Cabezon

Scorpaenichthys marmoratus

Photo contributed by: Daniel W. Gotshall To email him click here.

Aquaculture Potential The cabezon has aquaculture potential for both the live fishery market and the ornamental market. Its demand in the live fisheries market and the species ability to be sold for the ornamental market makes this a strong candidate for aquaculture. However, there are numerous constraints such as its solitary lifestyle, poisonous spines, and small market.

Opportunity Constraints Can tolerate wide salinity and other environmental ranges due to its ability to survive in tidepools Identifed as one of the top live fish species in Oregon Hardy species, that can handle high stress High value for live market–$5.75/pound in February 2003 (Barnes) Poisonous spines on fin rays Usually a solitary species (Lauth 1987 in Stickney et al. 1995) Blue flesh impacts demand but when cooked the flesh turns white

In-depth Information Regarding this Species

Alternate Common Names	N/A
U.S. Range in the Pacific Ocean	Alaska to Baja (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Habitat	Hard bottom, over reefs (Love 1996) Common (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Substrate	Rock, gravel, or sand (Lauth 1987 in Stickney et al. 1995)
Depth range (meters)	Intertidal to 76 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Behavior	Sedentary (Love 1996) Bottom-dwelling (Burgess et al. 1990) Solitary (Lauth 1987 in Stickney et al. 1995) Hardy species, that can handle high stress (Barnes 2003)
General Temperature Range (°C)	23 (Burgess et al. 1990)
General Salinity Range (ppt)	N/A
Maximum Overall Recorded Size (cm)	99 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Maximum Recorded Size for Males (cm)	N/A
Maximum Recorded Size for Females (cm)	N/A
Average Maximum Overall Length (cm)	76.2 (Love 1996) 72 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) 30 (Burgess et al. 1990)
Average Maximum Overall Length for Males (cm)	N/A
Average Maximum Overall Length for Females (cm)	N/A
Average Maximum weight (kg)	6.8 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) 11.4 kg (Lauth 1987 in Stickney et al. 1995)
Average Maximum weight for Males (cm)	N/A
Average Maximum weight for Females (cm)	N/A
Length When Harvested (cm)	N/A
Weight When Harvested (kg)	N/A
Overall Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years)	30.5/2 61.0/9 (Love 1996)
Male Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years)	N/A
Female Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years)	N/A
Overall Maximum Age (years)	13+ (Love 1996)
Maximum Age for Males (years)	N/A
Maximum Age for Females (years)	N/A
Age when Harvested (years)	N/A
Overall Growth Rate	N/A
Male Growth Rate	N/A
Female Growth Rate	N/A
Overall Age at Maturity (years)	N/A
Male Age at Maturity (years)	N/A
Female Age at Maturity (years)	N/A
Overall Length at Maturity (cm)	N/A
Male Length at Maturity (cm)	N/A
Female Length at Maturity (cm)	N/A
Maturity/Temperature Relationship	N/A
Type of Reproduction	N/A
Fecundity	49,000–98,000 (Love 1996)
Spawning Habitat	Nests made on rocks, eggs can be exposed at low tide Same nests used each year (Love 1996)
Spawning Behavior	Male guards eggs until they hatch (Love 1996) Aggregate for spawning (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Time of Year of Spawning	November–September March and April (peak) (Love 1996)
Number of Spawns per season	Up to 2 (Love 1996) Females can spawn two times per season (Lauth 1987 in Stickney et al. 1995)
Spawning/Temperature Relationship (°C)	N/A
Spawning/Salinity Relationship	N/A
Description of Eggs	Eggs are covered with white substance (Lauth 1987 in Stickney et al. 1995)
Habitat where Eggs are found	N/A
Days to Hatch	33–61 (42 average) (Lauth 1987 in Stickney et al. 1995)
Time of Year when Eggs Hatch	N/A
Temperature for Egg Survival (°C)	N/A
Salinity for Egg Survival (ppt)	N/A
Predators on Eggs	N/A
Habitat where Larvae are found	N/A
Days in Larval Stage	N/A
Temperature for Larval Survival (°C)	N/A
Salinity for Larval Survival (ppt)	N/A
Larval Food Preference	N/A
Habitat where Juveniles are found	Kelp, pelagic (Love 1996)
Length when Juvenile Settles out (cm)	5.1 (begin to settle in tidepools) (Love 1996)
Temperature for Juvenile Survival (°C)	N/A
Salinity for Juvenile Survival (ppt)	N/A
Where and When Juvenile Feeds	N/A
Juvenile Food Preference	N/A
Habitat where Adults are found (depth in meters)	N/A
Temperature for Adult Survival (°C)	N/A
Salinity for Adult Survival (ppt)	N/A
Adult Feeding Type	N/A
Adult Food Preference	Small individuals eat Crustaceans (Amphipods, Shrimp, Crabs, Isopods) Large individuals eat mainly Crabs, also Abalone, Chitons, Octopi (Love 1996) Crustaceans, Mollusks (abalone) (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Food Eaten in Laboratory Setting	N/A
Amount of Food Eaten in Laboratory Setting	N/A
Additional Laboratory Findings	Incubation temperature 8–10°C had a hatching success of 48–71% (Lauth 1987 in Stickney et al. 1995)
Environmental Considerations	N/A
Commercial Fishery	Some (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Market	Blue flesh, therefore only a small market (Love 1996) "Flesh is good eating , but eggs are poisonous and will make humans violently ill." Flesh turns white when cooked (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) High value for live market $5.75/pound in February 2003 (Barnes)
Sold Fresh or Frozen	N/A
Style Species is Sold	N/A
Additional Use of the Species	N/A
Shelf-life in Fresh State (days at 40°F)	N/A
Shelf-life in Frozen State (months at 0°F)	N/A
Shelf-life Canned (months)	N/A
Weight sold in Oregon (kg)	N/A
Ornamental Market	In aquarium guide (Burgess et al. 1990)
Parasites or Disease	N/A
Additional Remarks	Eggs are poisonous (Love 1996) Difficult to raise (Burgess et al. 1990)
Location where Species has been Researched/Farmed	Vancouver Aquarium Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle (Rust 2003)
Appropriate Aquaculture Systems	N/A

Recent Wild Harvest Data for Oregon
Data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Year	Total Catch (Pounds)	Ex-vessel Value ( U.S. Dollars)
1989	14,765	4,354
1990	11,383	4,735
1991	18,339	9,435
1992	15,941	7,655
1993	3,226	2,055
1994	15,495	5,336
1995	12,686	5,196
1996	12,590	5,574
1997	46,179	37,359
1998	59,300	66,050

© 2003 Stephen Sempier