Queenfish

The Queenfish (Seriphus politus) is a small drum in the family Sciaenidae found along the eastern Pacific coast, primarily from central California to the Gulf of California. It is one of the smaller members of its family and the only species in its genus. Queenfish are abundant inshore fish, commonly encountered in bays, harbors, and nearshore waters, where they form large, visible schools near piers and structure. Unlike many larger sciaenids, Queenfish rarely exceed about 30 centimeters in length. The species is not of conservation concern and remains an ecologically important forage fish within California's nearshore and estuarine waters.

Queenfish are identified by these traits:

• Small, slender, laterally compressed body, silvery with an iridescent bluish-green sheen on the back
• Large eye relative to head size
• Slightly protruding lower jaw with no chin barbel
• Deeply forked caudal fin
• Single continuous-looking dorsal fin with a shallow notch between spiny and soft portions

Queenfish are distinguished from other small California croakers such as White Croaker by their more slender profile, larger eye, and lack of chin barbel. Their tendency to form dense midwater schools near structure is also a useful behavioral clue.

Queenfish inhabit shallow bays, harbors, and nearshore coastal waters along the eastern Pacific, ranging from central California to the Gulf of California. They are commonly found around piers, jetties, kelp beds, and open sandy or muddy bottoms, typically in the upper portion of the water column rather than hugging the seafloor. The species tolerates a range of salinities and is frequently observed in semi-enclosed bays and estuarine mouths. Queenfish generally occupy depths from the surface down to around 20 meters and may move seasonally in response to water temperature changes.

Queenfish are highly social, forming large, tightly packed schools that hover in open water near structure such as piers and kelp edges, a behavior that helps protect them from predators. They feed primarily on small planktonic crustaceans such as mysids and copepods, picking prey from the water column rather than rooting in sediment. Spawning occurs over an extended season, with females releasing pelagic eggs into open water where they drift with currents before hatching. As an abundant schooling forage fish, Queenfish play an important ecological role, transferring energy from zooplankton to a wide range of larger predatory fish, seabirds, and marine mammals.