Tag Archive: California Coast Reef Exhibit


9-5-17 Copper Rockfish from Ron’s California Coastal Marine Series

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September 5, 2017

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

 

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8-28-17 Brown Rockfish from Ron’s California Coastal Marine Series

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August 28, 2017

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

Genus/species: Sebastes auriculatus

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Light brown mottled with dark brown; a dark blotch on upper portion of opercle, Fins are dusky-pink. The underside of throat and lower jaw are pinkish.  The rear area of the gill cover (opercule) with the prominent dark patch probably inspired its Latin name auriculatus, meaning eared.

Length up to 56 cm 22 inches

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Southern Baja California to the northern Gulf of Alaska. Brown Rockfish are commonly found as bottom dwellers from shallow subtidal waters 20 ft. (6 m) to 444 ft. (135 m).

DIET IN THE WILD: Small fishes, crab, shrimp, and other small invertebrates.

REPRODUCTION: Viviparous, with planktonic larvae and pelagic juveniles. All are mature at 15 inches or 5 years of age.

LONGEVITY: Up to 34 years

REMARKS: Fin spines are sharp and mildly venomous and can cause annoying wounds.

Small live specimens make excellent bait for large lingcod. Flesh is firm and tasty, but rarely found in markets

References

Ron’s flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/35972127564/in/dateposted-public/

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium California Coastal Marine 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.134

 fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/Sebastes-auriculatus

Probably More Than You Want To Know About The Fishes Of The Pacific Coast, Milton Love 1996 Really Big Press ppg. 146-148

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink: http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-Da

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8-24-17 Bocaccio Rockfish from Ron’s California Coastal Marine Series

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August 24, 2017

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

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