Yellowtail Rockfish

TAXONOMY

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Osteichthyes
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Scorpaenidae

ECOLOGICAL DATA

Distribution: common in deeper inshore and offshore.

Habitat: adults occur along steeply sloping shores or above rocky reefs; much more pelagic than many rockfishes; mate in autumn; larvae released in deeper, offshore in March; juveniles (0-4 yr) common in shallow inshore; often occurs in relatively dense schools near bottom, but may range throughout water column.

Tidal elevation: occurs to 275 m; schools found from just beneath surface to 200 m.

Food: mainly sand lance and crab megalopae, but also mysids, amphipods, euphausiids, pteropods and juvenile fishes (e.g. black cod and gadids).

Predators: fishes, such as lingcod and rockfishes.

GROWTH RATE

Slow; sexually mature at 41-45 cm or 11-15 yr; maximum size is 66 cm.

FISHERY

Important component of commercial fisheries along open south and central coast; 1986 total rockfish commercial catch was 18,781 t valued at $11.8 million; sportfishing limit is 8.

REFERENCES

Hart, J.L. 1973. Pacific fishes of Canada. Fish. Res. Board Can. Bull 180: 418-419.

Lamb, A., and P. Edgell. 1986. Coastal fishes of the Pacific Northwest. Harbour Publishing, Madeira Park, B.C.: 107.

Larouche, W.A., and S.L. Richardson. 1980. Development and occurrence of larvae and juveniles of the rockfishes Sebastes flavidus and Sebastes melanops (Scorpaenidae) off Oregon. Fish. Bull. 77: 901-923.

Nagetagaal, D. 1985. Rockfish. Underwater World. Fish. Oceans Can., Ottawa: 5 p.

Phillips, J.B. 1964. Life history studies on ten species of rockfish (Genus Sebastodes). Calif. Dep. Fish Game Fish Bull. 126: 70 p.

Rosenthal, R.J., L. Haldorson, L.J. Fild, V. Moran-O'Connell, M.G. LaRiviere, J. Underwood, and M.C. Murphy. 1982. Inshore and shallow offshore bottomfish resources in the southeastern Gulf of Alaska (1981-1982). Alas. Dep. Fish Game. Commer. Fish. Div., Juneau: 166 p.

Westrheim, S.J. 1975. Reproduction, maturation, and identification of larvae of some Sebastes (Scorpaenidae) species in the northeast Pacific Ocean. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 32: 2399-2411.