TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and flatheads)
Family: Sebastidae (Rockfishes, rockcods and thornyheads)

Genus/species: Sebastes paucispinis

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: The long jaw which extends to the eye socket is distinctive. Adults’ backs range in color from olive to burnt-orange with pink & red stomachs. Juveniles are light bronze with small brown spots on their sides. Coloring darkens and spots disappear as they mature.

World record: 90 cm (35 in), 9.5 kg (20 lbs)

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Found from Alaska to Baja California in almost all habitats. Bocaccio rockfish from age 1 – 3 years are relatively pelagic becoming more demersal (bottom oriented) as they age. Oil platforms are now a somewhat important artificial habitat for the species.

Depth: 40 – 300 m (130 – 980 ft)

DIET IN THE WILD: The Bocaccio Rockfish is a voracious carnivore of other fishes including rockfishes.

TAXONOMY Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) Order: Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and flatheads) Family: Sebastidae (Rockfishes, rockcods and thornyheads) Genus/species: Sebastes paucispinis5426914107_560c411740_b

REPRODUCTION: Maturity occurs at 4–5 years of age. S. paucispinis are viviparous like all rockfishes, with internal fertilization and embryo development. Females give birth to live larval young.

LONGEVITY: up to 30-50 years.

 

PREDATORS; Seabirds feed on juveniles. Marine mammals are common predators of adults.

CONSERVATION: IUCN; Critically Endangered due to overfishing using trawling and gill netting which was curtailed in 1998. Because the species is slow-growing and late maturing, recovery will take many years. These fish are still being caught as bycatch in other fisheries.

REMARKS: Great sport fish and good eating. Like many rockfish species, the spines of Bocaccio can be mildly poisonous and cause unpleasant pain if you are unlucky enough to get poked by one!

References

Ron’s flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/7805276558/in/album-72157608359804936/

Pacific Coast Fishes Eschmeyer and Herald 1983 Easton Press page 145

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium California Coastal Marine 2017

fishbasewww.fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=3987&A… bokacio

 eol eol.org/pages/209611/details

Probably More Than You Want To Know About The Fishes Of The Pacific Coast, Milton Love 1996 Really Big Press ppg 179-182

WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/bottomfish/identification/rockfish/s_paucispinis.html

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink wp.me/p1DZ4b-D6