Channel Islands Scuba Dive Team - Fish Identification Mike Schechter

Southern California Species Common to SoCal - “our fish” Rare North of Point Conception Found down Baja CA as well

SoCal Bass ● Kelp Bass ● Found from floor to surface ● Barred Sand Bass ● Found on floor ● Usually “laying around”

Garibaldi – CA State Marine Fish ● Adult ● In rocky reefs ● Territorial ● Build nests – red algae ● Juvenile ● In rocky reefs ● Blue spots - “leave me alone”

Other Unique Fish ● Blacksmith ● schooling, small ● “cinder marks” ● Opaleye ● pairs, larger ● “eye dot(s)” ● Sargo ● larger ● “humpback”, stripe

Southern California Perch Perch Shape: ● Thin ● Tall ● “Oval” body shape ● Forked tail

Black and Striped Perch ● Black Perch ● 9 dusky bars ● blue line ● mustache ● Striped Perch ● horizontal, bluish stripes ● orange line

Pile and Rubberlip Perch ● Pile Perch ● usually, white spot at top of band ● scissor tail ● tiny mouth ● Rubberlip Perch ● single band ● large lips

Southern California Wrasses Elongated shape Like to follow divers

Sheephead ● Male ● distinctive pattern ● teeth ● Female ● become males ● Juvenile ● exhibit details of both

Rock Wrasse – prefer bottoms ● Male ● “hairy armpits” ● Female ● “spotted dress” ● Juvenile ● exhibit details of both

Senorita ● “cigar shaped” ● black spot on tail ● “drive by” swimmer

Southern California Rockfish stocky shape “football players” triangular cross section

Black and Blue Rockfish ● Black Rockfish ● mouth extends past eye ● rounded anal fin ● Blue Rockfish ● smaller mouth ● squared anal fin ● “crying” - that's why it's blue

Olive and Yellowtail Rockfish ● Olive Rockfish ● less oval ● Yellowtail Rockfish ● more oval ● Both ● more “bass shaped” ● olive shaped spots

Canary & Vermillion Rockfish ● Canary Rockfish ● orange ● Vermillion Rockfish ● red ● Both ● white lateral line ● very bright

Copper and Grass Rockfish ● Copper Rockfish ● white stripe ● coppery color ● Grass Rockfish ● mottled gray / brown ● lays on bottom

More Common Rockfish ● Gopher Rockfish ● 3 spots into dorsal ● “1-2-3 gopher victory” ● Kelp Rockfish ● “dumb bass” ● large eyes ● Treefish ● green w/ dark bands ● red lips ● adult is “faded”

Other / Bigger Fish Fish that don't fit into other categories

Greenlings ● Kelp Greenling (M) ● “Braveheart” war paint ● Kelp Greenling (F) ● sparkly dress ● Rock Greenling ● extremely rare in SoCal

Big Fish 1 ● Lingcod ● protects eggs / nest ● Cabezon ● prehistoric ● protects eggs / nest ● Boccacio ● big underbite ● lays on bottom

Big Fish 2 ● Horn Shark ● horn in front of fin ● nocturnal ● lays on bottom ● Giant Sea Bass ● 4+ feet long

Credits All images copyright Larry G. Allen, CSUN