Young kelp bass prefer to stick close to kelp forests, where they are less vulnerable to being preyed on.
FAMILY
Serranidae, a large family of carnivorous fish
RANGE
Washington to southern Baja California, but most commonly found off the coast of California
Appearance
The kelp bass are medium-sized fish with an elongate body and down-turned mouth (that looks like it is frowning!). The top of the fish is brown to olive green with white spots, yellowish fins, and a white underside.
Habitat & Behavior
Kelp bass occur in or near kelp beds and prefer shallow water from 2 to 20 meters. They are carnivores; young kelp bass eat small, shrimp-like crustaceans, while adults tend to hunt anchovies and other small fishes. They will also feed on plankton when it is abundant.
About this map
The bright yellow areas in this map show reef habitat that is more suitable for kelp bass, while dark blue areas are less suitable. Researchers modeled suitability across all currently known reefs in the Southern California Bight (the dashed gray line shows the extent of the modeled area). The model has a spatial resolution of 200 meters and includes areas shallower than or equal to 45 meters deep.
