Species Fact Profile: Giant Sea Bass (Stereolepis gigas)

                                                               Giant Sea Bass                          

                                                Stereolepis gigas (Ayres, 1859)

Range: Northern Pacific Ocean (California and Mexico in the eastern Pacific, Japan in the west)

Habitat:  Kelp Forest, Drop-Offs, Mud Flats.  Found at about 20 meters depth

Diet: Crustaceans, Fish (Croaker, Mackerel, Sheephead)

Social Grouping: Solitary.  May not be territorial, but appear to be sedentary

Reproduction: Spawn in small groups from July through September, with individuals spawning with multiple mates.  Females may produce up to 60 million eggs.  Fertilized eggs float with currents, hatching into larvae, continue to drift until developing into juveniles.  Reach sexual maturity at 10-12 years old (20-30 kilograms in size).

Lifespan: 75-100 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Critically Endangered.  USFWS Endangered

• Can reach a length of up 2.5 meters and a weight of 250 kilograms, but reports exist of specimens weighing over 350 kilograms.  Row of dorsal spines in grooves down the back.  Large mouth 
• Juveniles are brightly colored red or orange with large black spots.  Adults take on darker, muddled gray or brown coloration, with a white underside
• Primarily sit-and-wait hunters.  Capture prey by suddenly opening their mouths to create a vacuum, sucking in nearby prey
• Large sharks are only significant predators of adults.  Juveniles may be taken by a variety of marine mammals and larger fish
• Have a symbiotic relationship with cleaner fish which remove external parasites from gills, skin, and the inside of the mouth
• Scientific name translates to "Giant Dense-Scaled Fish"
• Once fairly common, began declining in 1900s due to popularity with sports fishing.  LEgally protected in California waters since 1982