Research Document - 2001/148
Preliminary status report on bocaccio (Sebastes paucispinis)
By R.D. Stanley, K. Rutherford and N. Olsen
Abstract
Bocaccio is one of over 35 species of rockfish found in marine waters of British Columbia (BC). It is distinguished from other rockfish (Sebastes spp.) by its large jaw and size. It ranges in colour from olive orange to burnt orange or brown on the back becoming pink to red on the underside. Other common names for bocaccio include rock salmon, salmon rockfish, Pacific red snapper, Pacific snapper, and Oregon snapper. Bocaccio are found in coastal waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. Most BC catches come from the outer Pacific coast near the edge of the continental shelf, with the largest catches coming from the northwest end of Vancouver Island and Queen Charlotte Sound. They are occasionally reported from some inlets and the Strait of Georgia.
In California, larval bocaccio have been caught up to 480 km from the coast. Young of the year reside near the surface for a few months then settle in nearshore areas where they form schools and are found over bottom depths of 30-120 m. Adult bocaccio can be semi-pelagic and are found over a variety of bottom types, between bottom depths of 60-200 m. In BC they are caught with several other groundfish species including Pacific ocean perch, yellowtail rockfish, and canary rockfish.
Bocaccio are live-bearers like all members of their genus. Fecundity ranges from 20,000-2,300,000 eggs and increases with the size of the female. Copulation occurs in early fall, young are released in the winter. Settlement to the littoral and demersal habitat extends from late spring through the summer. Bocaccio are thought to mature at 4 to 5 years of age and can reach a weight of almost 7 kg and a length of over 90 cm. Females tend to be larger than males. Maximum age is unknown but radiometric dating of the ear-bones has indicated a maximum of 40 years.
Juvenile bocaccio feed on larvae, euphausiids, young rockfish, surfperch, mackerel and various small inshore fishes. Adult bocaccio prey on other rockfish, sablefish, anchovies, lanternfish and squids. Bocaccio are host to a number of parasites including a myxosporean that occurs in the muscle tissue and has given bocaccio a market reputation for "worminess". Bocaccio may also be the only host for one species of tapeworm.
The abundance of bocaccio is unknown in BC waters. Its low commercial importance has resulted in no directed research, and the low catches of bocaccio in the fisheries limit the utility of fishery-dependent data for tracking abundance. Catches do indicate that the population is present in all coastal waters at the edge of the continental shelf. The distribution in inshore waters is unknown, however, bocaccio continue to be reported from several inlets as well as the Strait of Georgia. The abundance trend is unknown for the outer north coast where bocaccio have never been caught in large numbers, but appears stable for the central coast. It has possibly declined off the west coast of Vancouver Island over the last two decades but it appears stable over the last five years.
Current commercial catches of bocaccio in BC are low. Sport and First Nations catches are probably negligible. The commercial harvests in the Strait of Georgia are also negligible, if not zero. The population of bocaccio in BC is probably continuous with populations in Washington State. Therefore, harvests in waters off Washington likely have an impact on the regional population of bocaccio in BC. However, U.S. landings are now negligible due to restrictive trip limits.
There are no means for ascertaining the impact of the two parasites on bocaccio abundance and distribution over time. Nor is there information on how other types of environmental change may influence bocaccio populations. We know of no special economic, cultural or ecosystem significance of bocaccio. It may be the unique host for the adult phase of one species of tapeworm, however, the presence of this tapeworm in BC waters has not yet been documented. We are not aware of any special cultural or legal status afforded to this species in Canadian waters.
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