Lloyd the brindle bass has come a "long" way from his days in a rock pool in the Eastern Cape.
The fish – which measured a dainty 4cm in 2005 and was 121cm long at its last measurement in 2014 – now calls uShaka Sea World home.
The bass recently received a visit from home aquarium owner Lloyd Mackay, who caught him in Mgazana for his collection.
The South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) said in a Facebook post on Monday that the “little fish” had eaten all the other fish in Mackay’s home aquarium.
“(Mackay) then by chance came into contact with an uShaka Sea World volunteer, Ewan Duncan, who was asked if uShaka Sea World wanted the fish.”
A description soon identified it as a juvenile brindle bass and arrangements were made for one of SAAMBR’s scientists Bruce Mann to collect the fish – now also named Lloyd – on the way home from a field trip in January 2006.
“On arrival Lloyd measured 30 cm and in December 2007 Lloyd moved from the Turtle Lagoon Exhibit to the Rocky Reef Exhibit in the uShaka Sea World aquarium, weighing 13.7 kg and measuring 84 cm.”
In January 2011, his length was estimated at approximately 108 cm.
In November 2014 he was moved to the Ship Shark exhibit, weighing 48 kg and measuring 121 cm.
“(Last month) Mackay surprised us with a visit to uShaka Sea World and took a selfie with his namesake. He was happy it was doing well and contributing morphometric data to marine science.”
According to researchers at the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research and the University of Ibadan, morphometric data referred to information on the biology and population structure of any species and was a prerequisite for developing management and conservation strategies.
Morphometric characters of fish, they said, were the measurable characters common to all fishes.
Said SAAMBR: “Lloyd the brindle bass is a protected species and has been micro-chipped. He has and will continue to inspire guests and enable conversations about the need for regulations and Marine Protected Areas to protect slow growing species from over fishing.”
“From 4 cm to 121 cm in nine years, and a lot more room for growth, Lloyd has a great story as an individual fish but an equally important story for science.”