Napoleonfish / Napoleon Wrasse

Photo: David Roche · CC BY-NC

A large, individual Napoleon wrasse has been resident at Moses Rock for many years, recognisable by a distinctive scar on its left flank and regularly encountered by divemasters who have tracked it across seasons. This fish is large enough to indicate it is a fully-transitioned male in excess of 15 years old, and its tolerance of close diver approach suggests it has been continuously protected from fishing pressure since birth. Its regular circuit of the pinnacle, sand flat, and surrounding reef demonstrates the landscape-scale territory these large wrasse maintain.