# Copper rockfish > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Copper_rockfish > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Copper_rockfish.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_rockfish > Source revision: 1354928078 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | image = Sebastes caurinus 1.jpg | image_caption = | status = NT | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Cope, J.M. |author2=Love, M. |year=2024 |title=''Sebastes caurinus'' |volume=2024 |article-number=e.T158882810A158883863 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T158882810A158883863.en |access-date=17 March 2025}} | taxon = Sebastes caurinus | authority = [J. Richardson](/source/John_Richardson_(naturalist)), 1844 | synonyms = * ''Sebastodes caurinus'' (Richardson, 1844) * Sebastes vexillaris | synonyms_ref = {{FishBase|Sebastes|caurinus|month=June|year=2021}} }} thumb|Copper rockfish swimming The '''copper rockfish''' ('''''Sebastes caurinus'''''), also known as the '''copper seaperch''', '''chucklehead''', or '''white belly rockfish''', is a [species](/source/species) of marine [ray-finned fish](/source/ray-finned_fish) belonging to the subfamily [Sebastinae](/source/Sebastinae), the rockfishes, part of the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Scorpaenidae](/source/Scorpaenidae). It is found in the eastern [Pacific](/source/Pacific_Ocean). ==Taxonomy and etymology== The copper rockfish was originally [described](/source/Species_description) in 1844 by the [Scottish](/source/Scottish_people) [naval surgeon](/source/naval_surgeon), [naturalist](/source/naturalist) and [Arctic explorer](/source/Arctic_explorer) John Richardson with the [type locality](/source/Type_(biology)) given as the [Sitka, Alaska](/source/Sitka%2C_Alaska).{{Cof genus | genus = Sebastes | access-date = 5 November 2021}} Some authorities place this species in the [subgenus](/source/subgenus) ''Pteropodus''. The [specific name](/source/Specific_name_(zoology)) ''caurinus'' means "northwestern", an allusion to the type locality in Alaska.{{cite web | url = https://etyfish.org/perciformes8/ | title = Order Perciformes (Part 8): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Families Sebastidae, Setarchidae and Neosebastidae | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | editor1= Christopher Scharpf | editor2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp |date = 22 May 2021 | access-date = 5 November 2021 | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara}} ==Distribution and habitat== The copper rockfish is a relatively common rockfish of the Pacific coast. It is very widespread in its distribution, known from the very northern reaches of the [Gulf of Alaska](/source/Gulf_of_Alaska), to the [Pacific](/source/Pacific) side of the [Baja California peninsula](/source/Baja_California_peninsula), north of [Guerrero Negro](/source/Guerrero_Negro). The copper rockfish is also very widely distributed in depth, from the [subtidal](/source/subtidal) shallows of about {{convert|10|to|183|m|ft}}. It is a [demersal fish](/source/demersal_fish) which occurs in rocky areas with high relief.{{cite web | url = https://mexican-fish.com/copper-rockfish/ | title = Copper rockfish | access-date = 5 November 2021 | publisher = Mexican Fish}} ==Description== Copper rockfish are known to be highly variable in coloration, ranging from a dark reddish brown, with pale copper blotching along the sides, to a lighter pinkish brown with a yellowish white mottling on the flanks. At one time it was thought that these variations were two different fish: ''Sebastes caurinus'' and ''Sebastes vexillaris'' - this is due to the northern and southern populations having different coloration (northern individuals having brown or olive coloration while southern individuals are closer to dull yellow or olive-pink).{{cite journal|last1=Buonaccorsi|first1=Vincent|last2=Kimbrell|first2=Carol|last3=Lynn|first3=Eric|last4=Vetter|first4=Russel|title=Population structure of copper rockfish (Sebastes caurinus) reflects postglacial colonization and contemporary patterns of larval dispersal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237175444|year=2011|journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences|volume =59|issue =8|pages =1374–1384|doi=10.1139/f02-101}} It is now known however that it is simply one species. Copper rockfish are known to create and communicate with sound produced using the [swimbladder](/source/swimbladder) and associated muscles; these sounds are used for agonistic behaviors, including territory defense.