About Sebastes carnatus (Jordan & Gilbert, 1880)
The gopher rockfish, Sebastes carnatus, is a deep, stout-bodied fish with a steep dorsal profile. Its body depth measures 34% to 38% of its standard length. There are many spines present on both its head and body. The overall body color is dark brown, black, or greenish, fading to reddish brown on the belly. A row of flesh-colored or whitish spots and blotches runs along the fish's back, extending onto the dorsal fin, and irregular pale patches appear on its flanks. One dark stripe runs rearward from the eye, and a second dark stripe runs along the upper jaw. The head is average-sized for its genus, with a short snout, a small terminal mouth, and large eyes that bulge above the head's dorsal profile. The caudal fin is truncate. The dorsal fin contains 13 spines and 12 to 14 rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 5 to 7 soft rays. This species reaches a maximum total length of 43 cm (17 in) and a maximum weight of 2.83 kg (6.2 lb). Gopher rockfish occur in the northeastern Pacific Ocean along the western coast of North America, ranging from as far north as Cape Blanco, Oregon, south to Ensenada in southern Baja California. They are most common between northern Baja California and northern California. This is a demersal species, found as solitary, highly territorial individuals that stay close to shelters on rock structures or within kelp forests, at depths between 12 and 50 m (39 to 164 ft).
