Croakers — Family Sciaeidae — Shortfin Corvina
Shortfin Corvina caught near Spanish Landing in San Diego Bay by zenbass
Species: Cynoscion parvipinnis (Ayres, 1861); from the Greek words kyon (dog) and skion (from sciaena, an old name for a European croaker) and the Latin words parvi (small) and pinnis (fins).
Angel Hernandez and three shortfin corvina caught from the Crystal Pier
Alternate Names: Bigtooth corvina, shortfin seabass, sea trout, weakfish, caravina, vina, and my personal favorite—vampire corvina. Called corvina aleta corta or corvina azul in Mexico.
Mark and two shortfin corvina from the Oceanside Pier
A corvina at the Crystal Pier
Size: To 32 inches in length; those caught from piers are usually 14-18 inches. For many years the record fish, as listed by the International Game Fish Association, was 6 pounds, 15 ounces. However, several fish exceeding 7-pounds had been reported from San Diego Bay. Then, on June 20, 2008, Carmen C. Rose caught a 10 lb. 6 oz. corvina fishing a dead grunion (without a sinker) from a boat just 40 feet off the beach in South San Diego Bay near the US Navy housing on the Silver Strand. It is now the IGFA listed World Record fish.
Kara and a shortfin corvina from the Crystal Pier
Range: Mazatlán, Mexico, the entire Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), and the Pacific coast north to Huntington Beach, California. Common from Bahia San Quintin, northern Baja California south, although a population now seems established in San Diego Bay.
Angel Hernandez at the Crystal Pier
Habitat: A coastal fish that typically inhabits shallow inshore waters and estuaries (including the surf zone) and generally found over sandy or soft mud bottom areas. Considered a demersal (bottom) species but it’s also known for its schooling nature, sometimes hunting in packs and attacking baitfish on the surface. The result for anglers is that it is often hooked by anglers fishing in the mid to upper waters and that if you find one you may find more. It is also a fish that sometimes seems to bite best at night so if you’re seeking them out be sure to have a light of some type.
A corvina at the Crystal Pier
Piers: Initially only reported from piers in San Diego Bay but the last decade or so has seen increasing numbers showing up at nearby oceanfront piers—Imperial Beach Pier, Ocean Beach Pier, and Crystal Pier (especially during grunion runs). A few have also been reported from the Oceanside Pier. Best bets: Coronado Ferry Landing Pier, Embarcadero Marina Pier, Shelter Island Pier, Imperial Beach Pier and Crystal Pier.
Shoreline: Regularly taken by shoreline anglers in San Diego Bay.
Boats: A prized fish for boaters in south San Diego Bay..
A fang
Bait and Tackle: Light to medium size tackle will work well with small, size 4-2 hooks typically used if bait fishing. Best baits are live bait—anchovy, smelt, small queenfish or sardine but ghost shrimp (especially when fished under a bobber) can also be excellent. Although in Baja they are primarily considered a bottom feeder, many of the reports from SD Bay have them feeding mid-level to the top. They are also considered to be an excellent fish for artificial lures with many different lures providing action including jerk baits, shallow-diving crank baits, spoons, spinner baits, swim baits and plastic grubs. The best size is hard to predict given they may hit small lures one day and large lures the next.
Tony Trondale and another corvina from the Crystal Pier
Food Value: Excellent, firm, large flaked meat with a mild, sweet-flavored taste. Often compared favorably to white seabass although some consider it somewhat inferior. Although pinkish when raw it cooks up white and can be prepared in many ways. Ceviche is a popular recipe for this species. As with other croakers that feed mainly on bottom species, anglers should follow safety guidelines on consumption since the flesh may contain toxins.
Comments: (1) Of interest is a paper the Fish and Game Department published in 1939 — Fish Bulletin No. 54, The Fishes of the Family Sciaenidae (Croakers) of California by Tage Skogsberg. Its conclusion regarding shortfin corvina was simple: the species was no longer found in California and they were of no practical interest to sport fishermen.
It reported that in 1939 “the short-fin sea-bass occurs along the west coast of Lower California and in the Gulf of California. Its southern distributional boundary is not known with certainty. In regard to the northerly outposts, it may be noted that Starks and Morris (1907) recorded one specimen from San Diego, California; however, this specimen was probably seen in the fish markets and thus was not of necessity taken to the north of the international boundary line. The most interesting feature of the distribution of the species is that Jordan and Evermann (1898) reported this form to have been found as far to the north as Santa Barbara, California, and that it was common along the coasts of southern California as far north as San Pedro.” That apparently was no longer true. “Under the general treatment of the genus, the last statement does not apply at the present time. At least normally, the species is not any longer a member of the fish fauna of this State.” What about the reports in the late 1800s? “Our first reaction to the information given by Jordan and Evermann is apt to be that it must be erroneous. However, this conclusion is not of necessity correct. The unquestionable destruction of the white sea-bass in the northerly portion of its distributional area at least strongly suggests that the distributional area of the short-fin sea-bass also has shifted to the south.” As for the commercial sale of the corvina, “The present commercial significance of this species is very slight, indeed. Small quantities, taken with hand lines or gill nets in Mexican waters, are sold in the fresh fish markets of southern California during fall, winter and spring. They are frequently recorded as white sea-bass by the fish dealers, although the fishermen do distinguish them from this species, usually under the erroneous name of “sea-trout,” a name which they also apply to the young stages of the white sea-bass. It is said that the flesh is much inferior to that of the white sea-bass and that it does not stand transportation well. Of course it follows from what has been said above that at present this specie is of no practical interest to sport fishermen.”
The story changed roughly 50 years later (in the 1990s) when shortfin corvina began to increasingly be seen in south San Diego Bay. Whether lured north by warm El Niño waters (’87-’88, ’91-‘92, ’97-’98), or brought in mistakenly by returning long-range Sportfishing boats, the result was not only the return of a long missing fish but the beginning of a new recreational fishery for San Diego anglers. Although still more commonly taken by boaters, it’s now considered a regular (but prized) catch by pier and shoreline anglers in San Diego Bay as well as the oceanfront piers in San Diego County (San Diego to Oceanside).
In San Diego today, I believe there is a fairly large group of anglers whose. specialty fish seem to be the shortfin corvina.
Although considered primarily a diurnal feeder (daytime feeder), many of the reports on the PFIC Message Board have concerned nighttime catches. Shrimp is considered their favorite food although an increasing number are reported hitting on live bait—everything from queenfish to small jack mackerel. Most commonly caught April through September.
(2) For some reason anglers through the years (and continuing today) have mixed up shortfin corvina and orangemouth corvina. Yes, they are both corvina, but totally different species, and only shortfin corvina are found today in California. Orangemouth corvina on the other hand were once the stars of a tremendous sport fishery in the Salton Sea, a fishery that was one of the most productive and famous in California from roughly the ‘60s to the ‘90s. Although the Department of Fish & Game stocked both shortfins and orangemouth in the sea in the ‘50s, the shortfins failed to reproduce and soon died out. The orangemouth spawned successfully and by the 1960s numbered in the millions. Unfortunately the death of the Salton Sea in the early 2000s brought with it the death of most of the fish in the sea including the orangemouth corvina. Only tilapia survived and they have nearly disappeared.