Brown rockfish – Sebastes auriculatus. Other common names for this fish: chocolate bass, brown bass, bolina, and brown bomber.

Identifying Characteristics and Biology

  • The brown rockfish have deep bodies with different mottled shades of brown covering them.
  • The bellies and the base of the pectoral fins are typically pinkish in color.
  • There is a characteristic dark brown spot on their gill covers that other rockfish of the same coloring don’t have, and sometimes fades away as they age.
  • They can reach about 22 inches in length and can live to over 30 years in age.
  • Males and females both mature from 3 to 10 years of age.

 

Range and Habitat

  • They like the shallow sea bottoms, preferring structures to hang out at like sandy rock formations or oil platforms.
  • They cover a wide area ranging from southern Baja all the way to southeast Alaska.
  • Brown rockfish feed on other small fish, crustaceans, and invertebrates.

Market Forms

  • The brown rockfish are popular to the recreational fishery.