Eastern Pacific: Alaska to southern Baja California, Mexico, and the Gulf of California

These fish live in different habitats at different stages in their lives. Newly hatched seabass are often found in drift algae, just behind the surf line. They may rely on the drift algae to hide from predators. As they grow older, the fish move into protected bays and often can be found sheltering in eelgrass beds. Large adults school over rocky bottoms and in kelp beds farther offshore, mostly at depths between 21-45 m (70-150 ft).

These fish have also been seen several miles offshore, swimming in schools at or near the surface.

White seabass, have elongated, somewhat compressed bodies. They start out life a brown, golden, or silvery color. As juveniles, they turn silvery-gray or silvery-dusky, with a series of dark bars on their sides. Mature adults lose their bars, and are gray-blue on the back, with bronze to silver sides and white bellies.

hese fish can reach a maximum length of 1.6 m (5.4 ft), and a weight of 41 kg (90 lbs); however today, weights over 27 kg (60 lbs) are rare.

In the wild, white seabass eat a variety of prey, including anchovies, sardines, mackerels, squids, and pelagic red crabs. Large white seabass may feed almost exclusively on chub mackerel.

Males reach sexual maturity at about 60 cm (24 in) in length, and females about 71 cm (28 in). In California, white seabass spawn in the spring and summer, peaking in May and June. Fertilization is external. Broadcast spawning takes place, usually near kelp beds close to shore. It has been estimated that females spawn four to five times during each season.

Juvenile white seabass are normally seen schooling, but adults may be found either singly or in schools. Scientists have speculated that these fish move about, but their migrations are unclear. At least some seabass, particularly large adults, are known to move into deep water 36-106 m (120-350 ft) during winter. Research studies are being done to track their movement.

White seabass are closely related to other noisy fish in the family Sciaenidae. They croak, squawk, grunt, and hum by contracting muscles in their body wall to vibrate against the swim bladder, which acts like a drum. Vocalizations are used to attract mates, and also possibly to organize schools of fish for feeding. Males do most of the croaking and grunting, and are normally much louder than females. However, both males and females will produce fright response sounds in response to threats.

They are estimated to live for at least 20 years.

To restock California waters, the Hubbs-SeaWorld Hatchery in Carlsbad, California has been operating a research program—breeding and raising white seabass in captivity, and then releasing them into the wild. How effective this operation will be in helping to replenish wild stock will not be known for several more years.

White seabass are neither bass nor white. They are silvery-gray croakers.