Shiner perch (Cymatogaster aggregata) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over sand, seagrass, estuary, at depths of ≤ 120 m.
Scientific name: Cymatogaster aggregata · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 21 cm
The shiner perch (Cymatogaster aggregata) is the sole member of its genus, a deep-bodied surfperch with a dusky greenish back and silvery sides combining fine horizontal bars with three broad yellow vertical bars. It ranges from Punta Baja in northern Baja California to Saint John Baptist Bay near Sitka in southeastern Alaska, and is one of the most common fish in the bays and estuaries of that range, favouring beds of eelgrass and accumulating around piers, typically in shallow water although it has been recorded as deep as 120 m. It feeds mainly on zooplankton such as copepods and gammarid amphipods and also takes small benthic crustaceans, marine worms, mollusks and fish eggs, and it matures soon after birth although females often wait until one year of age before spawning. Because of its small size there is only a very limited targeted fishery and it is usually taken incidentally or for bait, but it is one of the most commonly caught fish from West Coast piers and is a popular catch for beginner anglers; it reaches a maximum of 21 cm total length but is most often 10–15 cm.
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