THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

Starry Rockfish
Sebastes constellatus (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae)
Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes
Distribution: San Francisco south to Baja.
Habitat: Coastal waters; usually on deep reefs
at 24–275 m.
Appearance: Red-orange above, with 3–4 large
whitish blotches on back; paler below. Small
white dots cover most of the body. Max. length:
46 cm.
Reproduction and Development: Viviparous
with planktonic larvae and pelagic juveniles.
Remarks: Occasionally caught by sport fishers;
considered highly flavorful.
Splitnose Rockfish
Sebastes diploproa (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae)
Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes
Distribution: Southeastern Alaska to central
Baja California.
Habitat: Common on sandy bottoms offshore.
Juveniles in shallow water, adults deeper.
Appearance: Toothed knobs in front of the
upper jaw with a deep notch between (thus
the common name).
Diet: Krill, copepods, and squids.
Reproduction and Development: Viviparous,
with planktonic larvae and pelagic juveniles
that congregate around drifting kelp. Males
mature at 7–10 years; females at 6–8.
Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 84 yrs.
Remarks: Diploproa is formed from two Greek
words that together mean “double prow,” a
reference to this fish’s distinctive facial feature.
From central California to Washington, deep-
living adults are part of a major fishery, taken
mostly by trawls.
Black Rockfish
Sebastes melanops (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae)
Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes
Distribution: Alaska to Baja California.
Habitat: Found in schools near rocky reefs in
shallow water and in open water above deep
banks.Nearshore to 360 m. May live above or
on the bottom
Appearance: Black to blue black mottled with
gray. Some individuals have lighter patches
on back and a gray lateral stripe from head
to tail. Lacks the dark head bands of the blue
California Academy of Sciences
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rockfish; also has more gray, a smaller mouth,
and a longer jaw than the blue.
Diet: Fishes.
Reproduction and Development: Viviparous.
Young are important prey species for various
fishes, marine mammals, and birds. Prized by
humans as a food fish.
Blue Rockfish
Sebastes mystinus (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae)
Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes
Distribution: Vancouver Island to northern
Baja California.
Habitat: Inhabit kelp forests, shallow reefs and
open water over deep reefs. They are found at
depths of up to 550 m but are most abundant
from 5–60 m. They are often seen schooling
with other species of rockfish.
Appearance: Mottled blue-black to bright
blue with two to four dark bands which curve
around the front of the head. Sloping band
from the eye toward the pectoral fin with a
smaller band below. Rear edge of the anal fin is
straight and slanted. Can reach 50 cm in length
and live to 24 years.
Diet: Blue rockfish eat jellyfish, krill, copepods,
fishes, hydroids and kelp. Larger blues eat
relatively more fishes. Adults are preyed upon
by other rockfish, lingcod, sharks, dolphins
and sea lions.
Reproduction and Development: Fish mature
between 6–9 years. Blues mate in October
(internal fertilization) but the embryos do
not begin to develop until December when
the eggs are fertilized by the stored sperm.
Embryos develop within the female and
larvae are released into the water; usually
in January. Larvae are planktonic for four to
five months.
A reason for the decline in general rockfish
numbers may be that the plankton on which
the larvae feed have declined due to warming
ocean temperatures, causing larvae to
starve.
Remarks: Coppers are the most abundant
rockfish in central California.
China Rockfish
Sebastes nebulosus (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae)
Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes
Distribution: Southeast Alaska to Redondo