Sablefish

At a glance

Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) is a bony-fish species regulated in 6 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.

The strictest bag limit is 4 (British Columbia); the most generous is 20 (California).

Confirmed by 67 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Alaska, California, and British Columbia the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• Despite being called black cod, sablefish are not related to true cod.
• Among the most omega-3-rich fish in the ocean, prized for their buttery texture.
• Can live over 90 years and have been caught at depths of nearly 9,000 feet.
• Adults can reach 3 feet long and weigh up to 50 pounds.
• Juveniles drift near the ocean surface before descending to deep water as adults.

Where Sablefish are seen

• Alaska30 iNat obs
• California19 iNat obs
• British Columbia11 iNat obs
• Washington4 iNat obs
• Oregon3 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Sablefish

• British ColumbiaCanada · official source
• CaliforniaUnited States · official source
• Federal Waters (DFO)Canada · official source
• OregonUnited States · official source

Background

The sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) is one of two members of the fish family Anoplopomatidae and the only species in the Anoplopoma genus. In English, common names for it include sable (USA), butterfish (USA), black cod (USA, UK, Canada), blue cod (UK), bluefish (UK), candlefish (UK), coal cod (UK), coalfish (Canada), beshow, and skil(fish) (Canada), although many of these names also refer to…

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Sablefish article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.

Other bony fish on CatchRules

• Rainbow TroutOncorhynchus mykiss
• PumpkinseedLepomis gibbosus
• Northern PikeEsox lucius
• Redbreast SunfishLepomis auritus