IDENTIFICATION
Dusky kob (also known as daga salmon in KwaZulu-Natal) is one of the largest members of the kob family.
The overall body colour is silvery, and live fish have a pearly-pink sheen on the head, flanks and dorsal surface.

DISTRIBUTION
The dusky kob is a migratory fish found from Cape Point to Mozambique, but primarily from Cape Agulhas to northern KwaZulu-Natal. It is an inshore species occurring in estuaries and the surf zone, but adults are also found offshore to a depth of 50 m. They are often associated with turbid water.

FEEDING
The dusky kob is a shoaling predator, hunting mainly by using smell and lateral line senses instead of sight. It is therefore, equipped to hunt at night and in dirty water. Their diet comprises small fish and crustaceans (such as prawns and crabs), squid and cuttlefish.

REPRODUCTION
Dusky kob reach sexual maturity at about 100 cm total length or a weight of over 10kg. Spawning in KwaZulu-Natal occurs on offshore reefs during winter to spring (August to November) in KwaZulu-Natal and during spring to summer (October to January) in the Cape.

GROWTH
The age at maturity is about 6 years. Dusky kob reach a maximum age of about 42 years and a maximum weight of 75 kg.

FISHERY
The dusky kob is a premier angling species in the inshore marine environment (estuaries and surf zones) along the east coast of South Africa.
Commercial skiboat fishermen operating on shallow reefs and pinnacles down to 50 m catch about 200 ton a year. Recreational boat fishermen (skiboat and estuarine boats) and rock and surf anglers also often target this species, and are believed to catch at least as much, and possibly more, than commercial fishermen.
Recent research has shown that dusky kob are being heavily overfished and the numbers of mature fish are now down to less than 5% of their unfished level.

MANAGEMENT
• Categorised as a restricted species.
• Minimum size of 40 cm total length from a boat and 60 cm from estuaries or the shore.
• Recreational fishing from a boat bag limit of 5 per person per day only one of which may be greater than 110 cm.
• Recreational fishing from estuaries or the shore bag limit of 1 per person per day.
• Unrestricted bag limit for commercial fishermen.

Current management regulations have not provided sufficient protection for this species and recommendations have recently been proposed (increased size limit and reduced bag limit) to try and rebuild stocks of this important linefish species.

Rudy van der Elst, Bruce Mann and Allan Whitfield are acknowledged for the scientific information on which this publication is based.