Surfperches — Family Embiotocidae —Black Perch
Black perch from the North T-Pier in Morro Bay.
Black perch from the North T-Pier in Morro Bay.
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 described the species).
Black perch from Pier J in Long Beach
Alternate Names: Buttermouth perch, black surfperch, black seaperch or bay perch. Often called pogie by anglers in the Bay Area. In Mexico called mojarra negra or perca negra.
Black perch from the Elepjhamt Rock Pier in Tiburon
Identification: Typical perch shape. Although variable, their coloring is usually black or brown to reddish, and yellowish on the belly; scales often have blue flecking. Lips are orange or yellow and they have a dark “mustache” on the upper lip. Typically they have dark vertical bars on the side; a bluish-white line is often seen at the base of the anal fin. Easily identified by a large patch of enlarged scales between the pectoral and pelvic fins.
Black perch from the Long Beach Finger Pier
Size: To 15.4 inches; most caught from piers are under a foot. The California record fish weighed 2 Lbs. 9 oz. and was taken by Zachery Mitchell at Pacific Grove in 2011. The IGFA World Record fish is listed at 1 Lb 8 oz for a fish caught at the Monterey Coast Guard Pier in Monterey in 2019.
Range: Isla Magdalena and Isla Gudalupe, southern Baja California, to Fort Bragg, Mendocino County, northern California. Common from Punta Abreojos, central Baja California, to Bolinas, Marin County, northern California.
HUGE black perch from the Cayucos Pier
Rare white black perch from the Ventura Pier.
Piers: Common at most piers north to Bodega Bay. Generally caught at bay piers or inshore piling areas of oceanfront piers. Best bets: Imperial Beach Pier, Shelter Island Pier, Oceanside Harbor Pier, Dana Harbor Pier, Long Beach Finger Piers, Redondo Harbor Sportfishing Pier, Hermosa Beach Pier, Venice Pier, Santa Monica Pier, Cabrillo Pier (jetty side), Malibu Pier, Paradise Cove Pier, Goleta Pier, Gaviota Pier, Morro Bay T-Pier, Monterey Coast Guard Pier, Capitola Wharf, Fort Point Pier, San Francisco Municipal Pier, Candlestick Pier, Berkeley Pier, Ferry Point Pier, Paradise Beach Pier, Elephant Rock Pier, Angel Island Pier, and Fort Baker Pier.
Shoreline: One of the main fish for rocky shore anglers in southern and central California.
Boats: An inshore species rarely taken by boaters unless fishing in bays.
Madsteelhead and a black perch from Monterey Wharf #2
Bait and Tackle: Prefers fresh mussels, bloodworms, pile worms, small pieces of shrimp or small rock crabs. Size 8 or 6 hooks fished on the bottom with a high/low leader seem to work best.
Black perch from the Ocean Beach Pier in San Diego
Food Value: In the past this was considered a fairly good eating fish. Today, because of our polluted waters, they are considered unfit to eat in some locales. Their flesh has a mild taste, with small flakes and soft texture. As with other perch they taste best during the non-spawning season, are low in fat content, and can be cooked using most methods. Many try to remove the loose hair-like bones as much as possible through filleting the fish (if large enough). We recommend returning all pregnant perch to the water if for no other reason than their meat is generally subpar during their pregnancy (the nutrients in their system being used for the babies which they birth live).
Black perch from the San Clemente Pier
Comments: Once a favorite spring fish for Bay Area pier fishermen; today there’s a perch closure during the spawning months.