Blue rockfish

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Blue rockfish
Bluerockfish 300.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Sebastidae
Genus: Sebastes
Species:
S. mystinus
Binomial name
Sebastes mystinus

The blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus) or blue seaperch, is a species of rockfish of the northeastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from northern Baja California to central Oregon.[1]

Etymology[]

The species epithet mystinus derives from the Greek for "priest", referring to the overall dark color.

Description[]

Blue rockfish off Cannery Point, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Blue rockfish have a relatively smooth and oval appearance compared to other members of Sebastes, with very few head spines. Color is a bluish black to gray, with some darker mottling, including a pair of stripes angling down and back from the eye. The terminal mouths are small for rockfish. Length ranges up to 55 to 60 cm, and weights up to 3.8 kg.

Ecology[]

Blue rockfish seem to be adapted to diurnal hunting on small, transparent plankton.[2] Juveniles consume tiny crustacea such as copepods and barnacle larvae (in some cases having a significant effect on the population), while adults shift to larger types, such as free-swimming tunicates, jellyfish, gastropods, squids, young rockfish, and drifting plant fragments.

Distribution[]

Blue rockfish occur from northern Baja California to central Oregon. Previous records further north are due to confusion with the deacon rockfish (S. diaconus), which was described as a separate species genetically and scientifically in 2009 and 2015, respectively.[3][1]

While they have been caught at depths of over 500 m, most live near to the surface, down to 90 m.

Genetics[]

A potential PCR-RFLP genetic sex marker developed for gopher rockfish[4] does not successfully distinguish male and female blue rockfish.[5]

Fishing and management[]

Blue rockfish were once an important part of the California fishery; they were the most common rockfish marketed in San Francisco and San Diego during the 19th century, but have since declined in popularity. They continue to be of interest as game fish, and are among the most common types landed by boat anglers; in fact, there is evidence of overfishing in Monterey Bay and southern California.[citation needed]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Frable, B.W., Wagman, D.W., Frierson, T.N., Aguilar, A. & Sidlauskas, B.L. (2015). "A new species of Sebastes (Scorpaeniformes: Sebastidae) from the northeastern Pacific, with a redescription of the blue rockfish, S. mystinus (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881)". Fishery Bulletin. 113 (4): 355–377. doi:10.7755/fb.113.4.1.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  2. ^ Rasmuson, Leif K.; Blume, Matthew T.O.; Rankin, Polly S. (2021). "Habitat use and activity patterns of female Deacon Rockfish (Sebastes diaconus) at seasonal scales and in response to episodic hypoxia". Environmental Biology of Fishes. doi:10.1007/s10641-021-01092-w.
  3. ^ Burford, M.O. (2009). "Demographic history, geographical distribution and reproductive isolation of distinct lineages of blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus), a marine fish with a high dispersal potential". Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 22: 1472–1486. doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01760.x.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  4. ^ Fowler, Benjamin L.S.; Buonaccorsi, Vincent P. (2016). "Genomic characterization of sex‐identification markers in Sebastes carnatus and Sebastes chrysomelas rockfishes". Molecular Ecology. 25 (10): 2165–2175. doi:10.1111/mec.13594.
  5. ^ Vaux, Felix; Aycock, Hannah M.; Bohn, Sandra; Rasmuson, Leif K.; O'Malley, Kathleen G. (2020). "Sex identification PCR–RFLP assay tested in eight species of Sebastes rockfish". Conservation Genetics Resources. 12: 541–544. doi:10.1007/s12686-020-01150-y.

Further reading[]

  • Milton S. Love, Mary Yoklavich, Lyman K. Thorsteinson, (2002), The Rockfishes of the Northeast Pacific, University of California Press, pp. 215–218
  • Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2006). "Sebastes mystinus" in FishBase. February 2006 version.
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