Description

The Rockfish family comprise of a wide variety of species – though when cooked – it is difficult to differentiate between the varieties. In general - Rockfish living at deeper depths tend to be brighter in colour. Rockfish have large mouths and eyes, spines on their head and prominent fins. Shortraker Rockfish are the largest of all Sebastes species – growing to be 120 cm long.

Habitat

Rockfish reside along the slope of the continental shelf - in pelagic waters - or near the bottom. Shortraker Rockfish can be found along the continental shelf - most commonly at depths between 962 – 1,640 feet. This Pacific species ranges from Kamchatka Russia north into the Bering Sea, the Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska and south to California.

Fishing Season

Sustainability Status

Rockfish are slow-growing and mature late in life. Consequently - many Rockfish are caught before they have had chance to reproduce and are therefore very vulnerable to overfishing. In 2002 - emergency fishery closures - both commercial and sport - were enacted along the west coast of North America in an effort to give Rockfish populations a chance to recover.