Marine Fishes :: Rabbitfishes & Scats :: White-spotted Spinefoot Streaked Spinefoot Orange-spotted Rabbitfish Spotted Scat

 

Common Name(s): White-spotted Spinefoot
Scientific Name: Siganus Canaliculatus
Local Name(s): [Md]白肚鱼(Bai2 Du4 Yu2), [Hk]Peh Tor, [Hk]Bai Jia Heurr, [My]Ikan Capok
Precaution: Venomous spines
Edible: Yes
CNR Time: 1 min

The White-spotted Spinefoot, or generally called rabbitfish, is popularly eaten during Chinese New Year and fetch very high price during this period. It is said that they taste better during this period due to their mating season, plus the eggs are also highly favoured.

They can be found along breakwaters feeding on certain types of seagrass. They are mainly known to be vegetarian, but they also can be caught using small pieces of prawn meat or shrimps. The more commonly used baits are bread, flour mixed with shrimp paste and raw banana. Specific seagrass from its local habitat can be used as well.

Pole rods are commonly used for fishing for spinefoots along breakwater. Rig used include a float with 1-5 hooks attached below, berlying some bait will help attract the Spinefoot to your location and keep them there long enough to catch them. Spinefoots can also be caught from jetty. They can be found near pillars at all levels of depth but typically very near surface or bottom.

The bites of Spinefoots can be pretty subtle and hard to detect if you're not paying attention. Reaction must also be swift when fishing beside structures as the Spinefoots are very likely to dash for cover when you set the hook.

White-spotted Spinefoot typically don't grow as large as the Streaked Spinefoot. One must be caution when handling Spinefoots as they have venomous spines on their fins. The sting can be very painful, though not lethal.

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Reference: Fishbase, Fishspecies, RMBR