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White Seabass

(Hook-and-line from California)

Rating:
California's white seabass population has recovered after previous overfishing. When caught with hook-and-line gear, it is a "Best Choice," while white seabass caught with gillnets is a "Good Alternative."

Market Names:
King Croaker, Weakfish, Seatrout

Consumer Notes:
The "white seabass" isn't a seabass at all - it's a member of the croaker family and the largest croaker in the Pacific Ocean.

Summary:
Prized for its large size and good flavor, white seabass is found off California and both coasts of Baja California, Mexico.

Fished commercially and for sport since the early 1900s, white seabass populations were in decline from the 1960s through the 1980s. New management efforts, including supplementing the wild population with hatchery-raised fish, have helped California's population recover.

However, the gillnets used in most of the fishery result in bycatch of vulnerable species like marine mammals. A small portion of the fishery uses hook-and-line gear, which causes low bycatch.

White seabass caught with hook-and-line gear is the "Best Choice," while white seabass caught with gillnets is a "Good Alternative."

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