Spinyeye Rockfish, Sebastes spinorbis
Spinyeye Rockfish, Sebastes spinorbis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Loreto, Baja California Sur, April 2015. Length: 15.2 cm (6.0 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California. Identification courtesy of Milton Love, University of California, Goleta, California.
Spinyeye Rockfish, Sebastes spinorbis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Bahía de los Ángeles, Baja California, July 2023. Length: 34 cm (13 inches). Weight: 568 g (1 lb 4 oz). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.
The Spinyeye Rockfish, Sebastes spinorbis, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as rocote ojo espinoso. 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 Spinyeye Rockfish has a robust oblong-shaped narrow body with a depth that is 34% to 38% of standard length. They are pink-red in color with orange overtones. They have 6 large whitish blotches on their upper sides; some have green blotches or wavy vermiculations above their lateral line and on their gill cover. Their head is large, compressed, and bluntly pointed. They have large eyes, 5 pairs of spines over their eyes, and spines on and under the lower edge of their eyes. Their anal fin has 3 long stout spines, the second being the longest, and 5 or 6 rays; their caudal fin is slightly concave; their dorsal fin has 13 strong spines, with the fourth being the longest, and 13 rays; and their large pectoral fins have 15 or 16 rays. They have 29 to 33 gill rakers. Their body is covered with small rough scales.
The Spinyeye Rockfish is found within rocky outcrops at depths between 130 m (430 feet) and 200 m (660 feet). They reach a maximum of 34 cm (13 inches) in length. They are non-migratory sedentary bottom dwellers that reside in the same area throughout their life. They have a lifespan of at least forty-five years. The Spinyeye 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 Spinyeye Rockfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with a known range that is limited to Bahia de Los Angeles, Baja California. The fish pictured above caught by Chris Wheaton, documents a significant southerly range extension into the lower Sea of Cortez. Chris also reports catching another one off the Golden Reef, twenty-two miles east of Puertecitos, Baja California, extending the range northward.
The Spinyeye Rockfish is virtually identical to Buccaneer or Gulf Rockfish, Sebastes exsul (31 – 37 gill rakers, reduced spines around the eye) and some scientific individuals believe that they are one and the same species.
From a conservation perspective the Spinyeye Rockfish as not been formally evaluated. They are caught on rare occasions as a by-catch by deep water bottom commercial fishermen. They are exceedingly rare and of limited interest to most.