FI SH COLO R I NG B O O K

American Samoa

©Trevor T Kaitu’u
Grade 6 - 8
This fish coloring booklet is designed for middle school students in grades 6-8. The booklet
provides opportunities for students to develop understanding and appreciation for the importance of a healthy fish
population inhabiting our reef. Students will learn to describe different fins’ functions, learn about different external
anatomy of a fish, and, most importantly, understand how and why fish play such an important role in the Samoan
culture.

© by Trevor T. Kaitu’u, Education, Coral Reef Advisory Group

Reviewed/Edited by Whitney Peterson, Sabrina Woofter, Alice Lawrence and Kelley Anderson Tagarino
Illustrated by Trevor T. Kaitu’u – Cover page and fishes
CONTENT:

FUN FACTS 01 UNICORNFISH 21

FISH EXTERNAL ANATOMY 02 ATULE 23
FISH FIN TYPES 03 GOATFISH 25
HOW TO DRAW A FISH 04
TRIGGERFISH 07 WHAT YOU CAN DO TO
STRIPED SURGEONFISH 09 HELP FISH POPULATIONS 29
BARAMUNDI COD 11
WHITE-SPOTTED SURGEONFISH 13 RESOURCES: 30
PARROTFISH 15
BLUEFIN TREVALLY 17
SQUIRRELFISH 19

 F U N FA C T S : D i d y o u k n o w ?
• Fish can be roughly defined as cold-blooded creatures that have backbones, live in water, and
have gills.
• Fish have been on the earth for more than 450 million years.
• There are over 25,000 fish species in the world, and over ~15,000 are still unidentified.
• More species of fish exist in the world than all the species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and
mammals combined!
• Fish species are grouped into 445 families; these families contain species that are genetically
similar.
• The largest fish is the whale shark (fifty feet long); the smallest fish is the Philippine goby
(< 1/3 inch).
• Fish are found in lakes, streams, oceans, and estuaries.
• Tropical coral reefs contain the most colorful & diverse fish.
• American Samoa has more than ~700 marine species.
• How can you tell them all apart??? This book will help you! Check out the next page for more.
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 F I S H E X T E R N A L A N AT O M Y
Lateral Line
Dorsal Fin
Pectoral Fin

Tail (Caudal Fin)

Barbel

Gill Cover Anal Fin

Pelvic Fin
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 FISH FIN TYPES

1. Dorsal fin - Gives stability and stops from 7. Barbel - Contains chemosensory organs,
rolling over. which are used to probe the sand or into holes
2. Caudal (Tail) fin - Propels through the water, in the reefs for food (shellfish, worms, or
speeds up and turn the fish. small fish).
3. Lateral line - System of sensory nerves (touch 8. Gill Plate over (Operculum) - Gills are
sense). feathery structures that allow the fish to
4. Pectoral fins - Helps to steer up, down, and breathe under water. Water passes through
backwards. the gills where oxygen is absorbed and CO2
5. Pelvic fins - Used as brakes and to move up is released. Gills also excrete ammonia
and down. (fish urine).
6. Anal fin – Gives the balance to keep on a
steady course.

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Fish Adaptations

With so many fish living in habitats such as oceans, streams,

and estuaries, they have developed specific adaptations to
suit their own particular environment.
Developing certain adaptations over time enables fish to
live successfully within their habitat and carry out necessary
functions such as eating and swimming.

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 ACTIVITY 1:
HOW TO A DRAW FISH.
There are six simple steps on
how to draw a fish.

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ACTIVITY 2:
DRAW YOUR OWN FISH FROM IMAGINATION USING THE BASIC
FORMS ON PAGE 5

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 Sumu
ACTIVITY 3:
Learn about fish in
American Samoa. Color
the fish and then read all
about them!

Picasso Triggerfish
(Rhinecanthus aculeatus)
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There are about 15 species of often brightly colored Sumu fish of the Trig-
gerfish family (Balistidae) in American Samoa. Sumu are often marked
with a bright blue band between the eyes and are mostly found in relatively
shallow, coastal habitats, typically coral reefs. They feed on algae, detritus,
mollusks, crustaceans, worms, sea urchins and tunicates, and can grow up
to 11.8 inches. They sleep on their side and make a whirring noise when
alarmed.

Give your Sumu a bright blue band between the eyes!

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 Alogo

Striped Surgeonfish
(Acanthurus linaetus)

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Alogo are one of the many species of Surgeonfishes (Acanthuridae) in American
Samoa, and it can grow up to 15 inches in length. They are recognized by their
gold undercolor with numerous black edge blue stripes and bluish belly, and also
have yellow stripes and a spine on its tail.

Alogo are associated with wave-exposed reefs at around 10 feet deep. They feed
on algae and are very territorial, often defending their feeding grounds from
other fish.

Color the stripes of the Striped Surgeonfish blue and yellow!

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 Gatala-aloalo; Gatala pulepule

Honeycomb grouper
(Epinephelus merra)
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Honeycomb grouper normally have a white undercolor with polygonal spots in
varying shades of brown; no distinctive markings. They are solitary and are found
in coastal lagoons and sheltered outer reefs in 3.3ft - 165ft . There are approx-
imately 160 species of groupers. The species vary greatly but most have a wide
body with a large head and mouth. Many species are well camouflaged in spots of
yellow, green and brown.

Color your fish and show the honeycomb partten on the fish.

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 Maogo

White-spotted surgeonfish
(Acanthurus guttatus)
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General name for surgeonfish (Acanthurus species) less than 15cm are Pone
Larger individuals are called Palagi

White-spotted surgeonfish are related to the Alogo and are commonly found in
shallow waters on reefs. They feature a grey/black basic color, with yellow pelvic
fin and tail. They also have white spots and are laterally compressed, meaning
they are flattened from side to side. The fish grows to a maximum length of 10
inches. They feed on filamentous algae and calcareous algae.

