Iridescent Silverfish

Cara unwrapped the parcel at her desk. A small note fell out from the packaging; she picked it up and read it aloud.
"I hope it's not too cold down there. I sent you a little something to keep you warm on your Magistrate assignment. With dearest love, your Mother." The 'something' in question was a scarf made in shimmercloth, bright and colorful in the morning sun, and entirely inappropriate for the warm weather of the Stagonids.
Toreo gave the scarf a sidelong glance. "....does your mom know where you are, Cara?"
The magistrate shook her head. "My mother has never had a head for directions, but shimmercloth is all the rage in the Capital, last I checked. I suppose this is less embarrassing than shimmercloth swimwear." She wrapped the scarf up and placed it in her desk. "Really, though, on assignment I must wear black. I cannot fathom what she was thinking, having me traipse around in a black uniform with a scarf reflecting all of the colors of the rainbow."
"Perhaps she was thinking of your off hours." The Marshal frowned. "Do you have off hours?"
"No." Cara adjusted her sidecap. "And even if I did, it would be a bit gauche to wear shimmercloth here, where the fish used to make it are squeezed out by the thousands for noblewomen to appease their vanity."
Toreo hid a smile. "Squeezed, huh? You ever been to an iridescent silverfish farm?"
"I've read the journals. I have no desire to observe a charnel house."

Basic Information

Anatomy

The iridescent silverfish is a small, roughly five-inch long fish with three sets of fins. While ordinary in most respects, it earns its name due to its unusual skin; underneath its scales (which are translucent), the skin of the fish is infused with an oily substance that shimmers and reflects light. This has been hypothesized as a method to throw off predator fish, who may be confused by the changing colors and outline of the silverfish as it swims.
While an edible fish, the flesh contains many small bones, and it more often serves as bait after processing.

Growth Rate & Stages

Silverfish mature quite rapidly, growing from fresh fry to adult in slightly over a season. However, the oils in their skin are not present in commercially viable quantities until at least a year has passed; the oil builds over time. Older fish accrue more oil, but it is economically advantageous to harvest at roughly five seasons.

Ecology and Habitats

Ordinary silverfish are a common catch in the seas surrounding Saibh, but the smaller iridescent variety is unique to the Grand Reef of the Stagonids and does poorly in other waters. In the wild, the iridescent silverfish is a prey and bait fish, reproducing and being consumed in quantity by any of the larger game fish of the Reef, and a common visual sight darting in and out of the corals. In aquaculture, they are housed in large pens, separated from the ocean proper with layered nets, and fed with ground bycatch from the large commercial fishing sails.

Dietary Needs and Habits

While wild iridescent silverfish feed mostly on tiny shelled creatures that free-float in the ocean waters, the ones in aquaculture feed opportunistically on bycatch, the ground up remains of unwanted fish caught in the nets. While not all bycatch is consumed by the silverfish themselves, it is presumed that the presence of bycatch encourages the growth of sea life in the area, which can then be consumed by the silverfish.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The oils of the iridescent silverfish give it its name; this oil is in huge demand by couturiers. Thread infused with the oil prior to weaving creates what the couturiers name shimmercloth, a textile that shifts colors rapidly and reflects even the dimmest of lights. The amount of oil extracted from any given silverfish is tiny - a few drops per fish, each one having to be air-drowned and carefully gutted, lest the skin rupture and the oil spill out (or worse, mix with the blood and offal). Ten pounds of silverfish go into each vial of their oil, and shimmercloth designs command enormous premiums from the few couturiers with clients wealthy enough to afford it.

Lifespan

3yr

Conservation Status

Iridescent silverfish are farmed in significant quantity, and are not rare in the wild. Their numbers have rebounded after it became more profitable to farm the fish than to wild-catch it.

Average Height

2 inches

Average Weight

~0.25lb

Average Length

5 inches

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Silver and iridescent multicolour, reflecting all colors at various angles against sunlight

Geographic Distribution

• Grand Reef of the Stagonids