Finescale Triggerfish

October 19, 2016 by kenjones

Order Tetraodontiformes

 Triggerfishes—Family Balistidae

Finescale triggerfish taken at the Cabrillo Mole at Avalon on Catalina Island by KJ in 2010

Species: Balistes polylepis (Steindachner, 1876); Balistes comes from the Latin word ballista (a device that shoots arrows—referring to the trigger-like spine) and the Greek word polylepis (many scales)

Alternate Name: Triggerfish. In Mexico called cochi, puerco coche, cochito or pez puerco.

Identification: The body is very compressed; they have a small mouth containing strong, protruding teeth (8 in each jaw); 3 strong, sharp spines are located in the first dorsal fin with 26-28 rays in the second dorsal; small gill slits are located in front of the pectoral fin. The skin is thick with large, rectilinear, plate-like scales. The coloring is brownish with blue speckles on head.

Finescale triggerfish taken at the Cabrillo Mole by Rita Magdamo in 2014

Size: To 32 inches and perhaps as much as 16 pounds.

Range: San Antonio, Chile, to Metlakatla, (southeastern) Alaska) but considered rare north of Baja California.

Habitat: Generally found on the bottom, nearshore near rocky reefs, but they can range down to 1,680 feet deep. Some have arrived north during the El Niño years and it’s speculated that there are at least three established groups near Redondo Beach, Santa Monica and Catalina. They feed on a variety of bethnic-invertebrates such as snails, sponges, sea urchins, shrimp, and crabs as well as the occasional fish and are most active during the day.

Finescale triggerfish taken from the rocks on Catalina Island by Jeff “Salty” in 2010

Piers: Reported from the Redondo Beach Pier, Redondo Sportfishing Pier, Santa Monica Pier, and Cabrillo Mole in Avalon.

Shoreline: Several have been caught from the shoreline at Catalina and the jetty at Redondo Beach.

Boats: A fairly rare species for California boaters.

Finescale triggerfish taken at the Redondo Sportfishing Pier in 2012

Bait and Tackle: Will take most bait including squid, market shrimp, and ghost shrimp.

Food Value: Excellent, all-white fillets that can be cooked many ways. The only problem is that the skin is like leather so you need a good, sharp fillet knife.

Finescale triggerfish taken from the Redondo Beach Pier in 2007

Comments: Considered a fairly rare species in California although just enough fish are caught to keep it interesting. I’ve caught four—one in Maui, Hawaii, one while fishing out of La Paz, Mexico, one while fishing out of the Rancho Buena Vista resort in Mexico, and one from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon.

A triggerfish taken from the Cabrillo Mole (Picture by Hashem Nahid)

Rita Magdamo and son Kyle at the Cabrillo Mole with her finescale triggerfish in 2014

KJ and his finescale triggerfish at the Cabrillo Mole in 2010

A finescale triggerfish caught at the Cabrillo Mole by PFIC member EgoNonBaptizo (aka as Sky) in 2017 (Photo by Hashem Nahid)

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KJ and a different variety of triggerfish at Isla Espíritu Santo, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico

A triggerfish caught on a boat out of the Ranch Buena Vista Resort in Baja California Sur, Mexico

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The Hawaiian State Fish

If you visit Hawaii you might look for its most famous fish, a triggerfish, the humuhumunukunukuapua’a, which is pronounced “who-moo-who-moo-noo-koo-noo-koo-ah-pooah-ah. If you can’t pronounce that, just call it humuhumu for short.

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From Fishing Hawaii Style, Volume 2, by Jim Rizzuto, 1987

Common name: Two species are commonly known by this name: the pig-nosed triggerfish and the aculeate triggerfish.

Scientific name: Rhinecanthus rectangulus (pig-nosed variety) and R. aculeatus (aculeate variety).

Other names: Reef triggerfish and lagoon triggerfish; tasulkimongara (J) and marasamemongara (J), hage.

Physical characteristics: Grows to a pound or two. Body deep and compressed. Head pointed, snout-like, ending in a small mouth with strong jaws. Eyes are small and set high on the head about one-third of the  way back along the body. Pectoral fins are small. A single prominent spine sticks up from midback directly behind the eyes. When erected, it is locked in place by a much smaller spine behind it and may not be lowered until the second spine has been depressed. The pig-nosed humuhumu is the Hawai’i State Fish. It has a dark band running from the eyes diagonally along the sides to the anal fin. The aculeate humuhumu has three or four rows of dark spines on the caudal peduncle. The skin of both fish is tough and leathery.

