Honeycomb Rockfish
Sebastes umbrosus

Physical Description 

• Light orange, red, or brown body, overlaid with fine, blackish dots around margins of scales. Coloring gives body a honeycomb appearance.
• 3 to 5 clear whitish blotches on back and orange fins.
• Compact, squat body shape, covered in spines.
• Longest Honeycomb rockfish recorded was 10.6 inches.

Range 

• Found from Point Pinos, Monterey County, Central California, to Southern Baja California.

Habitat

• Found in water of depths 100-400 feet.
• Live on or near the bottom.

Reproduction

• Unlike many other fish that lay eggs, rockfish release live young.

Diet

• Rockfish prey depends on species, and little is known about the honeycomb rockfish diet.
• Rockfish prey often includes Pacific herring, crabs, shrimp, surfperch, greenlings, and amphipods.

Predators 

• Adult rockfish are eaten by larger rockfish, lingcod, sharks, salmon, dolphins, seals and sea lions, seabirds, and river otters.
• Juvenile and larval rockfish are eaten by siphonophores, chaetognaths, other rockfish, lingcod, cabezon, salmon, marine birds, and porpoises.

Interesting Facts 

• They are unafraid of humans and can be closely approached with slow, nonthreatening movements.
• They release live young rather than laying eggs like many other fish.

 

Sources: Eschmeyer et al. 1983; fishbase.in; NOAA NMFS; Biology and Ecology of Venomous Marine Scorpionfishes; Encyclopedia of Puget Sound; Mexican-fish.com; Wourms 1991

Photo:Kevin Lee