The Giant Sea Bass. Credit: California Academy of Sciences
What is the worth of that exhilarating moment on a dive where you find yourself staring into the eye of a 500lb fish? Researchers at UC Santa Barbara are trying to find out.
Beyond the coastline from Central California to Baja California dwell conspicuous yet mysterious giants – the giant sea bass. Despite their large size and renowned curious disposition, surprisingly little is known about them. After a peak and subsequent depletion of their fishery in the 1900s, it is now illegal to target the endangered giant sea bass for any fishery, although commercial fishers are allowed to land two incidentally caught fish per trip. Currently, giant sea bass are now listed as a critically endangered species on the IUCN Red List – just as endangered as the African black rhinoceros!
Giant sea bass are part of the charismatic megafauna we can encounter in the chilly waters off Southern California’s rocky shores and beaches. Divers will often recount tales of curious sea bass that hung around them for entire dives, showing interest beyond the cursory glance.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara are trying to put a price on these experiences. By quantifying the value of wildlife viewing, they hope to recognize the value of a giant sea bass alive in the water compared to it dead in the market as seafood. To gather this information, researchers created an on-line survey for recreational divers who frequently dive in California waters. The survey asks a series of questions pertaining to the diver’s diving history, expenses, and if applicable, any experiences with giant sea bass. In order to accomplish this, they need as many divers as we can reach to fill out their short on-line survey honestly and thoroughly.
With a multifaceted combination of projects developed by researchers both at UCSB and CSU Northridge, including the first ever citizen science Giant Sea Bass Count that took place in August 2014, UCSB hopes to further their understanding of giant sea bass and ensure their numbers continue to recover.
To fill out the survey, please click here: https://eSurv.org?u=gsbsurvey
Note: you do not need to have ever seen a giant sea bass to answer the survey.
To find out more about the survey or the 2015 Giant Sea Bass Count, contact Ana Guerra at asguerra5@gmail.com.