Table of Contents
Overview
Brief Summary
Biology
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Comprehensive Description
Biology
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Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann 1983 A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 336 p. (Ref. 2850)
http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=2850&speccode=2592
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Description
Common names: seabass (English), pescara (Espanol), lubina (Espanol)
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Description
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Distribution
Range Description
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National Distribution
United States
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
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Depth
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Zoogeography
See Map (including site records) of Distribution in the Tropical Eastern Pacific
Global Endemism: All species, East Pacific endemic, TEP non-endemic
Regional Endemism: All species, Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic, Temperate Eastern Pacific, primarily, California province, primarily, Continent, Continent only
Residency: Vagrant
Climate Zone: North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California), Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
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Range
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Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann 1983 A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 336 p. (Ref. 2850)
http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=2850&speccode=2592
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Physical Description
Morphology
Size
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Size
Max. size
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IGFA 2001 Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA. (Ref. 40637)
http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=40637&speccode=943
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International Game Fish Association 1991 World record game fishes. International Game Fish Association, Florida, USA. (Ref. 4699)
http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=4699&speccode=2590
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Fitch, J.E. and R.J. Lavenberg 1971 Marine food and game fishes of California. University of California Press, USA. 179 p. (Ref. 4563)
http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=4563&speccode=2592
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Ecology
Habitat
Habitat and Ecology
Reproductive Biology
The fish mature at 7 to 10 years (Domeier 2001). The maximum size of male/unsexed giant sea bass is 250 cm TL (IGFA 2001). Spawning aggregations are formed and remain together for one or two months over the period of June to September (Crooke 1992).
Systems
- Marine
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Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 1 sample.
Environmental ranges
Depth range (m): 2 - 5
Temperature range (°C): 21.063 - 21.063
Nitrate (umol/L): 0.133 - 0.133
Salinity (PPS): 34.249 - 34.249
Oxygen (ml/l): 5.091 - 5.091
Phosphate (umol/l): 0.366 - 0.366
Silicate (umol/l): 3.277 - 3.277
Graphical representation
Depth range (m): 2 - 5
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.
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From 5 to 46 meters.
Habitat: demersal. Occurs on rock bottoms; near shore, outside kelp beds and along drop-offs. Large specimens usually found deeper than 30 m, small ones over sand and in kelp beds mostly from 12-21 m. Aggregates to spawn in summer. Lives to at least age 70 years.
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Habitat
Inshore/Offshore: Inshore, Inshore Only
Water Column Position: Bottom, Bottom only
Habitat: Reef (rock &/or coral), Rocks, Reef and soft bottom, Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom), Soft bottom (mud, sand,gravel, beach, estuary & mangrove), Sand & gravel
FishBase Habitat: Demersal
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Habitat
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Environment
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Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann 1983 A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 336 p. (Ref. 2850)
http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=2850&speccode=2592
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Migration
Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.
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Trophic Strategy
Feeding
Diet: mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs), bony fishes, sharks/rays
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Life History and Behavior
Life Cycle
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Shanks, A.L. and G.L. Eckert 2005 Population persistence of California Current fishes and benthic crustaceans: a marine drift paradox. Ecol. Monogr. 75:505-524. (Ref. 56049)
http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=56049&speccode=4150
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Reproduction
Reproduction
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
Molecular Biology
Barcode data: Stereolepis gigas
There are 2 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank. Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species. See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.
