Brown Rockfish, Sebastes auriculatus

Brown Rockfish, Sebastes auriculatus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Newport, Oregon, December 2020. Length: 16 cm (6.3 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Brown Rockfish, Sebastes auriculatus. Fish caught off the Elephant Rock Pier, Tiburon, California, August 2019. Length: 18 cm (7.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Brown Rockfish, Sebastes auriculatus. Fish caught  from coastal waters off Bahia Asunción, Baja California Sur, November 2022. Length: 30 cm (12 inches). Catch, photograph and identifications courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.

Brown Rockfish, Sebastes auriculatus. Both fish caught  from coastal waters off Ejido Eréndira, Baja California, February 2015. The second fish weighed in at 3 lbs 9 oz. Catch, photographs and identifications courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.

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

The Brown Rockfish, Sebastes auriculatus, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as rocote moreno. 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 Brown Rockfish has a deep wide bodies with a depth that is 33% to 37% of standard length. They are medium to heavy bodied fish with a spiny head. They have a tan to reddish-brown coloration with numerous dark markings, including a dark mark on the back upper corner of their gill cover. Their eyes often have a red or orange cast. They have 2 orange or orange-brown lines radiating backwards from each upper jaw and eye. Their head is of average length with small beady eyes set high on the head and a small terminal mouth. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 5 to 8 rays; their caudal fin is slightly indented to concave; their dorsal fin has 13 spines and 12 to 15 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 15 to 19 rays. They have 21 to 30 gill rakers. Their body is covered with scales.

The Brown Rockfish is a demersal species that is found very close to the bottom within heavy structures from shallow coastal waters to depths up to 293 m (960 feet). They are a solitary species but are sometimes found in small schools mixed in with Calico Rockfish, Canary Rockfish, Copper Rockfish, and Vermilion Rockfish. They reach a maximum length of 56 cm (22 inches) and 3.0 kg (6 lbs 11 oz) in weight, with females being larger than males. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 3.03 kg (6 lbs 11 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Summerland, California in November 2018. They consume small invertebrates and small fish. Reproduction is oviparous with each female releasing between 55,000 and 339,000 pelagic eggs annually. They have a lifespan of up to 34 years. The Brown 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 Brown Rockfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja.

The Brown Rockfish can be confused with the Blue Rockfish, Sebastes mystinus (lack mottling and the dark black opercular spot), the Calico Rockfish, Sebastes dallii, the Grass Rockfish, Sebastes rastrelliger and the Kelp Rockfish, Sebastes atrovirens, but all lack the dark spot on the rear of the gill cover.

From a conservation perspective the Brown Rockfish has not been formally evaluated. They are a modest component of the West Coast commercial fishery taken predominately by bottom trawls or by hook and line. They are sold primarily by live fisheries. They are also an important component of the recreational catch in the Pacific Northwest.