Giant Sea Bass (Juvenile)
Stereolepis gigas

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