Sphyraena afra

Sphyraena afra, commonly known as the Guinean barracuda, is a species of barracuda found off the western coast of Africa from Senegal to Namibia. They are not particularly common throughout their range. They are carnivorous, feeding on fish and shrimp. They are found on the continental shelf and are known to occur from lagoons and estuaries out to a depth of 75 m (246 ft).[3]

Guinean barracuda
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Istiophoriformes
Family: Sphyraenidae
Genus: Sphyraena
Species:
S. afra
Binomial name
Sphyraena afra
(Peters, 1844)[2]

Interactions with humans

Although a common food fish, the Guinean barracuda is not the target of any large fishing industry itself. They are usually caught using low-tech fishing gear such as handlines or nets by artisanal fisheries, with Nigeria's fisheries catching the majority of these fish every year.[1] A 2018 paper found that the numbers caught in Nigeria each year exceed sustainable levels, and that the fish is over-exploited, leading to population decline.[4]

References
  1. "Guinean Barracuda". iucnredlist.org. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  2. Froese, R. and D. Pauly, ed. (2022). "Sphyraena afra Peters, 1844". FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  3. "Sphyraena afra, Guinean barracuda : fisheries". www.fishbase.de. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  4. Ayo-Olalusi, Caroline Ireti; Abeke Ayoade, Adedolapo (2018-10-02). "Population parameters of barracuda, Sphyraena afra (Family: Sphyraenidae) from coastal waters of Lagos State, Nigeria". Zoology and Ecology. 28 (4): 376–383. doi:10.1080/21658005.2018.1540427. ISSN 2165-8005. S2CID 135443024.
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