Salema porgy
Sarpa salpa
Sighting evidence at Caleta de la Ballena
Photo: Guido and Carrara family · CC BY
Salema porgy is a herbivorous fish that travels in dense schools of hundreds to thousands of individuals that spiral continuously through the water column as they graze algae from rocky surfaces. The species has a documented association with hallucinogenic effects in humans who consume it — attributed to the fish's diet of certain cyanobacteria — making it the only European fish with documented ichthyoallyeinotoxism. Divers watching salema schools from below experience a disorienting silver vortex effect as the reflective scales catch the light.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Salema porgy is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.