| Sebastes levis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Scorpaenidae |
| Genus: | Sebastes |
| Species: | S. levis |
| Binomial name | |
| Sebastes levis (C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1889) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
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Sebastes levis, the cowcod or cow rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Sebastes levis was first was first formally described in 1878 by the American ichthyologists Carl H. Eigenmann and Rosa Smith Eigenmann with the type locality given as the Cortes Bank off San Diego, California. [2] Some authorities classify this species in the subgenus Hispaniscus. The specific name levis means “light” or “mild”, the Eigenmanns did not explain this allusion, it may refer to the pink, occasionally, pale-orange color of adults i.e not red. Alternatively, as suggested by Jordan and Evermann in 1898, the name may mean “capricious or fantastic”, this suggestion was not explained but may refer to the rapid colour changes this species can perform. [3]
Sebastes levis has a deep and compressed body, the body’s depth is between a third and two fifths of its standard length. They have a large head, small eyes and a large mouth with a lower jaw which juts out. [4] The head is armed with many spines. [5] There are 13 to 14 spines and 12 to 13 soft rays in the dorsal fin and 3 spines and 6 or 7 soft rays in the anal fin. This species grows to a maximum fork length of 100 cm (39 in). [1] The membranes of the dorsal fin are deeply incised. [6] Adult cowcod vare variable in color and may be cream, pink, salmon, orange or gold. Some may have indistinct dark or red barring. The juveniles are marked with gold or brown bars on a background color of whitish or pale yellow. The juveniles are very similar to the barred juveniles of some other species of rockfish. [4]
Sebastes levis is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean where it occurs from Guerrero Negro in Baja California Sur [4] north to Usal, Mendocino County in central California. [1] Adults, with total lengths greater than 44 cm (17 in), are found on rocky substrates at depths of 90 to 300 m (300 to 980 ft) while the juveniles live in areas of fine sand and clay at depths between 40 and 100 m (130 and 330 ft). [7] It is a demersal fish and has also been found sheltering over rock structures, at the base of man-made structures and within kelp forests at depths as deep as 515 m (1,690 ft). [4]
Sebastes levis is an ambush predator in the deep waters over the continental shelf and upper slope, [7] their prey mainly consisting of benthic crabs, octopus, shrimp, and small fish. They are solitary and territorial as adults. [4] This species, as in other rockfishes, are long lived, living at least as long as 55 years, The females attain sexually maturity around 16 years old when they reach a length of 50 cm (20 in) whereas the males become mature at 14 years old when they have reached a length of 47.5 cm (18.7 in). The females produce eggs in their ovaries from November to May, the larger individuals are able to produce as many as 1,925,000 eggs in a season. The eggs are fertilised internally and small pelagic larvae are born which settle when they are 100days old and 5 cm (2.0 in) in length. [6]
Overfishing of cowcod in the 1970s and 1980s is estimated to have led to a steep decline in abundance to a low point of 9% of unfished biomass in 1989. [8] The stock was declared overfished in 2000 and retention of cowcod was prohibited from January 2001 until January 2011. From 2011 onward, a small quota was allocated to the trawl fishery but retention remained prohibited in all other sectors. The initial rebuilding plan estimated that the recovery would take decades, but a stock assessment conducted in 2019 estimated the stock had recovered to 57% of the unfished biomass and the stock was declared to have been rebuilt. [8] [9]
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife closed 4,300 square nautical miles off southern California to all bottomfishing as a cowcod conservation area, and prohibited all cowcod catch. [10]
The gopher rockfish, also known as the gopher sea perch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific, primarily off California.
The China rockfish, the yellowstripe rockfish or yellowspotted rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is native to the waters of the Pacific Ocean off western North America.
The canary rockfish, also known as the orange rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is native to the waters of the Pacific Ocean off western North America.
The shortraker rockfish is an offshore, demersal species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northern Pacific Ocean.
The widow rockfish, or brown bomber, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Sebastes miniatus, the vermilion rockfish, vermilion seaperch, red snapper, red rock cod, and rasher, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is native to the waters of the Pacific Ocean off western North America from Baja California to Alaska.
The yellowtail rockfish, or yellowtail seaperch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. This species lives mainly off the coast of western North America from California to Alaska.
Sebastes goodei, the chilipepper rockfish and chilipepper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. This species lives mainly off the coast of western North America from Baja California to Vancouver.
The starry rockfish, also known as the spotted corsair, spotted rockfish, chinafish, and red rock cod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The quillback rockfish, also known as the quillback seaperch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. This species primarily dwells in salt water reefs. The average adult weighs 2–7 pounds and may reach 1 m in length. Quillback rockfish are named for the sharp, venomous quills or spines on the dorsal fin. Their mottled orange-brown coloring allows them to blend in with rocky bottom reefs. The quillback rockfish eats mainly crustaceans, but will also eat herring. They are solitary and minimally migratory, but not territorial, and give birth to live young (viviparous). They are a popular sport fish, generally caught in cold water 41–60 m deep, but also to subtidal depths of 275 m.
The brown rockfish, whose other names include brown seaperch, chocolate bass, brown bass and brown bomber, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Sebastes aurora, the aurora rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Sebastes chlorostictus, the greenspotted rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the Eastern Pacific.
Sebastes diploproa,, the splitnose rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Sebastes elongatus, the greenstriped rockfish, striped rockfish, strawberry rockfish, poinsettas, reina or serena, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Sebastes rastrelliger, the grass rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is native to the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Sebastes serranoides, the olive rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the Eastern Pacific.
Sebastes melanostictus, the blackspotted rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northern Pacific Ocean.
Sebastes ciliatus, the dusky rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is typically found in the North Pacific Ocean, specifically in the Bering Sea near British Columbia, in the Gulf of Alaska, and in the depths of the Aleutian Islands.
The darkblotched rockfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rockfish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae of the scorpionfish family Scorpaenidae. This is a deepwater species of the North Pacific Ocean.
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