{{cite web|last1=Stein|first1=David|last2=Hassler|first2=Thomas|title=Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Pacific Southwest)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hp8Nbqe3CKwC&pg=PR3|website=Google Books|year=1989|publisher=Coastal Ecology Group, Waterways Experiment Station, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers|access-date=24 February 2021}} Copper rockfish can attain a maximum size of {{convert|66|cm|in}} [TL](/source/fish_measurement) and a weight of {{convert|4.5|kg|lb}}. ==Biology and ecology== Copper rockfish males are known to mature between three and seven years, while females mature between four and eight years. Generally the larger a female is, the more young she will bear. Copper Rockfish are a [ovoviviparous](/source/Ovoviviparity) fish, giving birth to live young after a gestation period of around 10 months. Like other rockfish, they are a long-lived fish, reaching ages of over forty years old with the oldest known individual being 55 years old. Juveniles are almost exclusively found in [kelp beds](/source/Kelp_forest) and shallow rocky areas. They begin life feeding primarily on [planktonic](/source/Plankton) crustaceans. As they grow, they continue to feed on increasingly larger [crustaceans](/source/Crustacean) such as shrimp and crabs, as well as [cephalopods](/source/Cephalopod) like squid and octopus. Smaller fish also make up a large part of their diet. Copper rockfish are preyed on by [lingcod](/source/lingcod), [cabezon](/source/Cabezon_(fish)), and even [Pacific salmon](/source/Oncorhynchus). Sea birds and marine mammals, especially [pinnipeds](/source/Pinniped) are also known to feed on the fish. Copper Rockfish are known for the table quality of their flesh and their willingness as a [sportfish](/source/sportfish). The adult copper rockfishes are found close to the bottom, often touching it. They are almost always associated in and around rocks, and rarely on sand. This rockfish is known to be very faithful to its chosen home and numerous tagging studies have shown that these rockfish travel no more than a mile from their chosen location or home range. In combination with habitat patchiness and limited larva dispersal distance, this behavior means separate populations genetics differ significantly from each other.{{cite journal|last1=Johansson|first1=Mattias|last2=Banks|first2=Michael|last3=Glunt|first3=Katey|last4=Hassel-Finnegan|first4=Heather|last5=Buonaccorsi|first5=V|year=2008|title=Influence of habitat discontinuity, geographical distance, and oceanography on fine-scale population genetic structure of copper rockfish (Sebastes caurinus)|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51399076|journal=Molecular Ecology|volume=17|issue=13|pages=3051–3061|doi=10.1111/j.1365-294X.2008.03814.x|pmid=18522692|s2cid=41329568}} Copper rockfish have also been recorded [hybridizing](/source/Hybrid_(biology)) with [quillback rockfish](/source/quillback_rockfish) (''S. maliger'') and [brown rockfish](/source/brown_rockfish) (''S. auriculatus'') in the [Puget sound](/source/Puget_Sound). [[File:Drawn comparison between the Copper Rockfish (Sebastes caurinus) and the Gopher Rockfish (Sebastes carnatus).jpg|thumb|245x245px|Comparison between the Copper Rockfish and the [Gopher Rockfish](/source/Gopher_rockfish) (''Sebastes carnatus'')]] ==Fisheries and conservation== The copper rockfish is an important component in commercial fisheries in western Mexico, caught using hook and line. It is fished for by recreational anglers in California{{cite web | url = https://www.pierfishing.com/copper-rockfish/ | title = Copper Rockfish | access-date = 5 November 2021 | publisher = California Pier Fishing}} but in [Washington](/source/Washington_(state)) the copper rockfish has been classified as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) under that State's Wildlife Action Plan and as a "Priority Species" under Department of Fish and Wildlife's "Priority Habitat and Species Program" and the recreational fishery in [Puget Sound](/source/Puget_Sound) has been closed.{{cite web | url = https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/sebastes-caurinus#conservation | title = Copper rockfish (''Sebastes caurinus'') | access-date = 5 November 2021 | publisher = Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife}} ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Commons category-inline|Sebastes caurinus}} {{Sebastidae}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q1983503}} {{Authority control}} Category:Sebastes Category:Taxa named by John Richardson (naturalist) Category:Western North American coastal fauna Category:Fish described in 1844 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Copper rockfish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_rockfish) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_rockfish?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.