John Dory

There are many different explanations for the origins of the name of this fish which is known both as John Dory and as St Peter’s fish. John Dory could be referring to the French words ‘jaune dorée’ which translates to yellow gold. It could also be referring to an old popular Scottish balled called John Dory.

But perhaps the most accepted and known story about the relation of the name to St Peter can be found in the Bible when to pay taxes due to Cesar, Jesus says to Peter, “Go to the lake, pull the hook, open the mouth of the first fish you catch and you’ll find the currency we need to pay , give it to me “(Matthew, XVII, 27). In obeying his lord, to remove the silver coin that would serve for the payment, St Peter left fingerprints of his index and thumb, on the sides of the fish.

In German this fish as known as ‘Heringskönig’, which translates onto ‘king of sardines’.

The John Dory Fish has a life expectancy of around 12 years, in which it reaches up to 60 centimetres and 10 kilograms of weight.  John Dory Fish tend to be solitary fish which in few cases make up small shoals of 6 or 7 individuals or during mating times when a large number of fish are gathered.