Rock Fish

When you are out fishing for Halibut or Lingcod you have a good chance of catching one of these colorful fish. The Gulf of Alaska is home to about 32 rockfish species, but only 15 are common in the near shore shelf. Rockfish are more vulnerable to over harvest than other marine species, because (1) they are attracted to specific habitats and hence easily found and caught; (2) they mature late and do not reproduce until they are 7 to20 years old; (3) they produce few young (4) they do not often survive release. Rockfish bear live young that are only about usually during spring and summer. Here are a few rockfish that you might use.

Black Rockfish: often misnamed ‘Black Bass’ Dark gray to black with white belly. Usually uniform in color, but may have lighter patches along back. Size: up to 25 inches.

Yellowtail Rockfish: Olive green to greenish brown with lighter underside; fins distinctly yellowish green. Size up 26 inches.

Yelloweye Rockfish (red snapper): Orange red and orange yellow, bright golden yellow eye, fins may be black at tips. Juveniles have two light bands along the side, one on the lateral line and a smaller one below the lateral line. Size up to 36 inches.

Tiger Rockfish : Light pink with five dark red stripes along the side. Two dark bars extend from each eye. Size up to 24 inches.

Dusky Rockfish: Two distinct types; Light Dusky brownish body color, whitish belly often edged in pink; found in deep water. Dark Dusky; uniformly black, no white belly; found in shallow water. Size: up to 20 inches.

Quillback Rockfish: Brown body mottled with orange and yellow. Long, prominent spines on a high dorsal fin. Size up to 24 inches.

China Rockfish: Mostly black, with bright yellow and white blotches and a yellow strip along most of the lateral line. Size up to 17 inches.