California’s Goldfish

By Arturo Garcia-Ayala

The Pacific Ocean along the western United States is cold. The result of the frigid near-Arctic currents flowing south from Alaska unlike the warmer gulf stream waters off the eastern seaboard. As a result, colder oceans tend to produce more drab colored marine life, so not make themselves a target for predators, except Mother-Nature did not get the message when it came to these particular red-orange colored sea creatures whose females of the species are known to eat their own eggs.

The Garibaldi damselfish has been historically known as the “Catalina Goldfish” where they were first popularized by tourists visiting Santa Catalina Island during the turn of the twentieth century. It is a 14-inch scally curiosity slightly larger than two U.S dollar bills laid side-to-side whose namesake according to popular belief was in homage to the scarlet dressed followers of nineteenth century Italian politician and general, Giuseppe Garibaldi.

When observed in its natural habitat, the Garibaldi cannot reflect its natural scarlet hues since the red light from the sun gets absorbed by the water making the fish appear more golden.

Preferring to swim and nest within the rocky reefs and shallow kelp beds of the calmer channel side instead of the constantly churning open Pacific; there is no better place than the Casino Point Underwater Park on Santa Catalina Island, California. Anyone from the most experienced scuba divers to the casual snorkeler can jump in to observe the schools of Garibaldis along with other drab-colored marine life.

The Garibaldi are scientifically classified as a damselfish, which means they are aggressively territorial against possible dangers against their nests. Some have even been known to bite humans who ventured too close to their eggs. Female Garibaldis choose their mates not based on broad size but instead on a series of vigorous performances by the males known as a “Signal Jump.” They rapidly swim up to the surface then down quickly creating a pulsed sound meant to impress a willing female. Once the eggs are deposited, the male chases away the female to prevent infanticide before fertilizing. Then for the next twenty days, the male aggressively defends the nest until they hatch. The juvenile Garibaldis have distinctive blue iridescent spots around their bodies which slowly disappear when they reach maturity which protects them from attacks by adult Garibaldis. In

1995, the Garibaldi damselfish was declared the official state marine fish by the California state legislature making them a protected species and another symbol of the Golden State.

Arturo Garcia-Ayala is originally from San Diego. He served in the U.S. Army for six years as an Infantryman, being deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. Currently, he works as a freelance photojournalist for various media organizations in the Los Angeles Harbor Area and as an event photographer for private events and commissions. Winner of the 2019 Point Fermin Lighthouse Photo Contest in the category of "Lighthouse and Ocean." A proud member of the San Pedro Photographers Association.
Contact: https://www.instagram.com/arturo_freelancerphoto/

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