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Because of its bright colors and bands, the redbanded rockfish (Sebastes babcocki) is also referred to as barber pole, hollywood, bandit, convict, canary, and Spanish flag, among others. A California and British Columbia fishery administer, John P. Babcock, was the inspiration for the babcocki name. This visually distinctive fish has a white or pale pink body with four orange or red vertical bands when viewed underwater. Two bands extend back across the craggy, rounded head, one from the eye and one near the upper jaw. The dorsal, anal, and pectoral fin rays may have dusky or black regions, frequently on the outer margins. This coloration is more common in younger redbandeds and is usually visible underwater, though occasionally this is true after capture. When out of water, their body is pink to red, with commonly red bands. The bands are more distinct in smaller redbands. Compared to the similar flag rockfish, the redbandeds are deeper-bodied (height: back-to-belly), and the first vertical band that originates at the front of the dorsal fin doesn't extend as far onto the gill cover. The flags have a thin head and a pointed snout. The tiger rockfish are also similar to the redbandeds, though they have five black or dark red vertical bands, rather than four. The redbanded rockfish are most abundant from Oregon to the Yakutat
region of the northeast Gulf of Alaska, and commonly in the waters off
central California. Their range extends from San Diego to the western
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. Trawl surveys have shown that most of
the redbandeds are found at depths of 494 ft. to 1,155 ft. (150-350 m).
They are often observed near hard bottom substrata, and may find shelter
in the crevices between boulders. They are sometimes seen over mixed
substrata of mud, cobblestones, and pebbles. Though they are solitary in
nature, the redbandeds can be found
in small groups.
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