โ† Fish Guide
Red Sea Goatfish
Photo: Diego Delso ยท CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท Wikimedia Commons
๐Ÿ 

Red Sea Goatfish

ุงู„ุจุฑุจูˆู†ูŠ / ุนู†ุจุฑ ุจู„ุฏูŠ

Barbuni / Inber baladi

Beginnerโœ“ CommonMullidae

Goatfish (Barbuni) are the reddish, bottom-grubbing reef fish with a pair of long chin barbels they use to probe sand for worms and crustaceans. Common over sandy patches near reef, they're a tasty, sought-after table fish in Egypt and a reliable bottom-bait catch.

Local names ยท what anglers actually call it

ุจุฑุจูˆู†ู‰Barbuni

goatfish (Upeneus spp.) โ€” Egypt-tagged

source: Tesfamichael & Saeed 2012 (Egypt-tagged) โ†—
ุนู†ุจุฑ ุจู„ุฏูŠInber baladi

Red Sea goatfish (Parupeneus forsskali) โ€” Egypt-tagged

source: Tesfamichael & Saeed 2012 (Egypt-tagged) โ†—

Size

15โ€“35 cm

Depth

2โ€“60 m

Record weight

up to 1.5 kg

Habitat

Sandy bottoms near reef, rubble, seagrass

Best seasons

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Fishing techniques

Bottom fishingFloat fishing

Baits & lures

ShrimpWormsSquid stripsSmall fish

Did you know?

Goatfish 'taste' the sand with their two sensitive chin barbels to find hidden prey โ€” other fish often follow them to snatch whatever they stir up.