Yellow Tangs

Yellow tangs swim in the waters off Hawaii
Yellow tangs swim in the waters off Hawaii

Yellow Tangs are about the most easily identified reef fish. They’re easily spotted from shore, puttering about in the shallows in large schools. In the water, their bright yellow color stands out even in murky water.

These fish are almost entirely yellow except for the white scalpel at the base of the tail. One or the other of these sharp spines can be flicked out and can inflict a serious cut on the unwary. When they spar with each other, they go round in circles trying to keep the exposed scalpel of the other fish away from them while trying to maneuver their own into a dangerous position.

Yellow tangs are a prime target of the aquarium fish industry. They don’t breed in captivity so every yellow tang in an aquarium is one taken from the wild. While these fish can been found around the Pacific, Hawaii is where they are most numerous and where most of these yellow tangs are taken. There have been a few bans on the trade in some places, affording some respite from the steady decline in numbers. Alas, our elected representatives have yet to exhibit enough backbone to impose a ban that is permanent and significant enough to allow fish stocks to truly rebound.

Yellow tangs swim in the waters off Hawaii

6 thoughts on “Yellow Tangs”

  1. The Snow Melts Somewhere's avatarThe Snow Melts Somewhere

    I’ll now be seeing if I can spot them in an aquarium – I hope not.

    I recently spoke with a guy who owns an aquarium shop over here. He says they grow their own coral and made it sound very eco-friendly when I asked him about it all. I still feel like the fish are in a cage. But then I feel the same about some pets, and that’s a biy of an unpopular opinion so I’ll shut up 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Graham's avatarGraham Post author

      You can grow coral in aquariums and breed fish in captivity, but some fish can only be taken from the wild. What I object to most about people who harvest these aquarium fish is that they just take. They claim it’s a sustainable harvest, but that’s not true. Areas where aquarium fishing is banned have seen a significant rebound in fish stocks.

      Liked by 1 person

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