Whitespeckled Rockfish, Sebastes moseri

Whitespeckled Rockfish, Sebastes moseri. Fish caught from coastal waters off San Clemente Island, California at a depth of 160 m (530 feet), October 2024. Length: 23 cm (9.0 inches). Photograph courtesy of Jeff Markland of the Thunderbird, Newport Beach, California. Identification courtesy of Paul Hansen.

The Whitespeckled Rockfish, Sebastes moseri, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, also known as the Whitespotted Rockfish and in Mexico as rocote manchas blancas. 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 Whitespeckled Rockfish is small in stature and has a body depth of 26% to 30% of standard length. They vary in color from red to pale pinkish-red and are covered with fine white speckles. They have a large prominent white blotch on the upper back just behind the gill covers. Some fish have reddish to orange-vertical bars and or a dark red stripe along mid-body. They have a lateral line that can be red or pale that is found in a clear area. Their heads have a short snout, large eyes, a sharply upturned mouth and numerous spines. Their anal fin has 3 spines, with the second being longer than the third, and 9 rays; their caudal fin is lunate; their dorsal fin has 13 spines and 15 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 1 spine and 17 20 rays. They have 28 gill rakers on the upper arch and 10 gill rakers on the lower arch.

The Whitespeckled Rockfish are found in schools near the bottom over both high- and low-relief rocks at depths between 50 m (165 feet) and 274 m (900 feet). They reach a maximum of 23.5 cm (9.3 inches) in length. Reproduction is viviparous. The Whitespeckled 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 Whitespeckled Rockfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited range, being found only along the Northwest coast of Baja from Isla Guadalupe to the California border in Baja California.

The Whitespeckled Rockfish can be confused with the Dwarf Red-rockfish, Sebastes rufinanus, lack white speckles; deeper bodied) and the Starry Rockfish, Sebastes constellatus (5 or 6 white blotches on the back).

From a conservation perspective the Whitespeckled Rockfish has not been formally evaluated. They are caught on a very limited basis by deepwater recreational fishermen and seldom seen by humans.