Bocaccio, Sebastes paucispinis

Bocaccio, Sebastes paucispinis, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Long Beach, California, August 2016. Length: 13.4 cm (5.3 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois. Identification reconfirmed by Milton Love, University of California, Santa Barbara, Goleta, California.

Bocaccio, Sebastes paucispinis. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater San Diego area, San Diego, California, August 2014. Length: 38 cm (15 inches).

Bocaccio, Sebastes paucispinis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ejido Eréndira, Baja California, February 2015. Length: 36 cm (14 inches). Photograph courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.

Bocaccio, Sebastes paucispinis. Fish caught from coastal waters off the Channel Islands, California, August 2019. Length: 51 cm (20 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

The Bocaccio, Sebastes paucispinis, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as rocote bocaccio. Globally, there are one hundred eight species in the genus Sebastes, of which fifty-three are found in Mexican waters, all in the Pacific Ocean.

The Bocaccio has a relatively narrow oblong-shaped body with a depth that is 26% to 30% of standard length. They have a uniform coloration without markings which ranges from olive burnt-orange to brown dorsally and transitions to pinkish-red ventrally. All their fins are dark with the exception of their pelvic fins which are pale pink. Younger fish are light bronze with small brown spots on their sides. Older fish are darker than younger fish. They have a distinctively long jaw extending at least to the eyes. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 8 to 10 rays; their caudal fin has a slightly concave margin; their dorsal fin has 13 or 14 spines and 13 to 15 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 14 to 17 rays. They have 27 to 32 gill rakers. Their body is covered with scales.

The Bocaccio resides over and within rocky bottoms and outcroppings at depths between 12 m (40 feet) and 480 m (1,580 feet). Adults are found in deeper waters than juveniles. They reach a maximum of 91 cm (3 feet 0 inches) in length and 6.8 kg (15 lbs 0 oz) in weight, with females being larger than males. They feed on anchovies, lanternfish, rockfish, sablefish, and squid. Females generate between 20,000 and 2,000,000 eggs annually. They have lifespans of fifty years. The Bocaccio is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Bocaccio is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a very limited distribution being found from Cedros Island, Baja California, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja.

The Bocaccio cannot be confused with any other species due to its color, body shape, and long projecting snout.

From a conservation perspective the Bocaccio is currently considered to be CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. They have been fished commercially for many years. Historically they were also a targeted species of recreational anglers. However, the long term survival of the Bocaccios is currently of concern and being addressed. They are a slow growing species that matures late and is long lived. As fishing pressures have increased populations have declined and the Bocaccios are now the subject of enhanced catch regulations. They are considered a marginal food fish.