Typical and maximum ages, in years, of common a rockfish population as a low-interest savings rockfishes in the sport harvest. account. To live off the interest (sustain a moderate harvest), you have to maintain a large balance. If Typical ages Approximate you make too many withdrawals, your account will in the harvest maximum age take years to regain its original value. Likewise for rockfish, recovery from can take decades. Non-pelagic The abundance of most rockfish species in is Yelloweye 15-70 120 unknown. Assessment of nearshore rockfish stocks Tiger 20-70 115 is difficult and expensive. Mortality from swim Quillback 15-55 90 bladder inflation limits the use of tagging for popu- Silvergray 10-40 80 lation studies and prevents the use of size limits for Copper 10-30 50 fishery management. Many sampling gears cannot Pelagic be used in the rocky habitats favored by nearshore rockfishes. Submarines have been used to estimate Dusky 5-35 65 the density of some species in Southeast Alaska, but Black 5-30 50 Quillback rockfish the method is expensive and not widely available. maliger Dusky rockfish Sebastes melanops Assessment methods are complex and still under Sebastes ruberrimus development. As a result, managers generally have Alaska sport fishing regulations divide rockfish into Vulnerable to Overfishing subsistence fisheries from to Alaska. But inadequate information and limited tools for manag- two groups based on their preferred habitats: nourishment from the female. After several months, some rockfish populations have been severely ing fisheries, and must therefore manage conserva- the females give birth to thousands or millions of tiny Rockfish are vulnerable to overfishing. They prefer reduced through overfishing, even when managers tively. ROCKFISH are among the more (1) Pelagic species congregate in large schools larvae. Most of the larvae are swept away by currents rocky habitat, which fishers can easily locate using were aware of the potential for overfishing and took interesting and colorful fishes in the North Pacific throughout the water column, above or around and eaten by other fishes. The survivors settle onto navigational charts or sonar. Once found, rockfish steps to limit harvest. From to Recreational and subsistence fisheries in Alaska are Ocean. They also are particularly vulnerable to rocky shelves or pinnacles. There are five species in the ocean floor and hide in kelp, eelgrass, or around are relatively easy to catch. Most species grow southern California, populations of several species managed under some of the most restrictive bag overfishing. Maintaining healthy populations this group, but only three, the black, dusky, and rocks. As the juvenile fish grow and mature they quickly in their first few years of life, reaching are now at a small fraction of their unfished level, limits on the Pacific Coast, usually with special requires knowledge of their biology as well as yellowtail rockfish, are common in Alaska. move to adult habitats in deeper water. harvestable size before they are mature. Catching and the status of other species has not yet been provisions for the less productive non-pelagic spe- innovative approaches to fishery management. fish before they can reproduce impairs the cies. Recreational harvest has varied a lot from year to (2) Non-pelagic species usually stay close to the The survival of larval rockfish is believed to be determined. Several fisheries have been severely population’s ability to replace itself. restricted in order to rebuild rockfish populations. year, but generally increased in Southeast and There are thirty-two species of rockfish (genus bottom in rocky areas. They are typically solitary or closely linked to oceanographic factors such as Southcentral Alaska in the late 1970s and 1990s (see Sebastes) in the Gulf of Alaska, but fewer than ten in small schools, and are often mixed with other temperature, currents, and food availability. Rockfish A major factor contributing to the vulnerability of Because the annual production of new fish is so chart). Commercial fisheries are managed under are commonly caught in the recreational fishery. species. Some species are “cryptic”—hiding in have evolved to live long and produce millions of rockfish is that their swim bladder (a balloon-like low, sustaining a harvest year after year requires harvest caps that include incidental catch (or Rockfish have large scales, and they have spines on cracks or under rocks. The most common species offspring each year, which offsets frequently organ used to adjust buoyancy) is not vented. When maintaining a high abundance of spawners. Envision “bycatch”) in other fisheries, trip limits, and bycatch the head, gill covers, and fins. Depending on include yelloweye, quillback, copper, silvergray, unfavorable conditions. rockfish are brought to the surface from deep water, species, adult rockfish may reach 8 to 40 inches in tiger, and China rockfish. Rougheye and shortraker the