black rockfish
Sebastes melanops
Fish of rocky reefs and deep banks of the North American Pacific, reaching 63 cm. It bites the rod now and then and is a good fish to eat.
Also called: garoupa-negra, black rockfish
- maximum
- 63 cm
- record/max.
- 4.8 kg
- depth
- 183–274 m
who is the black rockfish
Rockfish of the family Sebastidae, genus Sebastes. It grows to 63 cm and up to 4.8 kg. It lives near shallow rocky reefs and in open water over deep banks, usually between 183 and 274 m. Adults stay on the bottom or away from it, form schools and eat fish. Juveniles are pelagic and are important prey for other fish, marine mammals and birds. The species is viviparous, with planktonic larvae. It appears now and then in sport fishing and has a small commercial fishery.
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 black rockfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Individuals up to 50 years old have been recorded.
identification
Black rockfish, with a fusiform body, dark grey to black, with light grey spots on the back and a paler belly. It has moderately large eyes, a notched caudal fin, a rounded or backward-sloping anal fin, and almost no chin projection. Compare it with the blackgill rockfish, which is dark red, and with the blue rockfish, which is also bluish or black but has faint stripes on the forehead and a deep body.
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 northeast Pacific, from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, to Paradise Cove, Baja California, Mexico. In Latin America, it occurs only in Mexico.
Habitat: Near shallow rocky reefs and in open water over deep banks, usually 183 to 274 m.
rules for the black 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.
Bottom fish: it suffers barotrauma when brought up from great depth. If you release it, do so carefully and quickly.
in the kitchen
It is an excellent fish to eat, and has a small commercial fishery.
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 melanops (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 melanopsNames by country and language.
