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

Genus/species: Sebastes caurinus 

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Deep, stout body. Color highly variable; dark brown or olive to pink or orange-red above, with patches of pink-copper and occasionally yellow.. Fins primarily copper, often dusky. They are distinguished from other rockfish species by the clear areas along the posterior two thirds of the lateral lines, and in having a whitish underside, usually with two dark bands radiating from eye. Dorsal fin membrane not deeply incised.

Length up to 57 cm (22.44 in). Weight up to 2.6 kg (5.73 pounds).

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: The Copper Rockfish is found in the Gulf of Alaska to central Baja California among rock-sand bottoms 10–180m (33-600 ft) deep. They are solitary, bottom-dwelling reef fish which frequently live near pinnacles and wrecks. Adults avoid warm water; thus live deeper in southern California than further north.

DIET IN THE WILD: Juveniles consume plankton. Adults are mainly benthic (organisms living on or in sea or lake bottoms) feeder preying  upon fishes, crabs, mysid shrimp, prawns, amphipods, octopuses, polychaete worms and fish eggs.

REPRODUCTION: Mature at 4-8 years. Fertilization is internal. via copulation and the transfer of sperm is through a modified urogenital papilla on the male.
The females store sperm in the ovaries for several months until ovulation then fertilizes the eggs. They are viviparous. The larvae mature in shallow water.. Larvae are planktonic maturing in shallow water becoming sexually mature at around five years.

LONGEVITY: Live to at least 55 years.

PREDATORS: Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) and also other large predators.

CONSERVATION: IUCN: No special status

REMARKS: Rockfish species that live in the California coastal waters, are very important to commercial and sport fisheries. The 60 species of rockfish caught account for 34% by weight of all sportfish landed in California.
Copper Rockfish caught off the coast of British Columbia and California are sold alive at a premium price to Asian fish markets.

References

Ron’s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/36594603820/in/album-72157608359804936/

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium California Rocky Coast 2017

Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann, 1983. A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 136

fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/3957

Probably More Than You Want To Know About The Fishes Of The Pacific Coast, Milton Love 1996 Really Big Press ppg. 152-153

Animal Diversity Web (U. of Michigan) animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Sebastes_caurinus/

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