Gopher Rockfish, Sebastes carnatus

Gopher Rockfish, Sebastes carnatus, Juvenile. Fish caught off the pier in Trinidad, California August 2021. Length: 26 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Gopher Rockfish, Sebastes carnatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off San Quintin, Baja California, August 2014. Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.

Gopher Rockfish, Sebastes carnatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Catalina Island, California, December 2020. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Josh Leisen (joshadventures.com), Gaylord, Michigan.

Gopher Rockfish, Sebastes carnatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Santa Cruz, California, September 2016. Length: 30 cm (12 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Andrew Hansen, Santa Cruz, California.

The Gopher Rockfish, Sebastes carnatus, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as rocote amarillo. 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 Gopher Rockfish has a heavy compact fusiform body with a depth that is 34 to 38% of standard length. They are covered with spines. They have an overall dark brown, black, and greenish coloration that fades to reddish brown ventrally. They have a series of light patches on their back extending onto their dorsal fin and irregular light areas on their sides. They have a dark stripe radiating backwards from their eyes and another dark stripe on their upper jaw. Their head is mid-length with a short snout, large elevated eyes, and a small terminal mouth. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 5 to 7 rays; their caudal fin is straight; their dorsal fin has 13 spines and 12 to 14 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 16 to 18 rays. They have 23 to 32 gill rakers. Their body is covered with scales.

The Gopher Rockfish is a demersal species that is found as solitary and highly territorial individuals near shelter over rock structures or within kelp forests at depths between 12 m (40 feet) and 50 m (165 feet). They are normally found mixed in with Blue Rockfish, Kelp Rockfish, Olive Rockfish, and Treefish. They reach a maximum of 40 cm (16 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 2.83 kg (6 lbs 6 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters of Northern California in August 2008. They feed at night on benthic crabs, fish and shrimp. Reproduction is oviparous with each female releasing between 175,000 and 425,000 pelagic eggs. They have a lifespan of up to 30 years. The Gopher Rockfish 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 Gopher Rockfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being found from Guerrero Negro, Baja California, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja.

The Gopher Rockfish is easily confused with the Black-and-yellow Rockfish, Sebastes chrysomelas (darker coloration), the Calico Rockfish, Sebastes dallii (slanting red-brown bands from dorsal fin to belly), the Copper Rockfish, Sebastes caurinus (sharper snout; wide clear band along lateral line from mid-body to caudal fin), and the Quillback Rockfish, Sebastes maliger (sharp dorsal spines; lacks dark blotches).

From a conservation perspective the Gopher Rockfish has not been formally evaluated. They are a strong component of the commercial rockfish fishery and are sold live by Asian markets in Southern California. They are also caught with some regularity by recreational fishermen and by spear fishermen. They are considered an excellent food fish.