Color the fins and tail of the surgeonfish yellow, and make sure you leave the
spots white!

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 Laea

Dark-Capped Parrotfish (Scarus oviceps)

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Parrotfish are commonly found in coral reefs, along rocky coasts, and in seagrass beds from
relatively shallow to deep water. Parrotfish play a significant role in
preventing algal overgrowth of the reef structure by scraping algae off the coral and
producing sand when they poop out coral and algal skeleton.
Parrotfishes are named for their dentition, or arrangement of teeth, which looks almost like
a beak of a parrot. These teeth are suitable to bite or rasp algae from coral and other rocky
substrates. Parrotfish sizes vary within the family, with the majority of species reaching
12 – 20 inches in length. However, a few species, such as green humphead parrotfish, can
reach up to 4 feet in length. Certain species of parrot fish envelop themselves when they
sleep at night in a transparent cocoon made of mucous secreted from an organ on their
head, presumably helping to hide its scent from potential predators. Most parrotfish are
herbivores, but some species eat a wide variety of very tiny reef organisms. Some species,
such as the green humphead parrotfish, include coral (polyps) in their diets.

Color your parrotfish any color you want and do not forget to add on more scales!
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 Bluefin Trevally
(Caranx melampygus)

Malauli-apamoana

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Bluefin trevally can grow up to 40 inches, and feature silvery iridescent blue to
green colors with dense spotting on the upper two-thirds of body, and blue to
bluish fins. These fish can either be solitary or form schools. They generally have
a deep forked tail, small teeth, and usually swallow small fish whole! Most bluefin
trevally live in a wide range of offshore and inshore habitats including coral reefs.

Color your Bluefin Trevally blue to green!

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 Sabre Squirrelfish
(Sargocentron spiniferum)

Tamalau

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Sabre squirrelfish can grow up to 18 inches. These fish are large and red with
vertical silvery streaks on each scale. Their anal and ventral fins are often
yellowish. They also have a prominent cheek spine. They are solitary or live in
pairs, and are often found inside caves, ledges, lagoons, and seaward reefs to
down 400 feet.

Do you see the prominent cheek spine?

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 Ume

Orangespine Unicornfish (Naso lituratus)

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Naso species are generally called Ume. Individuals are called Umelei (>6 in) or
Ili’ilia (<6 in).

The Ume is a species of Unicornfish that are also in the Surgeonfish family (Acan-
thuridae), and they usually swim in a small group or on their own. They can grow
up to 12 inches in length and mainly feed on leafy brown algae. They are identi-
fied by the brownish gray, yellowish neck and orange tail spines and anal fin. They
also have a yellow-edged black area from the mouth to eye, and a broad black
band on the dorsal fin.

Give your Ume fish a yellow edge around a black area from the mouth to the eye!

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 Atule

Bigeye scad (Selar crumenophtalmus)

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Fishing for atule is a good example of how seasonality, time of day, and tides
come together. The atule appear in large schools in April/May and October and
they were often caught by using a communal effort (lauloa) of driving the fish
towards a trap with branches and coconut fronds. Thousands of atule could be
caught with this method. They were distributed equally to all the village families
who participated in the fishing, and when there was a large catch, they were given
as gifts to family and friends in other villages. Gifts of fish are part of the recip-
rocal relations and constant circulation of food and gifts that maintains Samoan
social structure to this day.

Color a yellow stripe on your atule!

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 I’asina

Yellowfin goatfish
(Mulloidichthis flavolineatus)
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The yellowfin goatfish belongs to the Goatfish (or Mullidae) family and they can
grow up to 17 inches and swim in schools. They normally look gray to olive in
color on their back and sides and have whitish bellies. They have a yellow
mid-lateral stripe from eye to tail, and some yellow striping on the cheek and
along the abdomen. The small juvenile fish are called I’asina and both men and
women in American Samoa use the ‘enu (fish basket) to catch them when they are
schooling in the shallow waters during specific times of the year.

Give your I’asina yellow stripes on the cheek and from the eye to the tail!

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 Activity: FISH IDENTIFICATION - If you are helping your mother preparing fish for din-
ner try and identify the fish before you put it in the umu. Below are some guidelines to help
you identify the fish.

Name of fish:

Common names/Samoan names:

Description (including the shape, color and fins)

Drawing of fish:

What they feed on:

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Activity: Measuring fish at home.

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 What YOU can do to help PROTECT OUR FISH
• Be a responsible fisher.
• Do not disturb fish when in the water by chasing or getting too close.
• Only catch enough fish for you and your family.
• Be aware of fisheries regulations which help to ensure your coral reefs are healthy
for future generations to enjoy.
• Help to protect Humphead Wrasse, Bumphead parrotfish and Giant grouper.
• For more information visit the DMWR office or the website www.asbar.org

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Resources:

• http://www.deviantart.com/tag/drawinglessons
• http://diana-huang.deviantart.com/art/How-to-Draw-Nemo-98643792
• http://www.spc.int/coastfish/en/publications/information-sheets/kit-for-communities
• American Samoa underwater identification guide, Secretariat of the Pacific Community and Department of
marine and Wildlife Resources, 2004
• Gerald A, Roger S, Paul H, Ned D. (2003). Reef Fish identification, Tropical Pacific. Florida: New World Publi-
cation, p 55, 152, 159, 180, 244
• Anne Glick, Laura Jerome (2005). Fish Biology, Hooked On Fish Not On Drugs. USA: Schaffner Printing Inc,
p 10

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For more information call or visit our office at DMWR, Fagatogo

Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources

Fagatogo, American Samoa.
Phone: 684.633.4456
Fax: 684.633.5944