Humuhumu caught in Hawaii by sdfisherman (Don) in 2005

Habits: Feeds on shrimp, crustaceans and seaweed. Common in reef areas ranging from the shallows to depths of five or more fathoms. Generally solitary. Hides in openings in the coral when threatened.

The teeth of a triggerfish. Posted to PFIC by mufuti in 2005

Picture — Courtesy of Discover Hawaii Tours

The fish is featured in the following famous song —My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua Hawaiʻi By Bill Cogswell, Tommy Harrison & Johnny Noble

I want to go back to little grass shack
In Kealakekua, Hawaiʻi
I want to be with all the kanes and wahines
That I used to know long ago

I can hear the old guitars playing
On the beach at Hōnaunau
I can hear the old Hawaiians saying
Komo mai no kāua i ka hale welakahao

It won’t be long till my ship will be sailing
Back to Kona
A grand old place
That’s always fair to see, you’re telling me

I’m just a little Hawaiian
A homesick island boy
I want to go back to my fish and poi

I want to go back to my little grass shack
In Kealakekua, Hawai`i
Where the humuhumunukunukuâpua`a
Go swimming by

You can listen to Don Ho — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWlvYpJ5pRo

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Painted Greenling

October 19, 2016 by kenjones

Greenlings and Lingcods—Family Hexagrammidae  

Painted greenling from the Monterey Coast Guard Pier in 2015

Species: Oxylebius pictus (Gill, 1862); from the Greek words oxys (sharp) and lepys (kettle—fish) and the Latin word pictus (picture).

Alternate Names: Convict fish.

Identification:  Easily identified by 5-7 dark red or brownish red bars and mottling over a grayish-brown body; bars extend onto the fins. Body can be darker colored and sometimes white-spotted depending upon habitat. Three dark bands radiate from the eye with two red cirri (flaps) on head, one above the eye and the second midway from eye to dorsal fin. Dark spots are found on the caudal, pectoral, and pelvic fins. Elongate pointed head and snout.

Painted Greenling from the Monterey Coast Guard Pier in 2010

Size: To 10 inches although most seen from piers are 6-8 inches long.

Range: Bahia San Carlos, central Baja California to Kachemak Bay and Prince William Sound, northern Gulf of Alaska. Rare south of La Jolla and north of Washington.

Habitat: Typically found in shallow-water rocky areas. Recorded from intertidal pools to a depth of 738 feet. In southern California they’re more common from 50-100 feet in depth. Their typical diet includes small crabs, shrimp and amphipods. They tend to sleep at night and shelter in holes during the rough weather, winter months.

Painted greenling from the Monterey Coast Guard Pier in 2013

Piers: Although a common species, painted greenling are uncommonly caught. Why? Probably due to their size and small, forward-pointing mouths. Best bets: Monterey Coast Guard Pier, Santa Cruz Pier, Trinidad Pier and Citizens Dock (Crescent City).

Shoreline: An infrequent catch for rocky shore anglers in southern and central California.

Boats: An inshore species rarely seen on boats.

Painted greenling from the Monterey Coast Guard Pier in 2014

Bait and Tackle: Most are caught accidentally by people using light line and small, size 8-6 hooks. Instead of large bait, pile worms, strips of fresh mussels, and strips of squid work best.

Food Value: Too pretty and too small to keep. Let ‘em go! 

Comments: An exasperating fish that will often hang vertically on the face of steep rocks while checking out the scene—especially if the scene includes food, i.e., bait. Eventually, if they like what they see, they may begin to cautiously peck at the bait and continue to do so over an extended period of time without getting hooked. Perhaps a close second to senorita in bait stealing ability.

Painted greenling from Goleta Pier

This is another of those small fish with seemingly a Napoleonic-complex. They’re fairly aggressive and not only will they attack fish bigger than themselves but males guarding eggs have even been known to attack skindivers. It wasn’t much of a fight though, 8-inch fish versus 70-inch human. These are very interesting fish for the aquarium.

I have caught painted greenling on every trip I have made to the Monterey Coast Guard Pier but that doesn’t mean they are easy to catch. I’ve typically taken them on fairly small hooks using pile worms for bait.

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Rock Greenling

October 19, 2016 by kenjones

 Greenlings and Lingcods—Family Hexagrammidae


Rock greenling taken in Trinidad by Hans Jones Jr. in 2013

Species: Hexagrammos lagocephalus (Pallas, 1810); from the Greek words hex (six), gramma (line), lagos (hare) and cephelos  (head, referring to the large pair of cirri on the head, attached to the edge of the eye).

