Cowcod, Sebastes levis
Cowcod, Sebastes levis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Tijuana, Baja California, February, 2023.. Length: 36 cm (14 inches). Catch, identification and photograph courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Cowcod, Sebastes levis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Santa Rosa Island, California, August 2019. Length: 61 cm (2 feet 0 inches). Photograph taken immediately after the hook was removed and the fish was returned to its native environment with a descending device. Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Canada.
Cowcod, Sebastes levis. Fish caught from coastal waters off San Quintin, Baja California, August 2022. Length: 62 cm (2 feet 0 inches). Catch courtesy of Captain Juan Cook, San Quintin. Photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.
The Cowcod, Sebastes levis, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as rocote vaquilla. 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 Cowcod has a deep and somewhat compressed bodies with a very high incised first dorsal fin and a depth that is 33% to 37% of standard length. Adults vary in color from cream, pink, salmon, orange, or gold. Some adults have subtle dark or red vertical bars. Juveniles have gold or brown vertical bars over a clear, white or pale gold background and are very difficult to distinguish from other look-alike juvenile rockfish. They have a large head with small eyes and a large mouth with a projecting lower jaw. They are covered with spines. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 6 to 8 rays; their caudal fin is concave; their dorsal fin has 13 or 14 spines and 12 to 14 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 17 to 19 rays. They have 29 to 33 gill rakers. Their body is covered with scales.
The Cowcod is a demersal species that is found as solitary and highly territorial individuals near shelter over rock structures, at the base of oil platforms, or within kelp forests at depths up to 515 m (1,690 feet). They are normally found in waters between 7.7oC (46oF) and 12.4oC (54oF). They reach a maximum of 1.0 m (3 feet 3 inches) in length and 13.2 kg (29 lbs) in weight with females being slightly larger than males. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 11.3 kg (26 lbs 0 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off San Clemente Island, California in January 1999. They are ambush predators that feed on benthic crabs, octopus, shrimp, and small fish. Reproduction is viviparous with each female releasing between 181,000 and 1,925,000 pelagic eggs. They have lifespans of fifty-five years and date to 6,000,000 years.
The Cowcod is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited distribution being found from Guerrero Negro, Baja California, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja.
The Cowcod is easy to recognize and cannot be confused with any other species; however, the juvenile Cowcod is similar to other juvenile rockfish that have bars on their sides including Bronzestriped Rockfish, Flag Rockfish, Redbanded Rockfish, Tiger Rockfish, and the Treefish, all of which lack spotting on their bars or have upturned mouths.
From a conservation perspective the Cowcod has not been formally evaluated. In all parts of their known range they are currently considered to be “overfished.” They are listed as a species of Special Concern by NOAA. In California, fishing for Cowcod has been banned with a 5,100 square mile area off Southern California being closed to all bottom fishing as a conservation measure to help Cowcod survival. This species is not expected to recover until 2060. They are considered to be an excellent food fish and have historically been targeted by both commercial and recreational fishermen. Fishing interest has now significantly diminished recently due to low catch rates and the newly imposed restrictions.