Black-and-yellow Rockfish, Sebastes chrysomelas

Black-and-yellow Rockfish, Sebastes chrysomelas, Juvenile. Fish caught from within Monterey Bay, Monterey, California, May 2022. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Black-and-yellow Rockfish, Sebastes chrysomelas, Juvenile. Fish caught from within Monterey Bay, Monterey, California, April 2022. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches) each. Catch, photographs, and identifications courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.

Black-and-yellow Rockfish, Sebastes chrysomelas. Fish caught from coastal waters off Santa Cruz, California, May 2016. Length: 30 cm (12 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Andrew Hansen, Santa Cruz, California.

Black-and-yellow Rockfish, Sebastes chrysomelas. Fish caught from within Monterey Bay, Monterey, California, August 2020. Length: 32 cm (13 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

The Black-and-yellow Rockfish, Sebastes chrysomelas, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as rocote mulato. Globally, there are one hundred eight species in the genus Sebastes, of which fifty-three are found in Mexican waters, all in the Pacific Ocean.

The Black-and-yellow Rockfish has a squat, heavy, compact, and fusiform body with a depth that is 34% to 38% of standard length. They are covered with spines. Adults are dark in color with yellowish markings on their back extending into the dorsal fin, along the sides including the posterior part of the lateral line, and on the anterior part of the lower jaw. Juveniles have gold or brown vertical bars over a clear, white or pale gold background and are very difficult to distinguish from other look-alike juvenile rockfish. Their head is mid-length with a short snout, large elevated eyes, and a small terminal mouth. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 6 or 7 rays; their caudal fin is rounded; their dorsal fin has 13 spines and 12 to 14 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 17 or 18 rays. They have 26 to 30 gill rakers. Their body is covered with scales.

The Black-and-yellow Rockfish is a demersal species that is found on the bottom as solitary and highly territorial individuals near shelter over rock structures or within kelp forests at depths up to 37 m (120 feet). They reach a maximum of 39 cm (15 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 0.57 kg (1 lb 4 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters within the Gulf of Alaska in August 2005. They are normally found mixed in with Blue Rockfish, Gopher Rockfish, Kelp Rockfish, and Olive Rockfish. They feed at night on benthic crabs, shrimp, and small fish. Reproduction is oviparous with each female releasing between 175,000 and 425,000 pelagic eggs. They have lifespans of up to thirty years. The Black-and-Yellow Rockfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Black-and-yellow Rockfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited distribution being found from Guerrero Negro, Baja California, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja.

The Black-and-yellow Rockfish is easily confused with the China Rockfish, Sebastes nebulosus (distinctive wide yellow stripe from front of spiny dorsal to caudal fin base) and the Gopher Rockfish, Sebastes carnatus (lighter colored in pink, flesh, or white).

From a conservation perspective the Black-and-yellow Rockfish has not been formally evaluated. They are considered an excellent food fish and have historically been an important commercial fish along the central and northwest coasts of North America commanding fairly high prices. They are currently an important component of the live fishery in central and northern California. They are caught fairly frequently by recreational anglers from shore, small boats, and cattle boats.