ROCKFISHES (Sebastes sp)  -32 species in all

Color:	Varies by species from dark colors to fluorescent orange	Rockfish are Alaska’s only sport fish that contain venom in their spiny fins.  But despite being mildly toxic to the touch, most of the species have a delicious white meat.  Rockfish species, 32 in all, can be individually unique; some are colored dark black while others are entirely hot orange.  Incredibly, some yelloweye rockfish are known to live up to 140 years old.
Size:	5- to 41-inches, Average 20- to 24-inches
Method:	Bottom fishing from a boat with bait such as herring, jigging or mooching
Gear:	Light-action bait rods and reels
Range:	Aleutians, Kodiak Island, Kenai Peninsula, Southeast, Bering Sea 32 known species
Season:	Year-round
Taste:	White meat, delicious Recipes
Record:	47 lbs, Clarence Lake, 1970
Back Issues:	“Rock and Roll,” by Doug Wilson, July 2003

The large family of fish is also ovoviviparous, meaning they give birth to live young rather than eggs.  The most sought after are the yelloweye, quillback, dusky, copper and black rockfish.

Appearance

There are 32 different species of rockfishes, which can vary between 4 to 41 inches in length.  The overall average length is between 20 and 24 inches.  The body of a rockfish is armed with venomous spines on its head and body alongside various bony plates.  As a predator, the fish have a large mouth and large pelvic fins for easy maneuvering.  To small undersea attackers, the venom of a rockfish can be deadly; however, to creatures as large as man it is only mildly toxic.  In general, most rockfish resemble bass or perch and are sometimes called sea bass.

Location

Rockfish frequent almost all of Alaska’s coastal waters.  There are 12 known species living as far north as the Bering Sea, but most inhabit the Gulf of Alaska and are separated into three biological groups.  The first type, called “slope,” live the farthest from shore and stay mostly in the deep water along the edges of the continental shelf.  The second type, are known as “shelf pelagic” and live along the shallower areas of the continental shelf closer to shore.  Lastly, the “shelf demersal” type live near the shore in shallow water with rocky bottoms. 

Diet

Juvenile rockfish subsist on mainly plankton, copepods, fish eggs and small crustaceans.  As they grow in size, rockfish will prey on sand lance, herring, smaller rockfish and larger crustaceans. 

Angling Method

Medium-action spinning rods with 14- to 17-pound test line and fly rods in the 6- to 8-weight range offer the most excitement.  Casting and retrieving or jigging with small spinners, lures, bait or streamers (or minnow style flies) works well.  Most rockfish will be near rocky outcroppings and kelp beds and tend to be the most abundant at a specific depth.  Depth finders can help locate the fish and methods such as basic weights, leadheads, sink-tip lines and sinking jig heads will help you reach the fish.

Rockfish can be caught from the surface to depths much deeper than 60 feet.  However, fish taken from deeper than 60 feet will experience gas expansion in their swim bladders.  As the fish is quickly pulled to the surface, water pressure decreases and the bladder expands and pushes the stomach partially out of the mouth.  Such fish rarely recover and should be kept as part of the daily bag limit.  When fishing very deep water, the eyes can even begin to bulge due to rapid decompression.

Life History

Each individual from the three different types of rock fish (slope, shelf pelagic, and shelf demersal) are fond of a specific area or a home site.  If removed and released elsewhere, they will quickly find their way back to the preferred area.  Their impressive memory and ability to navigate might be tied to their age.  Some rockfish can live to be over 100 years old and biologists from the Alaska Fish & Game say yelloweye (Sebastes ruberrimus) may live up to 140 years.

Rockfishes grow slowly and most pelagic species become sexually mature at about 10 years of age.  Meanwhile, shelf demersal and slope type may take 15 years to mature.  The fish are unique because they are oviparous, meaning they reproduce by internal-fertilization and give birth to live young.  

Fish Alaska Magazine