If you are able to catch a common blue stripe (dhon reendhoomas), it means there will be more than one in the spot. These fish normally move in groups. They aggregate in large numbers. This fish inhabits in coral reefs, lagoons and reef slopes. If we are sure about their presence in large numbers, we use three or four hooks on a monofilament line of 20 to 30lb. A lead sinker will be attached at the end of the fishing line. The sinker is generally used if the area is relatively deep or depending on the current prevailing in the depth where the fish is located. We use chopped fish extracted from dead bait fish.
Their hunting technique is stealthy. So, they swim towards the bait slowly. Blue stripe snapper normally swallows the bait and swim away with it. We catch around 30 to 40 fish within an hour. Before 1755, this fish was described as Sciaena Kasmira. In the Red Sea region, this fish is described as Kasmira which is an Arabic word.
This bright yellow fish feed on species such as: cephalopods, crustaceans, crabs, shrimps and plant algae. In Maldives, we normally catch using handlines. But this fish is also caught by hand-operated pole-and-lines, nets and traps. There is a belief that this fish is perhaps fortunate. It resembles the goatfish, hence and the goat fish is more preferred prey than the bluestripe snapper.
We also catch this fish at day time from thoondu beach, the northern beach of Fuvahmulah. We use monofilament line of 20 to 30lb. Sometimes small rocks are used as sinkers if the sea is rough or there is moderate current beneath the surface. This is one of the easiest fishes to catch.