Honeycomb Rockfish
Sebastes umbrosus

Physical Description 

• • Light orange, red, or brown body, overlaid with fine, blackish dots around margins of scales. Coloring gives body a honeycomb appearance
  • 3 to 5 clear whitish blotches on back and orange fins
  • Compact, squat body shape, covered in spines
  • Longest Honeycomb rockfish recorded was 10.6 inches

Range 

• • Found from Point Pinos, Monterey County, Central California, to Southern Baja California

Habitat

• • Found in water of depths 100-400 feet
  • Live on or near the bottom

Reproduction

• • Unlike many other fish that lay eggs, rockfish release live young

Diet

• • Rockfish prey depends on species, and little is known about the honeycomb rockfish diet
  • Rockfish prey often includes Pacific herring, crabs, shrimp, surfperch, greenlings, and amphipods

Predators 

• • Adult rockfish are eaten by larger rockfish, lingcod, sharks, salmon, dolphin, seals and sea lions, seabirds, and river otters
  • Juvenile and larval rockfish are eaten by siphonophores, chaetognaths, other rockfish, lingcod, cabezon, salmon, marine birds, and porpoises

Interesting Facts 

• • They are unafraid of humans and can be closely approached with slow, nonthreatening movements.
  • They release live young rather than laying eggs like many other fish.

Sources: Eschmeyer et al. 1983; fishbase.in; NOAA NMFS; Biology and Ecology of Venomous Marine Scorpionfishes; Encyclopedia of Puget Sound; Mexican-fish.com; Wourms 1991

Photo:Kevin Lee