Giant Hawkfish, Cirrhitus rivulatus

Giant Hawkfish, Cirrhitus rivulatus, Juvenile. Fish caught from shore at Km 21, Cabo Real, Baja California Sur, November 2020. Length: 10.6 cm (4.2 inches).

Giant Hawkfish, Cirrhitus rivulatus, Juvenile. Fish collected from a tidal pool at Km 17, El Tule, Baja California Sur, March 2012. Length:  12.0 cm (4.7 inches).

Giant Hawkfish, Cirrhitus rivulatus, Juveniles. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, January 2019 and March 2023. Photographs courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

Giant Hawkfish, Cirrhitus rivulatus, Juvenile. Fish collected from a tidal pool at Km 17, El Tule, Baja California Sur, March 2012. Length: 14.5 cm (5.7 inches).

Giant Hawkfish, Cirrhitus rivulatus. Fish caught from shore at Km 21, Cabo Real, Baja California Sur, May 2013. Length: 38 cm (15 inches).

Giant Hawkfish, Cirrhitus rivulatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Carmen Island (Loreto), Baja California Sur, May 2019. Length: 40 cm (16 inches). Catch courtesy of Marty Dufek, Huntington Beach, California. Photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.

Giant Hawkfish, Cirrhitus rivulatus. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, September 2021. Photograph courtesy of Kevin Erwin, Seattle, Washington. Note: this fish has an overabundance of Pink Cardinalfish, Apogon pacificus, in close proximity.

Giant Hawkfish, Cirrhitus rivulatus. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, January 2019. Photograph courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

The Giant Hawkfish, Cirrhitus rivulatus, is a member of the Hawkfish or Cirrhitidae Family, and is known in Mexico as chino mero. Globally, there are four species in the genus Cirrhitus, of which two are found in Mexican waters, both in the Pacific Ocean.

The Giant Hawkfish has a very deep body with an oval cross section. They have unique markings that resemble oriental inscriptions which gives rise to their Spanish name chino mero. They are gray-brown in color with five bars, each composed of a “maze” of golden brown markings with black margins surrounded by narrow blue rims. Their head has broad golden-brown spoke-like bands with black margins outlined with a narrow rim of blue, which radiate from their eyes. Most have a pair of white spots on the rear of their back. Juveniles are white with dark brown bars. Their head is large, deep, and blunt with a fringe of cirri on the rear edge of their front nostril, and a large mouth equipped with a row of small canine teeth. Their gill cover has 2 flat spines. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 6 rays; their caudal fin has a straight edge; their dorsal fin has 10 spines, with a number of cirri at each tip, and 11 or 12 rays; their pectoral fins are large with 8 rays, the lower 7 of which are stout; and, their pelvic fins have 5 rays and originate behind the pectoral fins. Their body is covered with smooth scales.

The Giant Hawkfish inhabit coral and rocky reefs very close to shore; the juveniles are found in the shallow surge zone and within tidal pools at depths up to 30 m (100 feet). They reach a maximum of 62 cm (2 feet 0 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 5.58 kg (12 lbs 5 oz) with the fish caught from coastal waters off Ecuador in April 2019. They are secretive fish that hide out in heavy structures and are voracious ambush predators that feed on crustaceans and small fish. In the greater Los Cabos area they are seasonal and found in abundance when the water temperature becomes elevated, starting in May. The Giant Hawkfish The Acapulco Damselfish 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.

In Mexican waters the Giant Hawkfish is a resident of the Pacific and is found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, southward along the southwest coast of Baja, throughout the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the mainland south to Guatemala.

The Giant Hawkfish is a straightforward identification and due to their unique markings they cannot be confused with any other species.

From a conservation perspective the Giant Hawkfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are an excellent pre-dawn foe and can be caught at will off the beaches in the greater Los Cabos area. They prefer live Flatiron Herring, Harengula thrissina, or freshly caught Sally Lightfoot Crab, Grapsus grapsus, but frozen Flatiron Herrings can also be used. When hooked they become very stubborn, diving between rocks and requiring long waiting periods and the application of uniform pressure to finally get them beached. They are an excellent food fish and sold on a limited basis in the food markets of the greater Los Cabos area.