Embiotoca lateralis (Agassiz, 1854)
西海岸の桟橋で出会う縞模様の魚
A Striped Fish Found Around Pacific Coast Piers
最大で40cmほどになるメバル目サーフパーチ科の海水魚です。頭部には青い斑点が散在し、体側には赤褐色と青色の細い縦縞が並ぶ美しい姿をしています。分布域は東太平洋沿岸で、アラスカ南東部からメキシコのバハ・カリフォルニア中部まで広がっています。湾の入り口や河口、浅い藻場、岩礁域のほか、桟橋や護岸周辺にも生息し、人の暮らしに近い海でよく見られる魚です。
肉食性で、小魚や甲殻類、多毛類などを捕食します。若魚は群れをつくることがありますが、成長すると単独または小規模な集団で生活することが多くなります。沿岸域では比較的豊富に見られ、藻場や岩礁の生態系を支える身近な魚の一つです。
本種は北米西海岸における重要な遊漁対象種として知られています。サンフランシスコ以北では、サケ類を除くレクリエーショナル漁業で漁獲される魚の最大10％を本種が占めることもあるとされ、その豊富さがうかがえます。商業漁業の対象にもなりますが、その規模は比較的小さく、多くの人々にとっては桟橋や岩場で出会う身近な釣り魚という存在です。
食用魚としても利用され、白身は柔らかく骨が少ないため食べやすい魚です。特別な高級魚ではありませんが、ソテーやフライ、グリルなど幅広い料理に利用されています。食用魚としてだけでなく、海から引き上げた際に現れる鮮やかな縦縞模様を楽しみにしている釣り人も少なくありません。華やかな体色を持ちながら、人々の暮らしのすぐそばで釣られ、食べられてきた魚なのです。
The Striped Seaperch is a marine fish that grows to about 40 cm in length. Its head is marked with small blue spots, while the body is decorated with narrow reddish-brown and blue vertical stripes, giving it a striking appearance. The species is distributed along the eastern Pacific coast, from southeastern Alaska to central Baja California, Mexico. It inhabits bay entrances, estuaries, shallow eelgrass beds, rocky reefs, and even areas around piers and seawalls, making it a familiar sight in coastal waters close to human communities.
A carnivorous species, it feeds on small fishes, crustaceans, and marine worms. Juveniles may form schools, but adults are more often found alone or in small groups. It is relatively abundant throughout much of its range and is considered one of the characteristic fishes of nearshore kelp, eelgrass, and rocky reef ecosystems.
The Striped Seaperch is also an important recreational fish along the west coast of North America. North of San Francisco, it has been reported to account for as much as 10 percent of all fish caught in recreational fisheries, excluding salmon, highlighting its abundance in coastal waters. Although it is harvested commercially on a limited scale, most people encounter the species as a familiar catch from piers, rocky shorelines, and other easily accessible fishing spots.
The fish is also used for food. Its white flesh is soft and contains relatively few bones, making it easy to prepare and eat. While it is not regarded as a premium food fish, it is commonly pan-fried, grilled, or otherwise cooked in a variety of ways. Beyond its value as table fare, many anglers appreciate the vivid vertical stripes that become especially striking when the fish is brought from the water. Despite its colorful appearance, the Striped Seaperch remains a fish closely tied to everyday coastal life, caught and enjoyed by generations of people along the Pacific shore.
参考文献
“Striped Seaperch” Marine Species Portal, State of California, (2023, November 23) 2025年2月8日閲覧
“Embiotoca lateralis Agassiz, 1854 Striped seaperch” FishBase 2025年2月8日閲覧