pile perch
Phanerodon vacca
Rocky-shore surfperch of the eastern Pacific, which lives near kelp, piers and pilings. It is a fish for both sport and commercial fishing.
Also called: perca-de-estacas, mojarra muellera, pile perch
- maximum
- 44 cm
who is the pile perch
Surfperch of the family Embiotocidae, with a tall, silvery body, a dark gray or brown back and dark spots on the back and sides. It reaches 44.2 cm and is viviparous: the female carries the young until birth. It lives on rocky shores, near kelp, piers and pilings, down to 46 m deep, from Alaska to Guadalupe Island, in Mexico. It eats hard-shelled mollusks, crabs and barnacles. It is caught commercially and for sport, and also appears in public aquariums.
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 pile perch; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Silvery fish with a tall body, a dark gray or brown back and dark spots on the back and sides. The young have dark vertical bands. On the same coast, the striped surfperch (Embiotoca lateralis) has horizontal blue stripes, and the white seaperch (Phanerodon furcatus) is silvery, with a greenish back and yellowish fins.
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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
From Alaska to Guadalupe Island, in Mexico; in Latin America, only in Mexico, on rocky shores and among algae.
Habitat: Rocky shores, near kelp, piers and pilings, down to 46 m deep.
rules for the pile perch
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.
No recorded danger to anglers. A fish of rocky shores and piers: watch for wet rocks and waves.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0195, b = 2.97; 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: Phanerodon vacca (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Phanerodon vaccaNames by country and language.
