Giant Sea Bass Join Shedd’s Kelp Forest Habitat in Oceans Gallery

Gliding through the kelp leaves among sharks and flounders, two giant sea bass (Stereolepsis gigas) are exploring their new habitat in Shedd Aquarium’s Kelp Forest. The brownish-black spotted fish are apex predators and grow to over 7 feet long, rightfully earning their nickname as “king of the kelp forest.” While their large size is their primary protection, the giant sea bass’ coloration offers a form of camouflage among the shadows of the kelp and rocky reefs.

These critically endangered fish arrived at Shedd in 2019 from another accredited aquarium and have now grown large enough to be on exhibit, weighing over 47 pounds at 4 years old. As juveniles, giant sea bass are bright orange with black spots, but the orange color darkens as they grow into adults. The largest recorded giant sea bass weighed a whopping 563 pounds and measured nearly 9 feet in length.

In order to monitor the giant sea bass’ food intake and overall physical health, Shedd’s animal care team successfully trained the fish to swim to a target for feeding, much like the sharks in Wild Reef. These types of training sessions and interactions allow caretakers to build strong, trusting relationships with the animals. Further, it allows caretakers to assess the health of the animals or even prepare them for future exams and to participate in their own healthcare.

“People might wonder, how do you possibly train a fish, but it looks really similar to the interactions we have with other animals at the aquarium,” said Charlie Jacobsma, director of animal behavior and training at Shedd Aquarium. "We start slow, building on from there and everything is done through positive reinforcement. In this instance, we started by feeding the giant sea bass with an extended stick, then slowly shortened the stick until the fish fed at the surface. Then, we introduced shapes into the water, so each fish learned to associate their specific shape to their feeding time.”

Before going on exhibit, the fish were carefully examined by Shedd’s veterinarians to ensure the animals are healthy. During the preventative exam, the animal health team obtained measurements of the fish, evaluated their eyes, mouths, skin and fins, conducted bloodwork to get baseline health data and performed ultrasounds to check their internal organs. After receiving a clean bill of health, the fish were cleared to join the diverse and vibrant exhibit.

Found off the coast of California and Baja California, giant sea bass can live for up to 70 years. Their kelp forest habitat provides excellent coverage to hide from the occasional shark or sea lion predator. Otherwise, giant sea bass sit at the top of the food chain and eat stingrays, lobsters, crabs, squids, flatfishes and even small sharks. The species is considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to overfishing.

Guests can come face-to-face with giant sea bass at the Kelp Forest habitat in the Oceans gallery.

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Photo Credit: ©Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez

Video Credit: ©Shedd Aquarium/Sam Cejtin