Canadian Marine Life Encyclopedia
Canary Rockfish
Sebastes pinniger
Also known as
Red snapper, fantail, canary, orange rockfish, rock cod
Distribution
Northeast Pacific from the Gulf of Alaska, USA to Baja California, Mexico
Ecosystem/Habitat
Rocky bottoms with complex structures
Feeding Habits
Active predator
Conservation Status
Threatened
Taxonomy
Order Scorpaeniformes (scorpionfishes & flatheads); Family Sebastidae (rockfishes)
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Facebook Twitter Pinterest Google+Canary rockfish are one of the top three most commonly harvested rockfish, caught in both commercial and sport fisheries. They have been harvested for decades, which has unfortunately greatly reduced their population size across the coast of British Columbia. They are also at risk from fishing pressures due to high levels of post-release mortality, dying after being caught and released by fishers, from both recreational fisheries and as incidental catch in commercial fisheries. This is due to “barotrauma,” a phenomenon in which the eyes and other organs of deepwater fishes greatly expand and can erupt, caused by the sudden change in pressure as they are brought from high pressure, deepwater habitats, to low-pressures at the surface of the ocean.