Rockfish

Rockcod, Snapper, Pacific red snapper, Channel rockfish

Tai

More than 70 species of rockfish live off the Canada/US Pacific Coast. Most rockfish are slow growing, extremely long lived, deep-water fish.  They have a late age of maturity and many are caught before they have reproduced. These traits make them very vulnerable to overfishing.  Not surprisingly, decades of heavy fishing has depleted most rockfish populations.  Bottom trawling, the most widely-used method for catching rockfish, damages seafloor habitats and has high levels of bycatch.  Rockfish is also commonly caught in bottom longline fisheries, some of these fisheries (Alaska) are a SeaChoice yellow option and others are improving but have not been re-assessed.  Traceability of hook and line caught rockfish from Alaska remains highly questionable, and until this bycatch is traceable into the market, all rockfish species should be avoided.

Rockfish is very commonly labelled as Snapper or Pacific Snapper in the Canadian market.

Most rockfish are slow growing and late maturing species with some species not reaching maturity until 20 years of age. In addition, many species exhibit natural behaviors and other characteristics that increase their vulnerability to fishing. The range of most species is limited, and many are unique to specific areas along the entire west coast.

Of the 70 species of rockfish found off the Pacific Coast of the US and Canada, less than one third have been assessed. The stock status of the majority of rockfish species is therefore unknown and even the stock status of most of those that have been assessed is uncertain and ranks as a moderate conservation concern.

The US and Canadian Pacific groundfish fisheries experience a large amount of incidental catch for three reasons: 1) the multispecies nature of the fishery; 2) management measures implemented for a year-round fishery; and 3) almost 100% mortality of captured rockfish. There are varying degrees if success with different fishing methods that reduce bycatch, but generally, the nature of bycatch is a moderate conservation concern.

Bottom trawling is the most commonly used method of fishing many rockfish species. These sensitive bottom habitats are very susceptible to the destructive nature of this bottom trawling gear. Damage to the marine habitat has been shown to reduce the diversity and abundance of associated species including commercially valuable fishes.

Rockfish fisheries are addressed under various management initiatives, however serious concerns remain over the status of many stocks and the lack of recent assessments for many of them. Rockfish management varies by specific region, but is generally deemed as only moderately effective.

Contaminant levels do not warrant a consumption advisory.

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