Swimmers at the waterfront recreation lagoon in the Australian city of Darwin are on the receiving end of the unwanted attentions of a piscine pest that has taken up residence there.
The aquatic agitator appears without warning, chasing, nibbling, butting and slapping them with its fins until they are driven from the water.
Bathers report that the one metre 'monster' of the lagoon strikes most frequently at dawn or dusk, or when the weather is cloudy.
The aggressive behaviour has become so frequent that many people are now avoiding using the lagoon for fear of the frisky fish.
Details of the species of fish involved are unclear, but regular lagoon goers speculate it could be a Giant or Talang Queenfish, Scomberoides commersonnianus.
The species is resident in the Indo-West Pacific and can reach as much as 120cm/4’ in length, making it a popular game fishing catch as well as a fish of minor commercial interest.
The Darwin Waterfront Corporation has said that the lagoon is a natural ecosystem and that this included fish, but larger fish would be periodically removed. As yet, the feisty fish remains at large...