It was just 60 fish, but it's a start as the first batch of 8-inch cabezon was released Friday morning into the near-shore shallows off Point Loma.
The bottom-dwelling ocean bullheads (Scorpaenichthys marmaratus) are part of Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute's (HSWRI) Rockfish Replenishment Program. A popular sport fish because of its tasty flesh, it's also fished commercially from central Baja all the way to Alaska. And it's grown in fish farms, too. This was, however, the first time cabezon have ever been cultured and released into the ocean.
Mike Shane, scientist at HSWRI, was joined on the project by fellow biologists Kimberly LeRoy, Kevin Stewart and Tim Conerty. Shane said the Chevron Corporation is funding the cabezon program, the offspring of Hubbs' very successful white seabass release program. Since 1986, more than 1.3 million white seabass have been spawned at Hubbs' Carlsbad hatchery and released later as juvenile fish through the cooperation of grow-out pens throughout Southern California.
“We've taken what we've learned about culture techniques from the white seabass program and applied it to other species like this,” he said, adding that Hubbs also is growing cow cod, bocaccio, vermilion, halibut, starry rockfish and yellowtail at its Mission Bay plant next to Sea World.
Don Kent, the president at Hubbs, said he expects “great results” from the cabezon plant as well as “the 20 bocaccio, 10 cowcod rockfish and more than 50 broodstock of nine other rockfish species in our pools.”
The 60 cabezon sport yellow tags implanted below their dorsal fins identify them as fish that were grown at Hubbs. Each T-bar tag has Hubbs' name on it and a phone number for anglers to call if they catch one.
Shane said there are eight distinct populations of cabezon along the coast from San Diego to Morro Bay.
“These fish don't move around very much,” he said.
The International Game Fish Association record for cabezon is a 23-pounder caught off Washington in the Juan De Fuca Strait in 1990. The California record is a 23-4 caught in 1958. But they've been recorded up to 25 pounds and 39 inches long.
Next up for Hubbs is a shipment of approximately 6,000 yellowtail headed for grow-out pens off Ensenada. Shane said permits for growing the yellowtail were easier to acquire in Mexico than they would have been in the U.S. He said the Shogun will transport the yellowtail because boat owner Ted Dunn is part owner of a tuna farm off Ensenada and has access to pens there.
Team Open near
Want to fish San Vicente for what will be the last bass tournament held before the lake is closed for seven to nine years for the raising of the dam?
Paul Leader and El Cajon Ford are sponsoring the 10th annual El Cajon Ford San Diego Team Open, Aug. 11-12 at San Vicente and El Capitan. As part of the tournament's unique format, the field is split, with fishermen alternating lakes after the first day. For more information, call tournament director
John Cassidy at Angler's Arsenal at (619) 466-8355. Applications also are on-line at
www.elcajonford.com.
Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225; ed.zieralski@uniontrib.com
