Black rockfish (Sebastes melanops) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, rocky, at depths of 0–366 m.
Scientific name: Sebastes melanops · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 63 cm
Weight: up to 4.8 kg
The black rockfish (Sebastes melanops) is a fusiform, mottled grey-and-black rockfish with a dark blotch at the rear of the spiny dorsal fin that fades with age and dark stripes running back from the eye over the operculum. It ranges from Amchitka Island in the Aleutians, Alaska, to Santa Monica Bay, California, living from the surface to about 366 m over rocky reef and kelp, where adults often gather in schools just above the bottom or at the surface. It is one of the most popular sport fish on the US West Coast and supports stable fisheries in south-eastern Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California. Boat anglers take it on bottom rigs with squid or fish strips and on jigs, while soft plastics and leadheads work from jetties and breakwaters; the species matures at 6–8 years and can live to 49, so catches are best kept moderate.
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