Marine Life

Sargo
(Anisotremus davidsoni)
Courtesy of Tom Haight

These perch-shaped fish are brownish to gray with a dark bar down their side. They range from Santa Cruz to Baja California. Growing up to 16 inches they can be seen individually or in schools. They feed on many types of small invertebrates. Sargos can tolerate very high salinity counts which explains why the individuals introduced to the Salton Sea flourished when many other species did not. Often caught in the surf zone by fisherman, they are not as highly sought after as some of the other surf fish, such as corbina.