Rabbitfishes Sesyon / Hiteng
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Rabbitfishes Sesyon / Hiteng
Siganus spp.
Scribbled rabbitfish / Sesyon / Siganus spinus.
Image from Coral Reefs CD
Rabbitfishes are important food fishes. They have well-developed, venomous fin spines along the back and underside. Their venom can cause an extremely painful sting.
There are five kinds of rabbitfishes on Guam. Three are relatively uncommon deep-bodied kinds that occur in small groups or pairs below the edge of the reef flat. The two most abundant kinds, Siganus argenteus and Siganus spinus, are each subject to two major fisheries.
The first fishery occurs when young rabbitfish arrive from the open sea as tiny silvery, transparent post-larvae called "manåhak" in Chamoru. This usually happens during a few days around the time of the moon's last quarter in April or May and occasionally in October.
The harvesting of manåhak is seasonal and has been a long-standing cultural tradition with Chamorus. With the increase in jet ski and other motorized craft activity in East Agana Bay where fishermen usually await the runs, an Executive Order was issued by the Governor of Guam in 1991 which provided for the closure of the bay during the peak of the manåhak season. Athough manåhak are caught throughout the island, East Agana Bay is considered the traditional site for manåhak to arrive.
Manåhac arrive in large tightly-packed schools containing thousands of individuals. Fishermen scoop them up in fine-mesh nets. A highly-prized delicacy, manåhak is eaten fried or pickled in salt and lemon juice and served as a condiment. Within a few days of reaching the reef, manåhak begin to feed on algae and adopt their color pattern. At this stage they are known as dågge'. Their taste changes and they are not considered very good to eat for several months until they reach adult size (hiteng and sesyon). Adults are caught primarily by nets and spears, but some are caught by hook and line using "lumot," a green stringy algae, as bait.
Hiteng usually occur in large schools that roam the reef feeding on algae scraped from the bottom. They tend to live in deeper lagoon areas or the outer slope beyond the reef edge. Sesyon sometimes occur in large schools but usually are found in small groups and live primarily on reef flats and in shallow lagoons. Hiteng reach a size of14 inches (36 cm) and sesyon reach a size of about 11 inches (28 cm).
Guam Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 9/27/2005