air in the swim bladder expands, compressing Tagging studies have shown that although pelagic length. Coloration ranges from bright red, orange, or rockfish typically inhabit very deep bays and deep internal organs and often forcing the stomach inside Recreational Rockfish Harvest in Alaska yellow to blander black and gray. Pelagic rockfish species can move hundreds of miles, most were Southeast waters along the edge of the continental shelf. out into the mouth. Fish released in this condition 80,000 look like bass and are commonly misnamed “black recaptured within 20 miles of the tagging site. Non- cannot re-submerge and will likely die. There may Southcentral pelagic species, on the other hand, have small home bass” or “sea bass.” Yelloweye rockfish are often be other less noticeable injuries to eyes, blood 70,000 misnamed “red snapper.” In fact, there are no true Life in the Slow Lane ranges, rarely venturing more than a few hundred vessels, and internal organs that can cause death basses (family Serranidae) or snappers (family Rockfish are among the longest-living vertebrates on yards from their favorite reef. For this reason, heavy long after the fish is released, even if it appears to 60,000 Lutjanidae) in Alaska. These fishes prefer warmer earth. Non-pelagic species generally live longer than fishing can reduce rockfish populations in localized swim away normally. In the photographs, the waters and lower latitudes. Lingcod, greenlings, and pelagic species (see table). Yelloweye rockfish, for areas. yelloweye, black, China, and silvergray rockfish all 50,000 sculpins (such as Irish lords) also are mistakenly example, reach ages over 100 years. Rougheye and show eye damage from pressure changes. labeled rockfish. shortraker rockfish occasionally exceed 150 years of 40,000 No Free Lunch When you consider their ease of capture, limited age. Many of the rockfish you catch today were 30,000 Rockfish are members of the family Scorpaenidae, or frolicking in kelp beds during the 1930s, and some Rockfish are an integral part of the food chain in the movements, late maturity, low annual productivity, “scorpion fishes,” named for their venomous fin were around when Alaska was purchased from North Pacific. They eat a variety of foods, including and low survival rate when released, it is easy to see

Harvest (no. fish) 20,000 spines. Although some scorpion fishes have Russia in 1867. plankton, adult and larval crabs, shrimp, and small why rockfish populations are vulnerable to extremely toxic venom, rockfish venom is mildly fishes such as sand lance, herring, and juvenile overfishing. 10,000 toxic and typically causes only pain or swelling. Most rockfishes do not start reproducing until they rockfish. In turn, rockfish are eaten by larger Rockfish venom sacs are located at the base of the are at least 5-7 years old, and some may not rockfish, lingcod, Pacific cod, sablefish, , 0 dorsal and anal fin spines and, in a few species, reproduce until they’re 15-20 years old. Unlike egg- chinook (king) salmon, sculpins, sharks, seabirds, Management Hurdles 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 other fins as well. Rockfish do not attack with their laying fishes, rockfishes mate and fertilize the eggs marine mammals, and humans. Rockfish are excellent table fare and have long been venom, but use it only for defense against predators. internally. The developing embryos receive harvested in commercial, recreational, and This brochure was written by Scott Meyer, Fishery Biologist, Division of Sport Fish, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Homer, Alaska. For more information contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish: Anchorage (907) 267-2218 Homer (907) 235-8191 http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/html/sf_home.html Angler’s This brochure was funded in part through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Guide to the

China rockfish Copper rockfish Sebastes nebulosus Tiger rockfish Silvergray rockfish Sebastes caurinus Sebastes nigrocinctus Sebastes brevispinis ROCKFISHES Published by: restrictions. Rockfish are caught unintentionally and Depending on the goals and species involved, 5 to • Salmon anglers often catch black and dusky 20 percent of rockfish habitat may have to be closed species of pelagic and non-pelagic (demersal and discarded in several fisheries for other species, so rockfish while bait fishing or trolling. If rockfish are slope) rockfish. You cannot use any part (except the Alaska Sea Grant College Program harvest statistics probably underestimate the total to fishing. The impacts to fishing fleets can be taken from less than 60 feet of water and the swim University of Alaska Fairbanks minimized if reserves are designed carefully and head and guts) of a sport-caught rockfish for bait in removals by fishing. Ultimately, control of rockfish bladder does not appear to be inflated, released fish Alaska. Consult the regulations for the area you P.O. Box 755040 of Alaska: with public involvement. removals may require restricting fisheries that target have a high likelihood of survival. intend to fish before you start your trip. Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-5040 other species. Tools such as marine reserves are Successful reserves trade short-term costs for long- • If you think you have a rockfish on the line and phone (888) 789-0090 BIOLOGY and FISHERY being considered to protect habitat and help ensure term benefits. Reserves have benefited a wide would rather not keep it, reel the fish in as slowly as fax (907) 474-6285 Read More About Rockfish http://www.uaf.edu/seagrant sustained harvest of rockfish. The success of rock- variety of fish and shellfish throughout the world. possible. This may reduce swim bladder inflation fish conservation and management requires the Rockfish reproduce slowly and it may take many Possibly the most comprehensive and entertaining MANAGEMENT cooperation of all resource users. and other decompression injuries and increase the years to realize benefits, but a few reserves have fish’s chances of survival after release. book on rockfish is The Rockfishes of the Northeast existed long enough to demonstrate effectiveness in Pacific, by Milton Love, Mary Yoklavich, and Lyman rebuilding or maintaining rockfish populations. • If the fish’s swim bladder is inflated or the Thorsteinson, 2002, University of California Press, Marine Reserves— Alaskans still have the opportunity to implement stomach is protruding from the mouth, don’t poke it Berkeley. reserves and other inventive management strategies An Effective Tool? with a needle or knife. The hole puts the fish at An excellent field guide entitled Guide to Northeast to prevent overfishing and maintain the abundance high risk for infection and delayed death, and it will Marine reserves are areas that are closed to all and diversity of rockfishes now enjoyed. Pacific Rockfishes, by Donald E. Kramer and Victoria likely die from other decompression injuries M. O’Connell, is available from Alaska Sea Grant in fishing. Fishery regulators and stakeholders are anyway. There is a method for decompressing swim implementing or considering reserves for managing Fairbanks (888-789-0090), http://www.uaf.edu/ bladders with a hollow needle, but it hasn’t been seagrant. rockfish and other fisheries throughout the eastern Changing the Way You Fish rigorously evaluated in rockfish and is best left to Pacific. Marine reserves may be effective when Many anglers are not interested in keeping rockfish, experts with the right equipment. It is better to keep The American Fisheries Society has published a employed along with conventional management or want to avoid wasting fish. Here are some the fish and try to minimize your catch. policy statement outlining issues and measures, especially when rockfish bycatch is high suggestions for minimizing your incidental catch of recommendations for management of Pacific in fisheries targeting other species. rockfish and increasing the chance of survival for • If you are targeting rockfish, focus your effort on rockfish. See http://www.fisheries.org/ pelagic species such as black and dusky rockfish. The short-term benefits of reserves include released fish: Public_Affairs/Policy_Statements/ These species are often more abundant and can pol_rockfish.htm. rebuilding overfished populations, protecting • When fishing in areas where rockfish are likely to sustain higher harvest rates than non-pelagic habitat, enhancing genetic and species diversity, and be caught, use a single circle hook. Single hooks species. Use a depth finder to look around rock eliminating bycatch. Protection of spawners will help limit your catch of non-pelagic rockfish, piles for schools of black or dusky rockfish, and guarantees some level of reproduction, and larvae and circle hooks are less likely to be deeply then fish with your bait 6-10 feet off the bottom. and juvenile fish may disperse from closed areas to swallowed. areas where fishing is open. In the longer term, Practice good conservation by avoiding excessive reserves can provide insurance against errors or • Avoid fishing in high relief, rocky areas, and avoid harvest of rockfish. Keep in mind that rockfish imprecision in and management, fishing steep slopes or the sides of rock piles spines make them relatively difficult to clean. They and allow scientists to separate the effects of fishing (halibut are generally found in nearby low-relief do not hold up for long periods in the freezer, so from the effects of environmental changes. areas). kill only what you can use immediately. Implementation of reserves is typically met with • If you get many small nibbles or catch a non- Alaska sport fishing regulation booklets have a color fierce opposition because of the loss of fishing area. pelagic rockfish, move to a different type of habitat. identification chart to distinguish the most common SG-ED-40