Alternate Names: Commonly called seatrout but also red greenling, red seatrout, red rock trout, kelp cod and fringed greenling. The 19th century Portuguese fishermen of Monterey called these boregat.

Identification: Five lateral lines on the side, and one pair of cirri on the head. Their coloring is reddish-brown with darker mottling; they often have large, bright red spots and blotches. The inside of the mouth is blue.

Rock greenling taken from the Trinidad Pier 2015

Size: To 24 inches; most caught off piers are less than 15 inches.

Range: From Point Conception to the Commander-Aleutian chain and northern Bering Sea, Alaska. Also the Kurile Islands, Russia to the Yellow Sea, Japan. Rarely encountered south of San Francisco.

Habitat: Usually found in inter-tidal and shallow-water rocky areas. Both juveniles and adults consume a wide variety of bethnic species; favorites include crabs, shrimp, snails, chiton, abalones, octopi, fish eggs, algae, and fish. A territorial species similar to kelp greenlng.

Rock greenling taken at the Trinidad Pier Kids Derby in 2016

Piers: Rock greenling are commonly taken from piers north of San Francisco, piers located near rocky areas. Best bets: Point Arena Pier, Trinidad Pier (No. 1 in the state), and Citizens Dock (Crescent City).

Shoreline: A common catch for rocky shore anglers in northern California

Boats: Primarily an inshore fish so an uncommon catch for boaters. However, those boaters fishing in fairly shallow waters from San Francisco north catch a few.

Bait and Tackle: High/low leaders using size 6 hooks and baited with small pieces of shrimp, fresh mussels, pile worms or tube worms are the best set-up. Like kelp greenling, rock greenling will often tap the bait first and then return for a solid hit so be prepared.

Food Value: Greenling are mild-flavored fish suitable for most forms of cooking but they are especially suitable for frying. Most pier caught fish are fairly small so the fillets may not offer much meat.

Rock greenling froim the Trinidad Pier

Comments: About 50% of rock greenling are sexually mature at 3-4 years in age and 11.4-13.8 inches in length. Both kelp greenling and rock greenling make excellent bait for lingcod.  Also—some books use Hexagrammos superciliosus as the scientific name for this fish. I’m thinking we need a greenling with the name Hexagrammos supercalifragilisticexpialidocious; wonder if it would have some sort of a Mary Poppins look to it?

Although most rock greenling are red, as seen above, a few have the bluish-green coloring seen below on a fish caught at the Eureka Jetty (and most fish of this color seem to be caught to the north)

 

A rock greenling taken in Oregon by sd fisherman in 2007

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Kelp Greenling

October 18, 2016 by kenjones

Greenlings and Lingcods—Family Hexagrammidae

A kelp greenling caught at the small pier in Brookings Harbor, Oregon

Species: Hexagrammos decagrammus (Pallas, 1810); from two combinations of Greek words; hex (six) and gramma  (line), deca  (ten) and gramma (line, referring to the number of lateral lines on the side of the fish).

Alternate Names: Commonly called seatrout; also called greenling seatrout, rock trout, kelp trout, spotted rock trout, kelp cod, and boregat. The 19th century Portuguese fishermen of Monterey called these fish bodieron. They were also apparently prized by the Aleut Indians who called them idyajuk.

A kelp greenling from the Trinidad Pier

Identification: An elongated body with a conical head. Distinguished by the five lateral lines on each side of the fish and two pairs of cirri—one pair above each eye, the other on top of the head. The coloring is so different for males and females that initially they were described as two distinct species. The males are dark gray to brownish olive with bright blue spots on head and sides. Females are gray-brown, bright golden to reddish-brown spots on body and head, and yellowish-orange fins. The inside of the mouth in both sexes is yellow.

Size: To 21 inches although most caught from piers are less than 15 inches in length. The California record fish weighed 3 lb 4 oz and was taken near Carmel in 2014 (see below).

A kelp greenling caught by James Thomasson from the Point Arena Pier in 1987

Range: From La Jolla to Attu Island in the Amchitka Islands in the Aleutian chain, Alaska; rare south of Point Conception.

Habitat: Considered a nearshore, shallow-water species in much of its range but found in deeper, cooler water in southern California. Usually in rocky environment waters less than 150 feet deep and often in kelp beds. Adults are territorial and not known to migrate. Both juveniles and adults consume a wide variety of bethnic species, essentially whatever they can find to much upon. Favorites include crabs, shrimp, snails, chiton, abalones, octopi, fish eggs, algae, and fish.

