Cob - with red fins

[ianf]

I saw a pic this morning of our regular gillie holding up a decent 10kg+ cob, down at hole in the wall. Interestingly, the tail, top and bottom fins are a reddish colour. Any idea what would cause the fins to have this reddish colour?

[RiyadhEd]

I keep fish. I know that feeding them a shellfish diet will increase their colouration. Similar to flamingos. The more prawns and crabs they eat the pinker they become. Possibly that cob has a good diet of shellfish.

[tkei]

without seeing the picture, were the fish "fresh" as in on the rocks, or up at the house.
I stayed with people in the transkei, and all the kob we caught were hung by their heads for a few hrs before being filleted. The fins would go bright red as the blood ran down into the fins and tails.
Must admit, having kob hung like that, they tasted way way better than the ones that were not hung.
If they were fresh on the rocks as in just caught, then no idea.

[ianf]

Picture added

[tkei]

To me looks like its been hanging. Often they carry them home on a pole through the gills so just from that the blood will run into the tail and fins.
No scientific reason, but as I said, seen it happen years ago when we used to hang cob for a few hrs.

[ianf]

Thanks TKEI, that makes sense. I have never seen that done, but will be sure to try it out next time I am down there, and provided I manage to catch a cob