Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Saltwater Fish - Macaw Pets store

A member of the Sciaenidae family, the popular white
seabass belongs to the grouping of weakfish or corvina and
is not a true bass or sea bass. White seabass stocks have
struggled due to overfishing by commercial gillnets, which
are now illegal in California for this species.
Identification. The body of the white seabass is elongate
and somewhat compressed. There is a characteristic raised
ridge along the middle of the belly, between the vent and
the base of the pelvic fins. The head is pointed and slightly
flattened. The mouth is large, with a row of small teeth in
the roof and a projecting lower jaw. The first dorsal fin has
nine spines and the second two spines and 20 soft rays. The
anal fin has two spines and 10 soft rays. There are no barbels
on the chin. Its coloring is bluish to gray above, with
dark speckling, and becomes silver below.
The white seabass can be distinguished from its Atlantic
relatives, the weakfish and the spotted seatrout, by its lack
of canine teeth. It is most closely related to the California
corbina, but it is the only California croaker to exceed 20
pounds. It is most easily separated from other croaker by
the presence of a ridge running the length of the belly.
Size/Age. The average weight of a 28-inch fish is 7 1 ⁄2
pounds. The all-tackle record is 83 pounds, 3 ounces. White
seabass generally live for 5 years.
Life history. Spawning occurs in the spring and the summer.
White seabass are schooling fish and are present in California
waters all year long. They are especially popular in
the spring and also in the winter, when they converge on
spawning squid.
Food and feeding habits. White seabass feed on
anchovies, pilchards, herring, and other fish, as well as on
crustaceans and squid.
Seabass, White
Atractoscion nobilis (also Cynoscion nobilis)
OTHER NAMES
Catalina salmon, white
corvina, corvina blanca,
white weakfish, weakfish,
king croaker; French:
acoupa blanc; Spanish:
corvinata bronzeada.
Distribution. White
seabass inhabit the eastern
Pacific, mainly between San
Francisco, California, and
Baja California, Mexico, and
in the northern Gulf of California.
They are found as far
north as southern Alaska
and as far south as Chile.
Habitat. Preferring deep,
rocky environments, white
seabass usually hold near
kelp beds in depths of 12 to
25 fathoms. They are sometimes
found in shallow surf
or deeper waters. Juveniles
inhabit shallow nearshore
areas, bays, and estuaries.
Seabass, White 183