Pemba has lots of fish and shellfish and crustaceans. Despite heavy subsistance fishing with nets and traps, there is none of the dynamite and poison that has destroyed the reef life in Kenya. The idea of this section is to display sealife ID digiphotos of species sighted between Mikindani Bay in Tanzania in the North and Mozambique Island in the South and Lazarus Bank to the East. Anyone who has something special to contribute can contact me using the window below. Please supply your name so that proper credit can be given, and a brief description of the time and place of taking the picture. Sport fisherman catch many gamefish species that are seldom seen by divers, let alone approached close enough to get a picture, so photos of unusual catches are welcome.

The best beginner's books for identifying sealife in the Pemba region are: "Fishes of the Maldives" by Rudie Kuiter and "Indian Ocean Reef Guide" by Helmut Debelius 4th edition 2006 (hereinafter a reference such as D74 is to Debelius page 74 or K132 to Kuiter page 132). There are many species that are found all the way from Thailand to East Africa, so Thailand, Maldive, and Seychelles fish books are most helpful for filling in the many species that Debelius and Kuiter had to omit. For the more elusive species, however, you will need to consult "Smith's Sea Fishes" by Smith & Heemstra 2003 (a hefty but comprehensive work) or "Coastal Fishes of Southern Africa" by the Heemstra husband and wife team. For a blogsite on Pemba itself go to www.fanigalore.com.

Juvenile forms are particularly entertaining because so many juveniles look stunningly different from the adults (eg Oriental Sweetlips at D97; Bicolour Parrotfish at D190). There is undoubtedly space on this website for pictures of both adults and juveniles (and males and females and courting and non-courting and aggression variations etc). Pictures of shellfish, shrimps, starfish, and corals are equally welcome. Unidentified specimens will be posted with an appropriate "unknown" label. Anyone knowing the identity please let me know.