Yelloweye Rockfish, Sebastes ruberrimus
Yelloweye Rockfish, Sebastes ruberrimus. Fish caught from coastal waters off off Sitka, Alaska, August 2013. Length: 62 cm (2 feet 0 inches). Photograph courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.
Yelloweye Rockfish, Sebastes ruberrimus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Pacific City, Oregon, October 2008. Length: 66 cm (2 feet 2 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Yelloweye Rockfish, Sebastes ruberrimus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Half Moon Bay, California, September 2023. Length: 74 cm (2 feet 5 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.
The Yelloweye Rockfish, Sebastes ruberrimus, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as rocote ojo 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 Yelloweye Rockfish has a heavy body with a depth that is 36% to 40% of standard length. They are covered with spines. They vary in coloration from a uniform dark red to red, red-orange or orange. Their eyes are bright yellow. Some have light blotches on their upper backs and dorsal fins. Their head is mid-length with a mid-length snout, relatively small eyes, and a mid-sized terminal mouth. The heads of large fish are covered with spines. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 5 to 8 rays; their caudal fin is rounded; their dorsal fin has 13 spines and 13 to 16 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 16 to 20 rays. They have 24 to 31 gill rakers. Their body is covered with scales.
The Yelloweye Rockfish is a demersal species that is found resting for long periods on the bottom near shelter over rock structures at depths between 12 m (40 feet) and 550 m (1,800 feet). They are solitary and highly territorial individuals that are normally found mixed in with Bocaccio, Cowcod, and Greenspotted Rockfish. They are one of the largest rockfish and reach 1.03 m (3 feet 5 inches) in length with females being larger than males. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 17.82 kg (39 lbs 4 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Whalers Cove, Alaska in July 2000. They feed on crabs, shrimp, and small fish including flatfish, herrings, other rockfish and sandlances. Reproduction is oviparous with each female releasing between 1,200,000 and 2,700,000 pelagic eggs. They have lifespans of up to one hundred eighteen years. The Yelloweye 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 Yelloweye Rockfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited distribution being from from San Quintin, Baja California, northward along the northwest coast of Baja.
The Yelloweye Rockfish is easily confused with the Canary Rockfish, Sebastes pinniger, (lateral line reaching into the head; white edged anal fin), the Sunset Rockfish, Sebastes crocotulus (body with mottling) and the Vermilion Rockfish, Sebastes miniatus (body with mottling).
From a conservation perspective the Yelloweye Rockfish has not been formally evaluated. They are a strong component of the commercial fishery in the Pacific Northwest with fish caught primarily by hook and line. They are also caught with some regularity by recreational fishermen. They are considered an excellent food fish. The long term viability of this species has been recently addressed by the Canadian Government where they are now considered an “overfished” and “threatened” species with new regulations being implemented.