California sheephead [SEP] IUCN conservation status
into their male form at various stages in their lifecycle, determined by environmental conditions and pressures. Because of this, they are considered to be protogynous hermaphrodites which have planktonic larvae. Their coral and kelp-heavy habitat provides protection from predators, which is important as this species is diurnal, foraging during the day and seeking shelter at night.
The California sheephead is considered vulnerable due to high fishing rates off of the coast of southern California. Since fisheries tend to remove the largest fish, they end up removing the males
. Due to the fact that California corbina live nearshore, they are most often caught by fishermen on beaches, piers, and jetties; not on private boats or fishing vessels. This species is occasionally caught as by-catch by shrimp trawling vessels.
Conservation status.
The IUCN has assessed the California corbina as data deficient due to outstanding questions about the species' distribution. There are no known conservation efforts that specifically target the California corbina, however, part of its distribution is protected by various marine protected areas.