Bigeye Corvina, Isopisthus remifer

Bigeye Corvina, Isopisthus remifer. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2013. Length: 25 cm (10 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Identification courtesy of H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California.

Bigeye Corvina, Isopisthus remifer. Fish caught within the coastal waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, April 2016. Length: 33 cm (13 inches).

The Bigeye Corvina, Isopisthus remifer, is a member of the Croaker or Sciaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as corvina ojona. Globally, there are two species in the genus Isopisthus, one of which is  found in Mexican waters, this species in the Pacific Ocean.

The Bigeye Corvina has an elongated very compressed body. They have a silvery blue-gray coloration. Their fins are pale to yellowish, their pectoral axis is dark, and their lower jaw and gill linings are black. Their head features large eyes, an oblique mouth with a pair of large canines on the top jaw, and a strongly projecting lower jaw. They do not have barbels or pores. Their anal fin has 2 short spines and 17 to 19 rays with a long base that is similar in length to the second dorsal base; their caudal fin has a wide base and is straight to bluntly pointed; their first dorsal fin has 7 or 8 spines; their second dorsal fin has 1 or 2 spines and 21 to 23 rays; their pectoral fins are long; and, their pelvic fin is inserted behind the pectoral fin. They have 7 to 10 lower gill rakers. They are covered with smooth scales.

The Bigeye Corvina is a demersal species that is found over sandy bottoms along the shore, in the surf zone, and in inshore bays and estuaries at depths up to 103 m (340 feet). They reach a maximum of 35 cm (14 inches) in length. The Bigeye Corvina is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Bigeye Corvina is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja. They are more abundant in northern portions of the Sea of Cortez.

The Bigeye Corvina is very similar in appearance to a series of other Croakers, however, the Bigeye Corvina has eyes that are larger than most, pelvic fins that are inserted behind the pectoral fins, a short snout, and a very wide tail base.

From a conservation perspective the Bigeye Corvina is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are caught primarily on cut bait (clams, squid, mullet, etc.) with small hooks and bottom rigs. They only achieve a modest size but are viewed by locals as excellent table fare.