HUMPHEAD WRASSE
READ BY SCOTT TURNER SCHOFIELD
Season 1
Simone transitions to Simon in the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
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SCOTT TURNER SCHOFIELD
Making television history as the first openly transgender actor in Daytime television with a recurring role on CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful, Schofield then became the first transgender man nominated for any acting Emmy, for the recurring role of “Max” on Amazon Prime’s Studio City. As a film actor, Scott received critical acclaim for his role in The Conductor. His one man show special, Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps, premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. Photo credit: Olivia Hemaratanatorn
The Humphead Wrasse also known as the Napoleon Fish is an enormous fish growing well over six feet long and weighing over 400 pounds. The wrasse has thick, full lips as well as a hump on its forehead which becomes more prominent throughout its lifetime. Found throughout the Indo Pacific Oceans, some individuals have been observed to live over 30 years.* They are also protogynous hermaphrodites, with some members of the population transitioning to male at about 9 years old. The factors controlling the timing of sex change are not yet known.**
The humphead wrasse is one of the most expensive live reef fishes in the world, and is a delicacy in places like Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Sabah Malaysia -- which are also its three largest exporters. In Southeast Asia, live reef fish trade continues to be a significant problem as poachers often resort to illegal and destructive fishing methods that threaten the region’s food security as well as its reefs.***
*https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/humphead-wrasse
**The Humphead Wrasse, Cheilinus Undulatus: Synopsis of a Threatened and Poorly Known Giant Coral Reef Fish. Sadovy et al. 2003
***Tackling illegal, unregulated, and unreported trade towards Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) recovery in Sabah, Malaysia. Poh and Fanning. 2012
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/fish/humphead_wrasse/natural_history.html
how can we help?
Being an advocate for endangered species is important, most of all for species like the humphead wrasse that are considered delicacies, or luxury foods. You can help by supporting conservation of endangered species and by avoiding consuming food that includes endangered fishes, such as the wrasse.
Check out the guides at Seafood Watch, seafoodwatch.org to learn more about sustainable seafood. The site has both printable guides and digital apps for smartphones. Conservation action can start close to home by making sustainable seafood choices and supporting endangered species conservation worldwide.