COMMON MARINE PISHES 83 



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PACIFIC WHITE PERCH 

 Phanerodon furcatus 



Relationship: Belongs to the salt-water perch family, Emhiotocidae. Another 

 member of this genus, Phanerodon atripes, is found off Central and Southern California. 



Distinguishing Characters: The deeply forked tail; the slender dorsal spines, 

 the last the longest and almost if not as high as the first ray ; the body which tapers 

 back to a long and slender caudal peduncle. Length to about a foot. Color: Silvery 

 with a dark hue above; the anal fin usually with a dusky spot; the ventral fins plain 

 (in Phanerodon atripes the ventral fins are tipped with black). Often dusky or with 

 a rosy-orange cast when alive, turning silvery shortly after death. 



Distribution: Vancouver Island to Southern California. Common along sandy 

 coasts. 



Fishing Season: All year except the closed commercial season. 



Importance: The most important commercial species in the State. It dominates 

 the Southern California catch and is one of the two or three leading Centra! Cali- 

 fornia species. A survey made in 193o showed that it comprised about 40 percent of the 

 total "perch" catch. 



Fishing Gear: See page 76. Seen quite frequently in trawl catches and in purse 

 seine loads of sardines. 



Unauthorized Names: Split-tail perch, forktail perch, white surf 



