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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


Marine Fish: Sea Bass


Fishes are aquatic vertebrates that have fins, gills and scales. Gills are the part of the respiratory system that provide surface area for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide under water.

Fish are ectotherms, commonly referred to as 'cold-blooded', meaning their temperature is regulated by the temperature of their environment. They have a range of diets, being herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores. Some fish reproduce by laying eggs, while others reproduce by bearing live young.

California fish species reside in freshwater and coastal/marine waters. Coastal, or marine fish are an abundant and valuable resource. However, the ocean's supply is not limitless, and therefore careful planning and education must be undertaken to ensure the sustainability of the world's largest food source.
young sea bass off the coast of California Fished commercially and for sport since the early 1900s, white seabass populations were in decline from the 1960s through the 1980s. The white seabass isn't a seabass at all--it's a member of the croaker family and the largest croaker in the Pacific Ocean. Prized for its large size and good flavor, it's found off southern California and both coasts of Mexico.

The otoliths or earbones of the white seabass have long been considered good luck charms and were used as wampum by early California Indians. Otoliths have been found in Indian middens throughout California and even to this day many fishermen save these large calcareous earbones for ornamentation and good luck charms.

California white sea bass season takes place from early June through September When freshly caught the white seabass is gunmetal blue dorsally, fading to a silvery white on the lower sides and belly. The largest recorded catch is 84 lbs. but the average is 10 to 30 lbs. The meat is moderately fatty, white and flaky with a fine texture and large flake.
The giant sea bass is a fish native to the northern Pacific Ocean. There are published reports of giant sea bass reaching a size of over 8 feet, and a weight of up to 575 pounds. However in Charles F. Holder's book The Channels Islands published in 1910, the author claims specimens taken from the Gulf of California attained 800 pounds.

In the eastern Pacific its range is from Humboldt Bay, California to the Gulf of California, Mexico, most common from Point Conception southward. Giant sea bass were once a relatively common inhabitant of Southern California waters, yet in the 1980s it was facing the threat of local extinction off the California coast.  Actions were taken, resulting in protection from commercial and sport fishing that went into effect in 1982.

The giant sea bass reproduces slowly with a population doubling time of more than 14 years and is still listed as critically endangered. Due to its size and carnivorous nature it may pose some threat to humans, though to date there have been little to no reports of this species intentionally attacking humans.
The giant sea bass is a fish native to the northern Pacific Ocean. There are published reports of giant sea bass reaching a size of over 8 feet, and a weight of up to 575 pounds The most important prey items of the giant sea bass are sting rays, skates, lobster, crabs, various flatfish, small sharks, mantis shrimp, blacksmith, ocean whitefish, red crab, sargo, sheephead, octopus, squid and an occasional kelp bass or barred sand bass.

Giant sea bass are not built for sustained speed, and the vast majority of their prey are organisms that live on the bottom. These organisms, located crawling across the substrate or buried just below the surface, are drawn into the mouth of a giant sea bass by the vacuum produced when the huge mouth is rapidly opened. Certainly some mid-water fish are ambushed and sucked in by giant sea bass lurking in the shadows of the kelp.

Giant sea bass themselves are likely eaten by a variety of fishes and marine mammals when they are small. But as they grow large, only man and large sharks have the ability to eat them.
 
 
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