A kelp greenling cught by Debbie at the Point Arena Pier in 1987

Piers: Although kelp greenling are common to rocky and kelp areas from central California north, few are taken on piers south of Santa Cruz (although I have taken specimens from the Avila Pier, South Morro Bay T-Pier, and Monterey Wharf #2). Best bets: San Francisco Municipal Pier, Elephant Rock Pier, Point Arena Pier, Trinidad Pier, and Citizens Dock  (Crescent City).

A male kelp greenling caught at Citizens Dock in Crescent City in 2013

Shoreline: One of the main catches for rocky shore anglers in northern California. The south jetty at Eureka is considered the number one greenling hole in the state.

A small kelp greenling from the Avila Pier

Boats: Primarily an inshore fish although quite a few are taken by boaters fishing for shallow water rockfish in waters from Half Moon Bay north.

A kelp greenling taken by dsrtegl (Derek) at the Trinidad Pier in 2009

Bait and Tackle: A high/low leader using size 6 hooks, and a small piece of shrimp, fresh mussel, pile worm, or tube worm, is the ideal setup for these fish. Fish around rocks in the water, or under and around the pilings. Kelp greenling will usually tap the bait first then come back and take the bait with a second bite; be patient and be prepared to reel in the fish on the second hit.

A male kelp greenling caught at the Capitola Wharf in 2012 (Picture courtesy of Capitola Bait and Boat)

Food Value: Greenling are a mild-flavored fish suitable for most forms of cooking but they are especially suitable for pan frying. Most pier caught fish are fairly small so the fillets may not offer much meat.

A kelp greenling caught at the Trinidad Pier in 2008 

Comments: Roughly half of all kelp greenling are mature by age five when they are about 9.5 inches long; they live to about 12 years of age. The top pier spots in the state to catch kelp greenling are the Point Arena Pier, Trinidad Pier and Citizen’s Dock in Crescent City. At Point Arena, cast out to the reefs that run parallel to the pier and be prepared to lose a lot of tackle; at Trinidad, fish around the various rocks that abound in the inshore portion of the pier; at the Citizen’s Dock, fish the inshore rocks by the shoreline.

dsrtegl (Derek) with a small greenling at the Trinidad Pier in 2014

Male kelp greenling from the Trinidad Pier in 2015

A lingcod and a kelp greenling  that I caught one day from a boat off Fort Bragg. Both belong to the same family, Hexagrammidae, and small kelp greenling are a favorite food of lingcod.  

A brightly colored greenling caught off Alaska by calaznfisher in 2014

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CDFW Marine Management News 

Snapshot: New State Angling Record — October 29, 2014

A new state angling record was set on September 17, 2014 when Matthew Franco (left) reeled in a 3 lb. 4 oz. kelp greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus) while fishing near Carmel in central California. This fish beats the previous state angling record by 1 oz. Congratulations Matthew!

In the state angling record category, current open species include Humboldt squid (min. weight 40 lb.), rainbow surfperch (min. weight 1 lb.), and walleye surfperch (min. weight 1 lb.). For more information about state recreational fishing and diving records, see the CDFW Record Ocean Sport Fish webpage.

The CDFW saltwater angling and diving records program recognizes exceptional saltwater finfish and shellfish taken in California by sport anglers and divers. The program has given CDFW biologists the opportunity to examine record-sized catches for decades.

Post by Mary Patyten, CDFW Research Writer ♦ CDFW file photo

2 thoughts on “Snapshot: New State Angling Record”

Luis Perez — August 20, 2015 at 7:13 pm
What was the length? Thanks.

Reply
marinenews — August 25, 2015 at 1:28 pm
The record holder provided a total length measurement of 17¾ inches. Total length is the straight-line distance from the tip of the head to the end of the longest lobe of the tail fin.

From the California Department of Fish and Wildlife — https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/tag/greenling/

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Pacific Hake

October 17, 2016 by kenjones

Order —Gadiformes (Cods and their relatives)

Hakes — Family Merlucciidae   

ID Photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Species: Merluccius productus (Ayres, 1855); from the Latin words merluccius (an ancient name meaning sea pike) and procuctus  (drawn out).

Alternate Names: Cod, hake, silver hake, Pacific whiting, haddock, whitefish, popeye and oatmeal fish. Early-day names included mellusa and meluzette. In Mexico called merluza norteña.

Identification: Very similar to cod but the second dorsal fin and anal fin are deeply notched (not separated into two fins) and the pectoral fin reaches past the end of the first dorsal. They have a mouth full of sharp teeth. Their coloring is metallic; blackish or iron gray above, shading into silver; black speckles on the back; the lining of the mouth is black. Considered a “slim fish with large eyes.”