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Download FASTA File
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Statistics of barcoding coverage: Stereolepis gigas
Public Records: 2
Species: 2
Species With Barcodes: 1
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Conservation
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List Assessment
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
Version
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Contributor/s
Justification
Pre-exploitation biomass for Southern California populations of the Giant Sea Bass was estimated to be 1,300 tons (1,179 tonnes) (Ragen 1991). The fish was so heavily exploited in both California and Mexican waters that the commercial landings declined rapidly from 115 tonnes in 1932 to 5 tonnes in 1980 in California waters, whereas it decreased greatly from 363 tonnes to 12 tonnes in Mexican waters over the same period (Domeier 2001). The annual landings (in tonnes) of the species in California fluctuated in the 1990s: 3.3 (1990), 5.3 (1991), 3.9 (1992), 2.1 (1993), 0.4 (1994), 0.5 (1995), 0.9 (1996), 1.1 (1997), 2.9 (1998), 2.4 (1999), 2.0 (2000) and 2.6 (2001) (NMFS 2003). Reports of landings from Hawaii from NMFS, WpacFIN website and DAR (2003) are in error, the correct species being Epinephelus quernus. The error is due to the wrong common name being used in these reports (W. Ikehara pers. comm.).
Currently, it is suggested that the population size of Giant Sea Bass in California may be increasing as it is under protection (Domeier 2001); however, there are no hard data to support it. Due to the heavy harvest in Mexico and the long generation time (estimated at 7–10 years) (Domeier 2001). It is also possible that the species may need additional protection in Mexico but more information is needed. The current status should not be changed until data about the actual or relative abundance of the species are collected.
The species is particularly vulnerable due to its very limited distribution, its very large size and its aggregation spawning. It is not known how effective management is.
History
- 1996Critically Endangered
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National NatureServe Conservation Status
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked
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NatureServe Conservation Status
Rounded Global Status Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
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Conservation status
CITES: Not listed
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Status
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Trends
Population
Population Trend
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Threats
Threats
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Threats
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IUCN 2006 2006 IUCN red list of threatened species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded July 2006.
http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=57073
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Management
Conservation Actions
California State Legislature banned both commercial and recreational fishing for Giant Sea Bass in 1981 in response to the great decline in population, but it allowed two fish per angler per trip when fishing south of United States-Mexico border (Crooke 1992) and allowed one fish per trip if taken incidentally in gill or trammel net by commercial fisherman (Domeier 2001).
The species can still be caught in Mexico (M. Domeier, pers. comm.).
The law limited the amount of Giant Sea Bass that could be taken in Mexican waters and landed in California (could not land more than 3,000 lbs in a calendar year). The ban of inshore gill nets in California was introduced in 1990, which was considered a way to significantly reduce the incidental mortality of Giant Sea Bass (Domeier 2001).
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Conservation
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Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems
Benefits
Importance
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International Game Fish Association 1991 World record game fishes. International Game Fish Association, Florida, USA. (Ref. 4699)
http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=4699&speccode=2590
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Fitch, J.E. and R.J. Lavenberg 1971 Marine food and game fishes of California. University of California Press, USA. 179 p. (Ref. 4563)
http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=4563&speccode=2592
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Wikipedia
Giant sea bass
The giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas) is a fish native to the northern Pacific Ocean.[1] Despite its conspicuous size and curious nature, relatively little is known about its biology or behavior.
There are published reports of giant sea bass reaching a size of 2.5 m (8.2 feet) and a weight of up to 255 kg (562 lbs). 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 (360 kg). In the eastern Pacific, its range is from Humboldt Bay, California to the Gulf of California, Mexico, most common from Point Conception southward. In the western Pacific, it is found in the sea around Japan. It usually stays in relatively shallow water, near kelp forests, drop offs, or rocky bottoms.
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. Beginning in the late 19th century, the species supported both a commercial fishery taking hundreds of thousands of pounds annually, and a sport fishery that also landed hundreds of fish each year. Spear fishermen also exploited the giant sea bass, first as free divers, and then after the mid-1950s using scuba gear. Often the divers would target the species when they moved into shallow water during the summer months to spawn. By the late 1970s, biologists with the California State Department of Fish and Game, recognized that the local population of giant sea bass was in serious trouble. Actions were taken, resulting in protection from commercial and sport fishing that went into effect in 1982. Yet for almost two decades, encounters with giant sea bass were scarce. 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.[2]
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