The West Pacific giant sea bass is a fish of the deep northwestern Pacific that can reach about 6.6 ft (2 m) long. It is a different species from the similarly named giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas). It is also called the striped giant sea bass.

Appearance

Appearance
This large fish can reach about 6.6 ft (2 m) long and has a nearly straight tail edge. Young fish show broad pale side bars that fade as they grow.

Look-alikes

Giant Sea BassStereolepis gigas

The West Pacific fish can show five broad pale side bars and a nearly straight tail edge. California’s Giant Sea Bass has dark side patches and a slightly notched tail; the two live on opposite sides of the Pacific.

Why they get mixed upBoth are huge, closely related fish, and their English names are similar.

Where it lives

Typical habitats
  • deep seafloor
Range
Its wild range includes Japan, South Korea, and Russia in the northwest Pacific. No U.S. waters are listed in its documented range.
Preferred conditions
It is usually reported at depths of about 1,300–2,000 ft (400–600 m).

Conservation

IUCN Red List
NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
10 sources
  1. iNaturalist taxon 619596
  2. 국립수산과학원 돗돔
  3. FishBase Stereolepis doederleini
  4. 鳥羽水族館 オオクチイシナギ
  5. 鳥羽水族館年報 オオクチイシナギの繁殖
  6. A southward range extension of Stereolepis doederleini
  7. California Fish and Wildlife: Giant Sea Bass
  8. Cybium: A juvenile Stereolepis doederleini from Jeju
  9. 富山湾産魚類目録
  10. Revised Checklist of Fishes of Sagami Bay
West Pacific Giant Sea Bass (Stereolepis doederleini) — identification, habitat & look-alikes | Moeyo