shortbelly rockfish
Sebastes jordani · Sebastidae · forage fish
Small rockfish that forms large schools in the open North Pacific. It is an important prey of fish and marine mammals and is not sold commercially because of its size.
Also called: garoupa-barriga-curta, rocote pancita, rocote jordán, shortbelly rockfish
- maximum
- 32 cm
- depth
- 0–350 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the shortbelly rockfish
who is the shortbelly rockfish
Rockfish of the family Sebastidae, genus Sebastes, slender and elongated, which forms schools far from the coast, sometimes away from the bottom. It grows to 32 cm. Juveniles are pelagic. It feeds on plankton animals, mainly krill. It is viviparous, with planktonic larvae. It is a very important prey of predatory fish and marine mammals. It lives from 0 to 350 m deep, in subtropical waters. It is considered a sport fish, but is not sold commercially because of its small size.
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 shortbelly rockfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Individuals 31 years old have been recorded.
identification
Small rockfish, slender and elongated, with the anal opening halfway between the base of the pelvic fins and the anal fin. The caudal fin margin is deeply notched, and the back is greenish pink, paling on the belly. Compare it with the greenstriped rockfish, which has horizontal green stripes, and with the silvergray rockfish, which is silvery grey, has a projecting lower jaw and reaches 71 cm.
where found
Lives in the eastern Pacific, from Vancouver Island, Canada, to northern Baja California, Mexico. In Latin America, it occurs only in Mexico.
Habitat: Open sea, in schools far from the coast and sometimes away from the bottom, 0 to 350 m.
rules for the shortbelly 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 is not venomous. It has spines on its fins and, as it lives at depth, it can suffer barotrauma if reeled up quickly.
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.
- scientific FishBase: Sebastes jordani (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 jordaniNames by country and language.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: