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Rabbitfish (Siganus)
Photo: Julien Renoult (jujurenoult) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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Rabbitfish (Siganus)

الصافي / السيجان / البطاطا

Safi / Sigan / Batata

Beginner✓ CommonSiganidae

The rabbitfish (marbled spinefoot) is one of the most common and most eaten fish on the Egyptian coast — known as Safi, Sigan, and in Egypt especially as 'Batata'. A herbivore that grazes algae over reefs and seagrass in big shoals, it's a staple shore and light-tackle catch. Handle with care: its fin spines are venomous.

Local names · what anglers actually call it

البطاطاBatata

the name for Siganus rivulatus in Egypt (and Libya), per Arabic Wikipedia

source: Arabic Wikipedia
الصافي / السيجانSafi / Sigan

the wider Arabic names for the same rabbitfish

source: Arabic Wikipedia

Size

15–35 cm

Depth

1–30 m

Record weight

up to 2 kg

Habitat

Reef flats, seagrass beds, rocky shallows, harbours

Best seasons

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

Fishing techniques

Float fishingBottom fishing

Baits & lures

BreadAlgaeDoughVegetable matterSmall shrimp

Did you know?

Rabbitfish have venomous spines — a sting is painful but rarely dangerous. They're famous in Suez and graze algae like underwater rabbits, which gives them their English name.