Giant Sea Bass, Black Sea Bass

Description:

Though you can't tell from the photo, this fish was estimated to be 5 feet long and around 400 pounds. Juvenile giant sea bass are a brilliant shade of orange, with distinctive large black spots. As a fish matures, its spots deminish and its colorful exterior gradually darkens and acquires a bronzy purple hue. At full maturity, it begins to develop a white underside while the rest of its body turns black or even gray. Features characteristic of giant sea bass are dorsal spines that fit into grooves in the back and a large mouth specialized for ambush predation. Perhaps the most well-known feature of this species is its large size, with individuals historically exceeding 2 meters in length.

Habitat:

Located at the edge of the Catalina Casino building, the Casino Point Marine Park is Southern California's first city-designated underwater park. Established in 1965 by the City of Avalon as a reserve, Casino Point Marine Park has an abundance of marine life, giant kelp forests, and several shipwrecks to explore. Several artificial reefs have been established to provide additional habitats.

Notes:

This gentle giant is the largest and most magnificent species of fish in the kelp forest. They are capable of growing to lengths of over 7 feet and weighing 750 pounds! Adults are dark brown to black with large dark spots and a light belly. It is believed that they have the ability to alter their spot pattern at will. As carnivores, they eat many things including Pacific mackerel, shrimp, small sharks, crabs, lobster, anchovies, and squid. Prior to the 1950’s, this species of bony fish was very common to the near shore waters of Southern California. Due to over-fishing, their population was reduced to critically low levels. In 1982, both commercial and sport fishing of Giant Black Sea Bass was banned in California waters. Since then, the populations have been steadily recovering and encounters by divers are becoming more common.