blackgill rockfish
Sebastes melanostomus · Sebastidae · predator
Deep-water, soft-bottom rockfish of the Pacific, dark red in colour, reaching 70 cm. It is caught mainly as incidental catch.
Also called: garoupa-de-guelra-preta, rocote agalla negra, blackgill rockfish
- maximum
- 70 cm
- record/max.
- 3.5 kg
- depth
- 124–769 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 blackgill rockfish
who is the blackgill rockfish
Rockfish of the family Sebastidae, genus Sebastes. It grows to 70 cm and up to 3.5 kg. It lives on soft bottoms in deep water, 124 to 769 m, while juveniles stay in shallower areas and are pelagic. The head has strong spines. The species is viviparous, with planktonic larvae. It appears as incidental catch and also enters sport 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 blackgill rockfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Individuals up to 90 years old have been recorded.
identification
Dark red body, with the skin above the upper jaw, the inside of the mouth and the back edge of the gill cover black. It has strong spines on the head. Unlike the black rockfish, which is dark grey to black with pale spots, this one has those dark parts contrasting with the red.
where found
Lives in the eastern Pacific, from the state of Washington, United States, to central Baja California, Mexico. In Latin America, it occurs only in Mexico.
Habitat: Soft bottoms of deep water, 124 to 769 m.
rules for the blackgill 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 strong spines on the head: handle it with care. A bottom fish, it suffers barotrauma when brought up from great depth, so release it quickly.
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 melanostomus (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 melanostomusNames 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: