Physical Description

  • Juvenile giant sea bass coloring is radically different than adults (#18).
  • Juveniles often mistaken for different fish, as they resemble perch.
  • Bright red or orange body with white and dark patches on the sides.
  • Black spots all over, with dark pectoral fins.
  • Orange fades to a bronzy purple and spots fade as fish gets older.

Range

  • Humboldt Bay, California to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California.
  • Throughout the Gulf of California.
  • Rare, but occasionally north of Point Conception, California.

Habitat

  • Juveniles live in sandy flat areas close to the heads of submarine canyons, then transition to rocky reefs, and eventually kelp forests as they mature.

Reproduction

  • Males reach sexual maturity at 40 pounds, females at 50-60 pounds (age 11-13 for both genders).
  • Spawn from July-September, where one female may produce 60 million eggs!
  • Eggs are 1/24th inch in diameter and float to the surface.
  • Larvae drift and feed on plankton for about a month before becoming juveniles.

Diet

  • Mysid shrimp that live above sandy flats.

Predators

  • The only known natural predators of giant sea bass are great white sharks.

Interesting Facts

  • Giant sea bass are the largest resident bony fishes in California.
  • They are long-lived, capable of living 72-75 years, and do not reproduce for the first time until 13-15 years of age.
  • They can temporarily flash (change) the brightness of the color of their skin or spots.
  • Juvenile giant sea bass have been documented displaying cryptic behavior where they float near sand ripples and pretend to be stray kelp.

Sources: spottinggiantseabass.msi.ucsb.edu; California Department of Fish and Wildlife; Kayla Blincow, Scripps Institution of Oceanography; National Park Service

Photo: Weiwei Gao