calico rockfish
Sebastes dallii
Small rockfish of soft bottoms of the Pacific, with venomous spines, reaching 25 cm. Handle with care.
Also called: garoupa-calicó, rocote calicó, rocote algodón, calico rockfish
- maximum
- 25 cm
- depth
- 18–256 m
who is the calico rockfish
Rockfish of the family Sebastidae, genus Sebastes. It grows to 25 cm. It lives on or near soft bottoms, 18 to 256 m deep, from San Francisco, California, to central Baja California, Mexico. Adults eat mysid shrimp, shrimp, krill and fish. The species is viviparous, with planktonic larvae, and juveniles are pelagic. It has venomous spines. 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 calico rockfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- There are reports of individuals up to 12 years old.
identification
Small rockfish with venomous spines, living on soft bottoms between 18 and 256 m. The common name, calico, suggests skin with irregular patches. Its soft-bottom habitat and depth set it apart from shallow-reef rockfishes. Compare it with the squarespot rockfish, which lives on shallow reefs.
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: On or near soft bottoms, 18 to 256 m.
rules for the calico rockfish
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: handle it carefully, holding it by the body and away from the fins.
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 dallii (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 dalliiNames by country and language.
