Gopher Rockfish

The gopher rockfish is a deep, stout bodied fish with a steep dorsal profile. The body is as deep as 34% to 38% of its standard length. They have many spines on the head and body. The overall color is dark brown, black, and greenish fading to reddish brown on the belly. There is a row of flesh-colored or whitish spotting and blotches on their back reaching up to and onto the dorsal fin and irregular pale patches on their flanks. There is a dark stripe running rearwards from the eye and another on the upper jaw. The head is of average length for this genus and has a short snout with a small terminal mouth and large eyes which bulge over the dorsal profile of the head. The caudal fin is truncate. The dorsal fin has 13 spines and 12 to 14 rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 5 to 7 soft rays. This species grows to a maximum total length of 43 cm (17 in) and 2.83 kg (6.2 lb).

Gopher rockfish are found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean off the Western coast of North America. They are known from as far north as Cape Blanco in Oregon, down to Ensenada in southern Baja California. They are commonest between Northern Baja California and Northern California. It is a demersal species that is encountered as solitary and highly territorial individuals with nearby shelters on rock structures or within kelp forests at depths from 12 to 50 m (39 to 164 ft).

The gopher rockfish is a territorial species which defends a home territory on the seabed excluding other rockfish. It is a nocturnal fish, spending the day sheltering in cavities and crevices. They leave their shelter at dusk to forage. The juveniles feed on planktonic crustaceans while the adults prey on cephalopods, gastropods, brittle stars, crabs (notably the Cancrinae family), shrimp and polychaete worms. They also eat smaller fish such as juvenile rockfish, particularly blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus), sculpins, juvenile surfperch, kelpfishes, and plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus).

Like other rockfish, it is a viviparous species. spawning happens from January through July, and they give birth to live young after gestation. Compared to other rockfish, gophers mature quicker, at 3-4 years of age, but the rate of maturity depends on the region. Males mature and grow faster than females. They are known to live for up to 30 years, possibly to 35, but it is rare for the fish to be older than 20.