Black Croaker – Cheilotrema saturnum. These fish also go by the names Chinese croaker, croaker, and Mamselle noire (French).
Identifying Characteristics
- These fish have silver bellies with dark hues of brown, copper, and sometimes purple and blue on their backs and fins.
- There is a single cream colored vertical bar down the center of the fish.
Range and Habitat
- Black croakers are found from California to Baja California, and all through the Eastern Pacific.
- Depending on the species, they like rocky reefs and kelp beds and caves and crevices, in depths around 150 feet.
- Black croakers like to eat crustaceans.
Market Forms
- Not a popular species, though black croakers are still fun to catch at the pier or on boats.