The present study assessed the effect of sea surface temperature (SST) on the individual growth performance of the thread herring Opisthonema libertate in the southern Gulf of California. For the period from 1988 to 2017, based on monthly length-frequency information, the von Bertalanffy equation's growth parameters (L∞, K, and t0) were estimated annually. Annual values of the growth performance index Φ' were inversely related to the SST (P < 0.05). The values of K and L∞ corresponding to the modal value of the distribution of Φ' were taken as representative of the species, and the temperature change pattern function over time was incorporated as a forcing of the growth coefficient, K, in the growth model. Thus, it was possible to represent the yearly effect of SST on growth performance. These estimates are considered of great interest for future research because they directly influence the variability in allocating the number of individuals at different ages.