Yellowtail Rockfish

At a glance

Yellowtail Rockfish (Sebastes flavidus) is a bony-fish species regulated in 5 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.

The strictest bag limit is 1 (Alaska); the most generous is 10 (Alaska).

Confirmed by 613 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with British Columbia, California, and Alaska the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• Yellowtail rockfish can live up to 64 years, one of the longer lifespans among rockfish.
• Unlike many bottom-hugging rockfish, they form large schools in the midwater column.
• Their yellowish fins and tail give the species its common name.
• Adults can reach 26 inches in length.
• They range from Alaska to Baja California and are common throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Where Yellowtail Rockfish are seen

• British Columbia360 iNat obs
• California122 iNat obs
• Alaska84 iNat obs
• Washington26 iNat obs
• Oregon21 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Yellowtail Rockfish

• AlaskaUnited States · official source
• British ColumbiaCanada · official source
• CaliforniaUnited States · official source
• OregonUnited States · official source
• WashingtonUnited States · official source

Background

Sebastes flavidus, the yellow tail rockfish, is a type of rockfish (Sebastidae) that lives mainly off the coast of western North America from California to Alaska. This fish is also commonly called yellowtail rockfish or yellowtail seaperch.

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

Other bony fish on CatchRules

• Rainbow TroutOncorhynchus mykiss
• Western MosquitofishGambusia affinis
• PumpkinseedLepomis gibbosus
• Smallmouth BassMicropterus dolomieu