treefish
Sebastes serriceps
Territorial rockfish of stone crevices in the Pacific, growing to 41 cm. It has venomous spines, so handle it with care.
Also called: garoupa-arbórea, rocote presidiario, treefish
- maximum
- 41 cm
- depth
- 5–90 m
who is the treefish
Rockfish of the family Sebastidae, genus Sebastes. It grows to 41 cm. It lives in rocky areas, usually hidden in crevices, from 5 to 90 m. It is territorial and viviparous. Adults eat small fish and crustaceans. Its range runs from San Francisco, California, to central Baja California, Mexico. It has venomous spines, which call for care when handling and releasing it. It is taken in commercial fishing and appears in public aquariums.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the treefish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Rockfish with venomous spines, which lives hidden in stone crevices and is territorial. It is found in rocky areas between 5 and 90 m. Compare it with the black-and-yellow rockfish, which also lives in holes and crevices of rock, but is shallower, mostly down to 18 m, and whose spines are not venomous.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Lives in the eastern Pacific, from San Francisco, California, to Baja California, Mexico. In Latin America, it occurs only in Mexico.
Habitat: Rocky areas, in crevices, 5 to 90 m.
rules for the treefish
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It has venomous spines: hold the fish by the body, away from the fins, and remove the hook carefully.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01, b = 3.09; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Sebastes serriceps (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Sebastes serricepsNames by country and language.
