Posts Tagged Capitola Wharf

A short visit to Montery Bay — and some piers

With the thermometer reaching 100 degrees for day after day, I decided it was time to leave Fresno and visit the coast. Given the recent reports of mackerel, I decided to head northwest to Monterey. The  area from Monterey to Santa Cruz is what I call the “north” Central Coast. In contrast, is the Pismo [...]

Thornback Ray

Order Rhinobatiformes —  Thornbacks — Family Platyrhinidae Thornback rays taken at the Ventura Pier Species: Platyrhinoidis triseriata (Jordan & Gilbert, 1880); from the Greek words platys (flat and broad), rhin (shark with a rough skin), oid (like) and is (similar), and the Latin words tri (three) and seriat (rows, in reference to the three rows [...]

Sand Sole

Small Sand Sole from the Trinidad Pier in northern California Order Pleuronectiformes — Righteye Flounders—Family Pleuronectidae Species: Psettichthys melanostictus (Girard, 1854); from the Greek words psetta (flounder), ichthys (fish), melas  (black) and stictos  (specks). Alternate Names: Halibut, sand flounder, spotted flounder, fringe sole or fringe flounder. Identification: Sand sole are in the right-eye flounder family. [...]

Starry Flounder

Order Pleuronectiformes — Righteye Flounders—Family Pleuronectidae Photo ID courtesy of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Species: Platichthys stellatus (Pallas, 1787); from the Greek words platy  (flat) and ichthys (fish) and the Latin word stellatus (starry). Alternate Names: Rough-jacket, great flounder, grindstone, emery flounder, emerywheel, leatherjacket, English sole, sand paper flounder, diamondback, long-jaw flounder, California [...]

Blackperch

   Blackperch from the Ferry Point Pier in Richmond Species: Embiotoca jacksoni (Agassiz, 1853); from the Greek word embiotoca (bringing forth living young), and jacksoni  (in honor of A. C. Jackson of San Francisco, who first noted that these perch give birth to living young and brought it to the attention of Alexander Agassiz who [...]