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Illustration of Treefish
fishing forecast

treefish

Sebastes serriceps · full profile

location

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period

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the species

everything about the treefish

how to recognize it

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.

Also called: garoupa-arbórea, rocote presidiario, treefish

don't confuse with:

We don't have tips on season, bait or technique for this species yet.

Where to look: Rocky areas, in crevices, 5 to 90 m.

Lives in the eastern Pacific, from San Francisco, California, to Baja California, Mexico. In Latin America, it occurs only in Mexico.

rules for the treefish

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.

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

estimated weight

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how we calculate

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%.

more about 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.

Family: Sebastidae · predator

similar species

sources and references (2)

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.

  1. scientific FishBase: Sebastes serriceps (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Sebastes serricepsNames by country and language.