Giant seabass (Stereolepis gigas)

Scientific name: Stereolepis gigas Ayres, 1859

Giant seabass (Stereolepis gigas)

The Giant seabass (Stereolepis gigas) is a marine fish of the family Polyprionidae. Native range: Eastern Pacific, Humboldt Bay in California, USA to Mexico. Northwest Pacific: Japan.

Biology

Occur 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. Aggregate for spawning in summer. Pelagic spawners. Longevity of 90 to 100 years stemmed from speculation on the age of a 557 lb fish caught in 1962, but the oldest age determined from otoliths of a 435 lb fish was 72 to75 years. Validated age so far is up to >50 years using bomb radiocarbon (A.H. Andrews, pers. comm.)

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Stereolepis gigas
Family
Polyprionidae (Wreckfishes)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
250
Depth range
5–46 m (16–151 ft)
Environment
Marine; demersal; depth range 5 - 46 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Eastern Pacific: Humboldt Bay in California, USA to Mexico. Northwest Pacific: Japan.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Critically Endangered (CR) (A1bd), IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (tm=11; tmax=75; also Musick et al. 2000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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