Pacific Sierra, Scomberomorus sierra
Pacific Sierra, Scomberomorus sierra. Fish caught with a cast net from coastal waters of Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur, October 2018. Length: 16.2 cm (6.4 inches).
Pacific Sierra, Scomberomorus sierra. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, February 2016. Length: 42 cm (17 inches).
Pacific Sierra, Scomberomorus sierra. Fish caught from the beach at Aqua Verde, Baja California Sur, March 2020. Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California.
Pacific Sierra, Scomberomorus sierra. A fillet contaminated with an unknown parasite. Note: By appearance, this is the same parasite found in the fillets of the Pacific Porgy, Calamus brachysomus, and I do not recommend the human consumption of a fish with this contamination.
The Pacific Sierra, Scomberomorus sierra, is one of the most common members of the Mackerel or Scombridae Family, and is known in Mexico as sierra del Pacifico. Globally, there are eighteen species in the genus Scomberomorus, of which five are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Sierra has an elongated fusiform strongly compressed body. They are bronze-green to bluish-black dorsally and transition to silver-white ventrally. Their sides have 3 to 8 rows of small round orange spots, the majority being below the lateral line. Their anal fin is white; the outer half of their first dorsal fin is black; their second dorsal fin, set close to the first dorsal fin, is yellowish with a black margin; and their pectoral fins are dusky. They have a short snout. Their mouth is equipped with a set of strongly compressed teeth that are triangular and knife-like. Their anal fin has 16 to 21 rays followed by 7 to 10 finlets; their caudal fin is forked; their dorsal fin has 15 to 18 spines and 16 to 19 rays followed by 7 to 10 finlets; and, their pelvic fins are relatively long. Their caudal fin base has 2 small keels separated by a larger third keel. They have 12 to 17 gill rakers. Their body is covered with small scales and their lateral line gradually curves down to the caudal fin base.
The Pacific Sierra is a coastal pelagic schooling species found from the surface to depths up to 15 meters (50 feet). They reach a maximum of 1.12 meters (3 feet 8 inches) in length and 8.2 kg (18 lbs) in weight. As of March 31, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record for length stood at 89 cm (2 feet 11 inches) with the fish caught from coastal waters off Costa Rica in June 2013. The corresponding world record for weight stood at 8.16 kg (18 lbs 0 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Ecuador in September 1990. They prefer water temperatures of less than 23oC (74oF). Spawning occurs in coastal waters and smaller fish reside around sandy beaches very close to shore while larger adults are found in deeper waters on the continental shelf. They are voracious predators and consume small fish including anchovies, clupeids, and herrings. The Pacific Sierra is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Pacific Sierra is found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Sierra is easy to recognize, thus is not easily confused with any other species from the Pacific with the possible exception of the female Gulf Sierra, Scomberomorus concolor (from the Northern Sea of Cortez; 2 rows of yellow spots; 21 to 27 gill rakers). It is virtually identical to, and indistinguishable from, the Spanish Mackerel, Scomberomorus maculatus, found in the Atlantic Ocean.
From a conservation perspective the Pacific Sierra is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Throughout their range however, they have only limited protection, which is mostly directed at recreational fishermen with a 10-fish daily bag limit in Mexico and a minimum catch length in Peru. They are a seasonal target of commercial and recreational anglers along the Pacific Coasts of Mexico and Central America. They are the most abundant game fish in tropical coastal waters of the Eastern Pacific during the cooler months when colder water is present. They are caught with a wide variety of natural baits and artificial lures but the use of a wire leader is required. They are a great foe on light tackle. Trying to land these fish without a wire leader is a great sport. Commercially they are caught with gill nets by artisanal fishermen at catch levels approaching 15,000 tons annually, although a recent reduction in catch levels has been reported. They are considered an excellent food fish being marketed fresh and frozen and also used for ceviche. They do however have a very short shelf-life and must be put on ice immediately upon collection and consumed the same day they are caught. Approximately 5% of the population contains a parasite that is readily apparent in fillets. I recommend that this fish be discarded and not consumed.