Photo of the Week: March 2009 Week 6

Hi gang! The photograph I selected to share this week is a shot of a giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas). This species is certainly worthy of the name "giant" as one specimens was documented to have attained a length of 7.45 feet with another individual tipping the scales at a hefty 563 pounds. I promise you that if a giant sea bass suddenly emerges out of a an area of thick kelp and appears right next to you as opposed to you seeing the animal approach from a distance your heart is going to start racing, and you will quickly understand why some southern California divers refer to giant sea bass as Volkswagens.

     Giant sea bass are also commonly referred to as black sea bass. I saw my first giant sea bass on a night dive in August of 1975 in the La Jolla Submarine Canyon off San Diego, California. We enjoyed a summer squid run that year, meaning that uncountable numbers of market squid (aka common squid, Loligo opalescens) came from the open sea into shallow water in a number of coastal areas to mate, lay their eggs, and eventually meet their demise. I was a relatively new scuba diver at the time, and I had only been diving in California for eight months. The point being, while "squid runs" are common in the winter, they are relatively uncommon during the summer. The squid runs are insane. In an intense run there are zillions of squid, and their presence attracts a virtual Who's Who of marine predators and scavengers. During squid runs I have seen shortfin pilot whales, blue sharks, California sea lions, harbor seals, bat rays, angelsharks, horn sharks, all kinds of rockfishes, thornback rays and bat rays as well as giant sea bass come in to stuff themselves on the dead and dying squid. Lobsters, crabs, sea stars and many other invertebrates also partake in this natural feast. During the summer squid run of 1975 I made a number of night dives into the La Jolla Submarine Canyon, and, lucky me, I got good looks at giant sea bass several times. But being new to California diving I didn't realize how special those sightings were. By the mid 1970's the local population of giant sea bass had been fished to the point of almost being wiped out, and I went close to 20 years before I ever saw another giant sea bass. By the late 1970's biologists at the California Department of Fish and Game recognized that the local population of giant sea bass was in serious trouble, and in 1982 the species gained protection from commercial, sport and spear fishing.

     In a world filled with troubling environmental news, the giant sea bass story is one that should encourage all of us. Giant sea bass have made a strong comeback in southern California, and there are several dive sites including La Jolla Cove off San Diego and Italian Gardens at Catalina Island where sightings are somewhat predictable during certain times of the year. One small step for mankind, but a very nice one, indeed! To capture an image like this one it is probably best to use a wide prime lens or a zoom that allows you to go at least as wide as 28 mm, and wider is often better. I took this weeks POTW with a Nikon 12 mm to 24 mm zoom, with the lens set at 20 mm. One thing about giant sea bass is that if you don't charge right in and frighten them away when you first encounter them, they often allow you to get quite close. I was no more than three feet away from the fish's head when I took this shot as the giant sea bass was displaying in hopes of being cleaned by some small calico bass, senorita fish and sheephead that were providing their services to a school of giant sea bass in the kelp bed at Italian Gardens.