From: joseph@shogun.smos.com (Joseph Crunk)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: What is a Cabezon
Date: 24 Jul 92 17:54:17 GMT


#	What is a carbazon?

Scorpaenichthys marmoratus. The largest of the sculpin
family of fishes.

Several folks have had some good input on this fish.
He is our version of the stone fish. Fortunately, it's
lacking the venomous apperatus :-)

Someone asked about the venom of the common rock fish. You
are correct. ALL rockfish (of the Calif area) are poisonous.
Which dorsal fin spines are the 'hot' ones will vary between
species of rockfish. (in some it's the 3-5 spines, in some
just the 2nd spine, etc) Again, we're fortunate that the
venom is nowhere near that of the stone fish that inhabits
the warmer pacific waters.

Normal reaction is just some reddening of the punctured
area. In very few cases, there'll be swelling. There is one
known case of Anaphylactic shock as a direct result of the
venom of a rockfish entering thru the punture wound.

Back to our 'cabbie', aka: big head, stoney, he is right up
there near the top of the charts for desireablity in eating.
Unfortunately (for him), he's also one of the easiest fish
to spear. He is hard to spot (unless you're looking for him).
He'll just sit there with a "he doesn't see me" attitude.
He can change colors to blend with his environment. He's
usually black, or brown, red or yellow, with black splotches.

Talk about 'ladies night out'...the males are left to watch
and protect the egg mass. The female's gone! The male will 
not want to leave the eggs. I have on occasion slowly slipped
my fingers under the belly of large males resting near their
egg masses, then lifted them up, holding them in my hands.
Slipping my hands out, they glide back down to their eggs.

BEFORE YOU SPEAR A CABEZON look to see if there is a patch
of yellowish-white or brownish-red eggs spread over a rock
within a couple feet of the fish. Look closely because you
may mistake the eggs for algee. If you find this, please
DON'T spear the fish. He's watching over some of the next
season's dinners. :-)

Note: CALIFORNIA State law prohibits filleting a Cabezon on
a boat that would produce a fillet less than 12" long.

The flesh of the belly can be bluish in color(especially in
the larger fish), but will cook up  white. 

They are not particularly fast. They will bolt if spooked,
but they won't go far. Usually just to the nearest rock.

He is a bottom feeder, but generally parasite free. You should
check with your State's guidelines concerning the ingesting
of bottom feeders from the localtion you are fishing. [toxins]

They are not dangerous and I seriously question the suggestion
that someone was attacked by one. They do have some ridged,
sturdy spines in the pectoral fins that they use to glide on
(much like a Ling Cod or Shark does) that can create some
unwanted holes in your hands while cleaning the fish.

Ling cod, on the other hand, have been know to attack divers.
In each case, the dive was coming up to a ledge that the fish
was resting on. The first thing the fish sees is a head, and
goes for it. The large fish will swim a diver down a couple of
feet before he realizes that he literally bit off more than
he can chew, and takes off.

-Joseph Crunk