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fishing forecast

aurora rockfish

Sebastes aurora · Sebastidae · predator

Deep-water rockfish of the Pacific, reddish-pink on the back, growing to 41 cm. It is caught by trawl and traps in commercial fishing.

Also called: garoupa-aurora, rocote aurora, aurora rockfish

Scientific illustration of Aurora rockfish
maximum
41 cm
depth
366–550 m
location

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period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

the species

everything about the aurora rockfish

overview

who is the aurora rockfish

Rockfish of the family Sebastidae, genus Sebastes. It grows to 41 cm. It lives in deep water, mostly between 366 and 550 m, but there are records from 124 to 769 m, in open sea, over soft bottoms. Juveniles are pelagic. The species is viviparous, with planktonic larvae. When dragged by a net, the scales often come off and leave white marks with red outlines. It is caught by trawl and traps in commercial fishing.

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 aurora rockfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.

fun facts

  • Individuals up to 75 years old have been reported.
how to recognize it

identification

Rockfish with the back reddish-pink to pink and the sides and belly silvery. It has small lobes projecting from the front of the upper jaw and strong spines on the head. It lives in open sea, in very deep water, which sets it apart from reef and shallow-water rockfishes.

distribution

where found

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Lives in the northeast Pacific, from Vancouver Island, Canada, to Cedros Island, Baja California. In Latin America, it occurs only in Mexico.

Habitat: Soft bottoms of open sea, mostly between 366 and 550 m.

what the law says

rules for the aurora 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.

Deep-water fish that suffers barotrauma if brought to the surface. If you release it, do so carefully and quickly.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00389, b = 3.12; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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.

  1. scientific FishBase: Sebastes aurora (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 auroraNames by country and language.
don't confuse

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