Reefmarcher
Jeyrha reef fish
The Reefmarcher is a large, sluggish reef fish native to Jeyrha's shallow coastal waters, measuring 2 to 31 meters in length and weighing 200 to 80,000 kg. It is built low and heavy, with a dense muscular body, thin scales, small eyes, and undersized fins that limit its maneuverability. Its narrow mouth and slow reflexes leave it defenseless, and it has neither intelligence nor predatory instinct. The common 2 to 4 meter fish are taken by hand or with simple nets. The old 31 meter spawners are vast and almost motionless, and they are normally left where they lie.
The Reefmarcher reproduces rapidly in warm, calm seasons. The old fish are left alone because a single one will put hundreds of thousands of young into the shallows at a time, flooding the reefs with dense spawning groups that feed both marine predators and coastal populations. Harvesting the giants would empty the next season. The constant breeding of the smaller fish and their high body density make them a cheap, reliable source of nutrients and a major portion of coastal diets and trade across Jeyrha and the surrounding island chains.
