August 2011 archives

Opaleye

Sea Chubs—Family Kyphosidae A chubby opaleye taken at the Cabrillo Mole in 2009 Species: Girella nigricans (Ayres, 1860); from the French word girelle (a derivative of julis, an old word used to denote a number of small wrasse in Europe), the Latin word nigr (dark) and the Greek word ikanos (becoming, in reference to its [...]

Garibaldi aka Ocean Goldfish — “Don’t keep ‘em”

Garibaldi Species: Hypsypops rubicundus (Girard, 1854); from the Greek word hypsypops (high area below the eye) and the Latin word rubicunda (red). Alternate Names: Golden perch, ocean sunfish and ocean goldfish. In Mexico called jaqueta garibaldi. As for the name garibaldi, it apparently was a name bestowed upon the fish by California’s Italian commercial fishermen [...]

White Sturgeon — America’s Largest Freshwater Fish

White Sturgeon — From Pier Fishing in California, 2nd Ed. Species: Acipenser transmontanus (Richardson, 1836); from the Latin words Acipenser (bony cartilage), trans (across), and montes (mountains). Alternate Names: Pacific sturgeon, Sacramento sturgeon, Oregon sturgeon and Columbia sturgeon. Called esturión blanco in Mexico. Identification: White sturgeon have a long, streamlined body with a broad, flattened [...]