Sierra Mackerel
Also calledPacific sierra
Seen past the published northern limit of its range.
Sightings
2026 season, every one sourced
Southern California
- Sept 5, 2026Balboa Peninsula, Newport BeachSource: iNaturalist 397638497
Photos
From California this season
No photos yet. If you photographed this animal in California this season, post it to the Coastal Bulletin.
Home Range
Where it normally lives
La Jolla south to Peru and the Galapagos Islands.
Range source: FishBase
The published range starts at La Jolla and runs south to the Galapagos Islands and Paita, Peru, with a recent report from Antofagasta, Chile. Sierras school in coastal water, from near the surface down to the bottom of the continental shelf.
Identification
The sierra is a long, silver mackerel covered in round spots that look brownish once the fish is out of the water and orange while it is alive. Three rows of spots run above the lateral line. The first dorsal fin is black at the tip and white at the base, and the second dorsal fin is yellowish with a black edge. The species reaches about 39 inches and 18 pounds, and most are closer to 24 inches.
Natural History
Sierras hunt small schooling fish, especially anchovies and herrings, and are believed to spawn close to the coast. FishBase calls it the most abundant game fish on the Pacific coasts of Mexico and Central America, and it is also caught commercially and served as ceviche.
In California
A sierra photographed on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach on September 5, 2026, was north of the species' published limit at La Jolla.
Taxonomy
Rarity
Rarity in the compendium is how often the animal has been reported on the California coast this season, not how rare it is where it normally lives. It moves as new sightings come in.