A Santa Cruz hake from the ’70s

Size: To 3 feet and around 10 pounds; most caught from piers are 18-24 inches long.

Range: From Bahia Magdalena, southern Baja California, to the Gulf of Alaska and Asia.

Habitat: A bentho-pelagic species commonly found from 160 to 1,500  feet but found from the surface down to nearly 3,000 feet. Typically found over sand or mud. The schools are highly migratory apparently undertaking both vertical and horizontal migrations, inshore and out, shallow water to deep, seasonally. They are also nocturnal feeders that rise from their deep-water habitat to the surface at night where they feed on plankton; by daybreak they are once again in deep water. I have caught quite a few hake at the Newport Pier and most were caught either at night or in the early morning hours.

A Pacific hake caught from the boat Stagnaro #2 out of Santa Cruz

Piers: Hake are an uncommon catch on piers but they’re occasionally seen at piers located close to deep water (i.e., submarine canyons). Best bets: Balboa Pier, Newport Pier, Redondo Beach Pier, Port Hueneme Pier, Monterey Wharf No. 2, and the Santa Cruz Wharf. An exception is the shallow-water Pacifica Pier that reports a few most years (but the fish may be Pacific tomcod).

Shoreline: A deep-water fish rarely seen inshore.

Boats: Rarely a sought after species but frequently caught by rock cod fisherman from Monterey north and occasionally taken by salmon trollers in northern California.

Bait and Tackle: Hake will hit almost any bait, dead or alive, but squid works best according to my records. Hake are usually caught by anglers bottom fishing for other species. Medium tackle, a high/low leader, and hooks size 4 to 2 are best (on piers). Almost all of these are caught at night.

Food Value: Good if cleaned and iced down immediately after capture. Failure to do this will result in deteriorated, soft-meated (yucky) flesh more suited for local Tomcats or rose gardens (since roses love the nitrogen found in fish).

Two early-morning hake taken from the Newport Pier along with a jack mackerel (aka Spanish mackerel) and a trio of queenfish (aka herring in SoCal). Many, many years ago when I was just a sophomore in high school.

Comments: Salmon trollers in northern California often catch hake; the fish are typically killed and tossed back into the sea. Rock cod anglers fishing the deep reefs out of Santa Cruz also catch many. In fact, back when you could use the three-hook gangions and a diamond jig, I had days when I was sometimes pulling in three or four hake at a time when fishing for the more preferred red rock cod—canary, vermilion, chilipepper, bocaccio, and greenspotted rockfish. And, I remember one trip out of Stagnaros Sportfishing in June of ’83 when the hake were huge, some approaching 8-10 pounds in weight. Hauling up 2-3-4 of the heavy fish at a time quickly tired out the arms. Usually when the hake showed up the skipper decided to move since the hake were considered nuisance fish. Scientists report that hake are the most numerous commercial species along the West Coast and live to about 23 years of age.

The reason hake are looked down upon by anglers is that they are a very “delicate” species that require careful handling (and they usually do not get it). They deteriorate rapidly after capture due to a tiny parasitic protozoan in their muscle. This nasty little critter, Kudoa paniformis, produces an enzyme that actually liquefies the muscle tissue. When the hake are alive they are apparently able to remove this enzyme quick enough to maintain their Olympian shape. However, after capture by mystified pier anglers, the hake die quickly. Not so for our little friends, the kudoa. They live on for a period of time, continue to produce this enzyme, and the flesh turns to mush. The parasite is in no way harmful to humans (even if eaten alive) but hake mush just isn’t considered a delicacy by very many pier anglers. After all, pier anglers are considered the Epicurean class among sport fishermen. However, if cleaned and cooked immediately after capture (rarely an option) they are considered good eating.

However, hake have become an important commercial species. In fact, the largest commercial species on the coast. According to Agriculture and Agri-Food of Canada, “a surimi industry has been developed on the west coast of Vancouver Island for which Pacific whiting [hake] is the principal resource. The strict use of temperature controls in holds of fishing vessels, removal of fish from boats by pumps (which also pump the fish into the plant), use of an enzyme inhibitor created from potatoes, and insistence on quick and efficient processing have enabled Canadian companies to produce not only top-quality, inexpensive surimi, but also the best frozen whiting fillets and blocks available.” Surimi is the fish paste used in making  crab-flavored seafood. So, next time you pick up that fake crab meat, you probably will be eating hake. However, the fish have been declared a species of concern since 1999 due to overfishing.

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