Atlantic Spadefish

Photo: jmoulton44 · CC BY-NC

Atlantic spadefish aggregate in large schools off the lip of the Punta Sur wall, their striking black-and-silver barring visible against the blue water column as they face into the current. Schools of 100 to 300 individuals are common at this site, feeding on jellyfish and zooplankton carried past the wall by the prevailing southeasterly current. Spadefish aggregations of this size are rarely seen at Caribbean dive sites where even light fishing pressure has depleted them.