Pacific Porgy, Calamus brachysomus

Pacific Porgy, Calamus brachsomus, Juvenile. Fish caught off the dock with a cast net in Santo Domingo, Baja California Sur, February 2017. Length: 11 cm (4.25 inches). Catch courtesy of Ruben Duran, Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur. Photograph and identification courtesy of Brad Murakami, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

Pacific Porgy, Calamus brachsomus, Juvenile. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of Bahía Kino, Sonora, March 2015. Length: 19 cm (7.5 inches). An atypical striped fish. Photograph and identification courtesy of Maria Johnson, Prescott College Kino Bay Center, Kino Bay, Sonora.

Pacific Porgy, Calamus brachsomus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Cedros Island, Baja California Sur, May 2016. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Note fish with prominent atypical black striping on the sides. Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.

Pacific Porgy, Calamus brachysomus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, March 2014. Length: 34 cm (13 inches).

Pacific Porgy, Deformed, Calamus brachysomus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, April 2012. Length: 35 cm (14 inches). Note the shape of the head profile versus the fish pictured above.

Pacific Porgy, Calamus brachysomus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2017. Length: ca. 76 cm (2 feet 9 inches). Photograph courtesy of Jason Potts, Mazatlán. Note that this fish is significantly larger than the known maximum for this species which is 61 cm (2 feet 0 inches).

Pacific Porgy, Fillet with Parasites, Calamus brachysomus. A fillet containing a small amounts of an unknown granular parasite. We do not recommend such meat should be consumed by humans.

Pacific Porgy, Calamus brachysomus. Underwater photograph taken off Isle Coronado, Baja California Sur, May 2023. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

The Pacific Porgy, Calamus brachysomus,  is a member of the Porgy or Sparidae Family, and is known in Mexico as pluma marotilla and in the greater Los Cabos area, strangely, as Mojarra. Globally, there are thirteen species in the genus Calamus, of which nine are found in Mexican waters, eight in the Atlantic and one, this species, in the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Porgy is characterized by a distinct, steep, and straight profile of their large forehead, their large silvery lips, their long broad snout, and their deep compressed body that has a depth that is 47% to 51% of standard length. They are silvery brown, with irregular brown blotches and five obscure bars on their sides; these bars are highly visible upon collection but fade quickly thereafter. They are reported to have a barred or blotched color pattern when hiding which fades when they swim into the open. Their mouth is small with their lower jaw featuring 2 rows of conical and enlarged teeth, comprised of canines at the front and molar-like teeth at the rear. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 10 rays, their caudal fin is forked, their dorsal fin is low on the body with 12 or 13 spines with the third and fourth being the longest and 11 to 13 rays, and their pectoral fins are long with 13 to 16 rays and a black axil reaching past the anal fin origin. Their body is covered with smooth scales.

The Pacific Porgy is found in clear water adjacent to coral and rocky reefs relatively close to shore at depths up to 79 m (260 feet). They reach a length of 61 cm (2 feet 0 inches) inches. The Pacific Porgy  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 Porgy is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Porgy is an easy fish to identify and cannot be easily confused with any other species.

From a conservation perspective the Pacific Porgy is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are a quality food fish and are fairly abundant at certain times of the year being be caught out of 30 m (100-foot) water on traditional bottom rigs utilizing cut squid or small chunks of fish. Initially they are very strong foes but normally “give up” at about the 15 m (50-foot) depth level. About 10% of the population contains a small granular and unknown parasite within the meat. Care must be taken to avoid consumption of this parasite and we recommend that any contaminated fish be discarded. This parasite is known locally as “Trichina” and is also found in larger Pacific Sierra.