Shortfin Corvina

Shortfin Corvina, Cynoscion parvipinnis

Shortfin Corvina, Cynoscion parvipinnis. Fish caught from within Magdalena Bay off Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur, May 2019. Length: 30 cm  (11.8 inches).

Shortfin Corvina, Cynoscion parvipinnis. Fish caught from coastal waters within the Devil’s Curve section of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, February 2017. Length: 41 cm (16 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Brad Murakami, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

Shortfin Corvina, Cynoscion parvipinnis. Fish caught from coastal waters within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, October 2019. Length: 46 cm (18 inches).

Shortfin Corvina, Cynoscion parvipinnis. Fish caught from coastal tidal pools on Los Conchas Beach, Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, November 2022. Length: 46 cm (18 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

The Shortfin Corvina, Cynoscion parvipinnis, is a member of the Croaker or Sciaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as corvina aleta corta. Globally, there are twenty-four species in the genus Cynoscion, of which thirteen are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and ten in the Pacific Ocean.

The Shortfin Corvina has an elongated robust compressed body with an oval cross-section. They have a silvery blue-gray coloration. Their caudal and pectoral fins are dark, with the pectoral fin having a dark axis. Their head is long and features a projecting lower jaw and a long oblique mouth that is yellow-orange on the inside and extends beyond the eyes. There is a dark crescent behind their front lower teeth, and their top jaw has a pair of large pointed canines. The inside of their gills is dark. They do not have chin barbels or pores on their chin. Their anal fin has 2 spines and 10 or 11 rays; their caudal fin is slightly concave; their first dorsal fin has 7 or 8 spines; their second dorsal fin has a long base with 1 spine and 21 or 23 rays; and, their pectoral fins are short. They have 7 to 9 lower gill rakers. Their lateral line is arched anteriorly and they are covered with rough scales.

The Shortfin Corvina is a demersal species that is found over sandy bottoms along the shore, in the surf zone, and in inshore bays at depths up to 100 m (330 feet). They reach a maximum of 60 cm (2 feet 0 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 4.71 kg (10 lbs 6 oz) with the fish caught in San Diego Bay, San Diego, California in June 2008. The Shortfin Corvina 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.

In Mexican waters the Shortfin Corvina is a resident of the Pacific and has a limited distribution being found along the entire west coast of Baja and throughout the Sea of Cortez. They are absent from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, southward along the coast of the mainland to Guatemala.

The Shortfin Corvina is very similar in appearance to a series of other croakers, however, it has short pectoral fins (after which it is named) and uncolored fins.

From a conservation perspective the Shortfin Corvina has not been formally accessed and is currently considered to be Data Deficient. They are caught fairly frequently in some locations on cut bait (clams, squid, mullet, etc.) with small hooks and bottom rigs. They are viewed by locals as excellent table fare. Note: The Shortfin Corvina was introduced as a sportsfish to the Salton Sea in southern California in the early 1950s. Fish were able to survive for at least one year but were unable to reproduce and died out fairly quickly.