Pacific Pompano, Peprilus simillimus

Pacific Pompano, Peprilus simillimus. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, July 2009. Length: 24 cm (9.4 inches). Identification courtesy of H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California.

The Pacific Pompano, Peprilus simillimus, is a member of the Butterfish or Stromateidae Family, and is known in Mexico as palometa plateada. There are seven global members of the genus Peprilus, of which six are found in Mexican waters, two in the Atlantic and four in the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Pompanos has a deep oval strongly compressed body with a depth that is 41% to 49% of standard length. They are iridescent blue-green in color and transition to silver ventrally. Their head has a short blunt snout that is equal to or greater in length than the diameter of the eyes. and a small oblique mouth that ends before the eyes, with a projecting lower jaw equipped with very small teeth. Their eyes have a fatty ring around them. Their anal and dorsal fins have long bases with front lobes that are only slightly raised in a blunt point; and, their anal fin is much lower than the dorsal fin. Their anal fin has 2 spines and 38 to 41 rays; their caudal fin is deeply forked; their dorsal fin has 3 spines and 43 to 47 rays; their pectoral fins are long and pointed; and they do not have pelvic fins. They have 23 to 27 gill rakers and 30 or 31 vertebrae. Their lateral line is high and follows the upper body profile and they are covered with small scales.

The Pacific Pompano is found over sandy bottoms of exposed coasts at depths up to 313 m (1,025 feet). They reach a maximum of 36 cm (14 inches) in length. The Pacific Pompano 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 Pacific Pompano is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited distribution being found along the entire west coast of Baja and in the lower two-thirds of the Sea of Cortez.

The Pacific Pompano is virtually identical to the Gulf Butterfish, Perrilus burti (found only in the Atlantic Ocean), the Pacific Harvestfish, Peprilus medius (long anal and dorsal front fin lobes), and the Salema Butterfish, Peprilus synderi (36 vertebrae).  The latter is found in the same geographic areas, thus X-ray is required to distinguish the two fish.

From a conservation perspective the Pacific Pompano is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are relatively rare, small in stature and not a targeted commercial or recreational species.