Striped Seaperch

Striped seaperch (Embiotoca lateralis)

Brilliant gold and metallic blue stripes make this one pretty perch!

The striped seaperch is one of the most colourful fish in the Salish Sea! You can recognize this perch by its vivid blue stripes (fifteen or more) that run horizontally along its copper, oval-shaped body that grows to about 35 cm in length. It lives in near-shore shallows to 30 m, and its range is from southern Alaska to northern Mexico. Schools are found in shallow rocky areas, kelp beds, rocky reefs, and also around docks and pilings. In the winter, seaperch tend to favour crevices and deeper waters. Striped seaperch have relatively large mouths so they can eat a varied diet including small crustaceans, snails, marine worms, mussels, and even brittle stars. A cool fact is that when seaperch are born they are smaller (about one inch) but perfect replicas of the adult fish. They are born live, unlike most fish that hatch from eggs, which gives them a head start because they are more developed before facing the big, bad world of ocean predators. These juveniles are born during the summer months when there is lots of kelp growth which helps form a protective canopy to keep them safe from predators.

http://www.centralcoastbiodiversity.org/striped-seaperch-bull-embiotoca-lateralis.html

http://www.seaotter.com/marine/research/embiotoca/lateralis/html/lateralis.jpg.html

https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/10/05/creature-feature-striped-seaperch/