110cm to 120cm railgun with a 15-20m floatline, is a good combo. Some divers use reel guns without a floatline to give them less drag, and eliminate any annoying entanglement that can occur in the weeds. While this causes less obstruction – it can also be more dangerous, as it’s harder to keep track of your buddy without a floatline to follow to the bottom. Usually the more experienced spearo’s use reel guns although it really is a personal preference. Remember - always use the ‘one-up one-down’ rule when working weed lines.

Slow, relaxed and quiet movements are the key to stalking and landing the giant boarfish. Good luck.