Hamour, kanad and shaari: reef and trolling fish of Arabia

The hamour fish is the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides), the best-known reef fish of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman: a large, strong predator spotted orange to reddish-brown, which lives among rocks and coral near the coast. Like all groupers it is born female, and some fish later become male. Around it on the same reefs and in the same boats are the shaari and the kanad.

Hamour fish: born female

Every grouper starts life as a female. According to the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, some change into males around the age of four, when a group has too few males. The hamour sits at the top of its reef food chain and ranges across the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific. Our embroidered Hamour shows its orange spots in a few clean threads.

Why hamour needs care

Hamour is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of overfishing and habitat loss. A 2016 survey found it was being fished in Abu Dhabi at about five times the sustainable limit, and in 2019 the UAE banned the use of qaraqir, the traditional wire traps, for grouper. If you fish for hamour, follow your country's size limits and seasons.

Shaari: the spangled emperor

The shaari is the spangled emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus), a bronze-yellow reef fish spangled with blue. It lives on coral and rocky reefs and nearby sand, often in large schools near rocks, and its big eyes help it feed at night. It ranges from East Africa and the Red Sea to southern Japan and Australia. In the UAE it is considered over-exploited, and it is protected by a spawning-season ban and a minimum size. See the Spangled Emperor design.

Kanad: the king of the trolling boats

The kanad, known in English as the narrow-barred Spanish mackerel or kingfish (Scomberomorus commerson), is long and silver with thin wavy bars down its side. It can reach about 2 m and 70 kg. Across Arabia its local name is kanad or kana'd, and it is prized throughout its range from East Africa to the Pacific. Anglers catch it by trolling or drifting, and from piers and beaches with spoons, jigs and live bait. Our Kingfish design shows its wavy bars on silver.

And the GT on the same reefs

The waters of Oman are also known for the giant trevally, the GT, which popper anglers chase over the reefs; the Hallaniyat Islands off southern Oman are famous for big fish. Read our giant trevally guide.

The kanad beyond Arabia

The kanad has spread far beyond its home waters: it was first recorded in the Mediterranean in 1935 and is now very common in the eastern Mediterranean, where in Lebanon it is called ghazal, and on the Egyptian coast dirak. In Taiwan it is valued so highly that it is called white gold.

Three fish, three ways to fish

Each of these fish asks for a different day out. Hamour means working the bottom close to rocks and coral. Shaari often means fishing near rocky reefs, sometimes at dusk and into the night, when its big eyes give it the advantage. Kanad means trolling or drifting from a boat, or casting spoons and jigs from piers and beaches. Whichever you prefer, there is a cap for it.

Wear the fish of your coast

The Hamour and the Spangled Emperor sit in our Inshore line; the Kingfish and the Giant Trevally in Offshore. Each one is drawn true to the species and machine embroidered on eight caps and hats, from the trucker cap and the snapback to the bucket hat, and at the centre of the chest of a heavyweight tee, a crewneck and a hoodie. Every piece is made for you after you order, and we ship free to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.