Cabezon (fish)

The cabezon is a scaleless fish with a broad bony support extending from the eye across the cheek just under the skin. It has 11 spines on the dorsal fin. The cabezon also has a stout spine before the eye, an anal fin of soft rays, and a fleshy flap on the middle of the snout. A pair of longer flaps are just behind the eyes. The mouth is broad with many small teeth. The coloring varies, but is generally mottled with browns, greens and reds. >90% of red fish are males, whereas >90% of green fish are females. The flesh is blue in color as are the internal organs.[3][4] It reaches up to 99 cm (3 ft 3 in) in length and 14 kg (31 lb) in weight,[2] while the largest ever Cabezon caught was 25 lb (11 kg) in weight and longest being 39 in (99 cm).[5] As the Spanish-origin name implies, the fish has a very large head relative to its body.

Cabezon are found in the northeast Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Baja California.[2]

They are found in a wide range of habitats at depths of 0–200 m (0–656 ft), including rocky, muddy and sandy bottoms, and kelp beds.[2]

Cabezon feed on crustaceans, mollusks, fish and fish eggs. Cabezon are taken as a game fish, however their roe is toxic to humans,[2] because of the occurrence of a toxic phospholipid (Dinogunellin). Cabezon inhabit the tops of rocky ledges as opposed to rockfish and lingcod, which usually inhabit the sheer faces of these features.

• http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/speciesid/fish_page/fish66a.html
• International Game Fish Association "World Saltwater Records"
• Occurrence of a toxic phospholipid in cabezon roe