Opaleye (Girella nigricans) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, rocky, seagrass, at depths of 1–32 m.
Scientific name: Girella nigricans · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 66 cm
Weight: up to 6.1 kg
The opaleye (Girella nigricans), also called the rudderfish, is a sea chub of the eastern Pacific with a laterally compressed oval body, blunt snout and a thick-lipped, small mouth that is used to graze algae. It is endemic to the eastern Pacific from San Francisco, California, to Baja California, with adults living in kelp beds of the rocky subtidal zone at depths of 1 to 32 m while juveniles inhabit the intertidal zone and tidepools; it is one of the few herbivorous fishes in temperate southern California and, together with the halfmoon, is important in keeping kelp forest communities balanced. Opaleye spawn in April, May and June, releasing free-floating eggs and larvae, and juveniles move into tidepools in small schools around late June at about two months old. Fishing-wise it is a familiar southern California jetty, breakwater and pier species — locals simply say opaleye — taken on light tackle with seaweed, peas or small shrimp baits, and it grows to a maximum length of about 66 cm and 6 kg.
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