cabezon
Scorpaenichthys marmoratus
Bottom fish of rock and algae areas in the northeastern Pacific, often caught from the beach and from boats. Its roe is poisonous.
Also called: cabeçudo-marmorado, cabeçudo, cabezón
- maximum
- 99 cm
- record/max.
- 14.0 kg
- depth
- 0–200 m
who is the cabezon
The marbled sculpin (cabezón) is of the family Jordaniidae. It reaches 99 cm and weighs up to 14 kg. It lives in the northeastern Pacific, from southeastern Alaska to Baja California, Mexico, on rock, sand and mud bottoms, and also in kelp beds, from 0 to 200 m deep. It eats crustaceans, fish and mollusks, both juveniles and adults. It is often caught by sport anglers, from the beach, from boats or from piers, and also by divers.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the cabezon.
identification
Bottom fish with an elongated body, a large head in proportion to the body, scaleless skin and a nearly round tail fin. Its color is mottled, in shades of brown, green and red, which gives the species its name, and its belly is pale. It has a small fleshy appendage in the middle of the snout and two others, longer, behind the eyes.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Found in the northeastern Pacific, from southeastern Alaska to Baja California, Mexico, in coastal and shelf waters.
Habitat: Rock, sand and mud bottoms, in kelp beds, from the shore down to 200 m.
rules for the cabezon
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Do not eat the roe, which is poisonous. As it is a bottom fish that can come from down to 200 m, the change in pressure causes barotrauma, so release it carefully.
in the kitchen
The flesh is good to eat, but the roe is poisonous and causes strong discomfort.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00389, b = 3.12; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Scorpaenichthys marmoratus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Scorpaenichthys marmoratusNames by country and language.