Juvenile rockfish ID guide for central CA kelp forests
Deep body
Dorsal spot
Clear lateral line
Canary
Elongate body
No spot
Weak dorsal spot
Red body, clear caudal
Vermilion
Dorsal
saddles
No dorsal
saddles
No spot
Elongate lower
jaw
Bocaccio
Dark triangle
Stripetail
Brown bars on light body
(KGBC group)
'Y' on 4th bar
Kelp
Clear lateral line
Copper
No 'Y', no clearing, but big enough
to have these markings
Gopher, Black & Yellow
Faint white
saddles, body
mostly brown
Black
Red rimmed
eyes
Bright white saddles,
yellow fins, mottled
light body
Olive or
Yellowtail (OYT)
Grass or Brown
Vermiculated
red body
Blue
Dark diamond
Halfbanded
Dark body ‘Y’
Calico
Unidentified YOY
Young of the year fish caught in SMURFs over the years
Species
Code
Frequency
SATR
GBY
SCAR
SCAU
11334
1028
1363
76
74
13875
28.45
2.58
3.42
0.19
0.19
34.83
OYT
SMEL
SFLA
SSER
7295
3208
1281
385
58
12227
18.31
8.05
3.22
0.97
0.15
30.7
SDIP
RYOY
SMAR
LIPA
SSAX
COTT
GIBB
SGIL
SPAU
4466
2882
2303
902
527
445
317
287
220
11.21
7.23
5.78
2.26
1.32
1.12
0.8
0.72
0.55
KGB (Pteropodus)
Kelp Rockfish
B&Y, Gopher
Gopher Rockfish
Copper Rockfish
TOTAL
OYB (Sebastosomus)
Olive Or Yellowtail Rockfish
Black Rockfish
Yellowtail Rockfish
Olive Rockfish
TOTAL
Spitnose Rockfish
Unidentified rockfish
Cabezon
Snailfish
Stripetail Rockfish
Sculpins
Kelpfish
Manacled Sculpin
Bocaccio
Percent
Juvenile rockfish ID guide for central CA kelp forests
Deep body YOY
Dorsal spot
No dorsal spot
Clearing on lateral line
Copper (SCAU)
'Y' on 4th bar
Kelp (SATR)
No ' Y ' , no clearing, but big
enough to have these markings
Gopher, Black & Yellow
(GBY)
Gopher
Black & Yellow
Juvenile rockfish ID guide for central CA kelp forests
Elongate body
Dorsal spot
No spot
Elongate lower jaw,
brown body spots
Bocaccio (SPAU)
Faint white dorsal saddles, mostly a
solid brown body
Black (SMEL)
Bright white dorsal saddles, yellow fins
Olive or Yellowtail (OYT)
Dorsal saddles-no white, clear to black
fins, faint dorsal spot
Widow (SENT)
Dark triangle
under second
dorsal fin
Stripetail
(SSAX)
Young of the year fish caught in SMURFs over the years
Species
Code
Frequency
SATR
GBY
SCAR
SCAU
11334
1028
1363
76
74
13875
28.45
2.58
3.42
0.19
0.19
34.83
OYT
SMEL
SFLA
SSER
7295
3208
1281
385
58
12227
18.31
8.05
3.22
0.97
0.15
30.7
SDIP
RYOY
SMAR
LIPA
SSAX
COTT
GIBB
SGIL
SPAU
4466
2882
2303
902
527
445
317
287
220
11.21
7.23
5.78
2.26
1.32
1.12
0.8
0.72
0.55
KGB (Pteropodus)
Kelp Rockfish
B&Y, Gopher
Gopher Rockfish
Copper Rockfish
TOTAL
OYB (Sebastosomus)
Olive Or Yellowtail Rockfish
Black Rockfish
Yellowtail Rockfish
Olive Rockfish
TOTAL
Spitnose Rockfish
Unidentified rockfish
Cabezon
Snailfish
Stripetail Rockfish
Sculpins
Kelpfish
Manacled Sculpin
Bocaccio
Percent
Splitnose rockfish – Sebastes
diploproa - SDIP
1. No dorsal spot, deep bodied
2. Bronze body coloration
3. Light fin pigmentation, dorsal with
horizontal stripe.
4. Middle saddle shaped like a
horseshoe pointing down.
Widow rockfish – Sebastes entomelas - SENT
1. Strong saddling
2. No dorsal white areas
3. Elongate fish
4. Clear to black fins (no yellow or orange)
5. Weak dorsal spot
Cabezon – Scorpaenichthys marmoratus - SMAR
• blunt head
• dorsal spots
• cute
Stripetail rockfish – Sebastes saxicola - SSAX
1. Saddling pattern of inverted triangle and vent bar
2. Bar in caudal fin
3. Light color with brown mottling and saddling
4. Stout body
Shortbelly rockfish – Sebastes jordani
1.
2.
3.
4.
Silvery
Elongate body, no dorsal spot
Faint body bars
Short belly – vent close to pelvic fins
Chilipepper rockfish – Sebastes goodei
1. Forward pointing body saddles
2. Silvery fish near edge of kelp bed
3. Fins can sometimes be orange at larger sizes
4. Turns mottled orange/brown with age
ADULT FISH PHOTO ID
Kelp Rockfish – Sebastes atrovirens - SATR
Blue Rockfish – Sebastes mystinus- SMYS
Photos: CCFRP
Black Rockfish – Sebastes melanops - SMEL
Photos: CCFRP
Olive/Yellowtail Rockfish – Sebastes serranoides/flavidus - OYT
Photos: CCFRP
Gopher Rockfish – Sebastes carnatus - SCAR
Photos: CCFRP
Black and Yellow Rockfish – Sebastes chrysomelas - SCHR
Photos: CCFRP
Copper Rockfish – Sebastes caurinus- SCHR
Photos: CCFRP
VermilionRockfish – Sebastes miniatus - SMIN
Photos: CCFRP
Cabezon – Scorpaenichthys marmoratus - SMAR
Photos: CCFRP
Lingcod– Ophiodon elongatus - OELO
Photos: CCFRP
Kelp Greenling
Hexagrammos decagrammus
HDEC
Male
Female
Photos: CCFRP