MESA: Other Slope Rockfish
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Silvergray rockfish. (Photo from www.fishbase.org). |
Fifteen species comprise the “other slope rockfish” management category in the Gulf of Alaska. The five most abundant species are: sharpchin rockfish (Sebastes zacentrus), redstripe rockfish (S. proriger), harlequin rockfish (S. variegatus), silvergray rockfish (S. brevispinis), and redbanded rockfish (S. babcocki). The other species are at the northern edge of their ranges in Alaska and are generally uncommon in this region. Within the Gulf of Alaska, “other slope rockfish” are most abundant in the eastern Gulf of Alaska and become increasingly scarce in areas farther west. In general, biological information on these fishes in Alaska is limited.
There has been little or no directed fishing for “other slope rockfish”, and most of the fish are caught incidentally to other fisheries. Many of the species are rather small in size and therefore of limited economic value; as a result, catches of “other slope rockfish” are frequently discarded by fishermen. Since the mid-1990s, catches for this management group in the Gulf of Alaska have generally been <1,000 metric tons.
Contact:
Dave Clausen
Auke Bay Laboratories
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries
Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute
17109 Pt Lena Loop Rd
Juneau AK 99801
Dave.Clausen@noaa.gov
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