African Pompano

Photo: Remy DUBAS · CC BY-NC

African pompano school in the hundreds around João Valentin's upper pinnacle from 8 to 20 m, their elongated trailing fin filaments streaming in the current as they hold position facing the flow. They are year-round residents and form one of the most visually dramatic schooling fish aggregations in Cape Verde, particularly in the early morning when the light angles through the water column and refracts off thousands of silver flanks simultaneously. The school fractures and reforms continuously in response to the hammerheads and pompano below, creating a dynamic display of predator-prey choreography.