Home/Species/ Bocaccio

Sebastes paucispinis

Ayres, 1854

Bocaccio

G4Apparently Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank

Critically endangeredIUCN

PS:LEESA Status

MediumThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106002

Element CodeAFC4A06440

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNCritically endangered

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassActinopterygii

OrderPerciformes

FamilyScorpaenidae

GenusSebastes

USESAPS:LE

Other Common Names

Bocaccio (FR)

Concept Reference

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.

Taxonomic Comments

NMFS (2002) recognized two discrete population segments, north and south of an area of scarcity in northern California and southern Oregon. These segments have a 90 percent probability of being genetically distinct from each other (NMFS 2002).

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2025-02-19

Change Date2002-12-30

Edition Date2025-02-19

Edition AuthorsGundy, R. L. (2025)

Threat ImpactMedium

Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences81 - 300

Rank Reasons

This species is widespread along the Pacific Coast of North America. The population suffered steep historical declines in the latter half of the 20th century due to overharvest and continues to decline despite regulations on harvest.

Range Extent Comments

This species is found in coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean from Alaska, United States south to Baja California, México (COSEWIC 2013).

Occurrences Comments

There are many occurrences throughout the range.

Threat Impact Comments

Many hundreds of thousands of pounds of this species are harvested each year, virtually entirely from the commercial fishing industry (Drake et al. 2010, COSEWIC 2013, He et al. 2015). The current catch rate is internationally recognized as not being sustainable (Drake et al. 2010, COSEWIC 2013, He et al. 2015). The ongoing effects of past habitat destruction are not well known or understood (NMFS 2002, Drake et al. 2010, COSEWIC 2013).

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Adults often occur in rocky areas, at depths of 12-481 m (most abundant at 50-251 m); larvae and small juveniles are pelagic and commonly occur in the upper 90 m of the water column; juveniles sometimes form dense schools under drifting kelp mats (NMFS 2002).

Ecology

Eaten by marine mammals; juveniles sometimes are important in the diets of sea birds (NMFS 2002).

Reproduction

Copulates generally in late summer and early fall; females bear live young in winter; off California, some females produce multiple broods in one season; juveniles grow rapidly but take 5 years to mature; may live up to 40 years; mean generation time is 12 years (see NMFS 2002). Large old fish may contribute most importantly to reproductive success (Garrison 2002).

Other Nations (2)

CanadaN1

Province	Rank	Native
British Columbia	SNR	Yes

United StatesN4

Province	Rank	Native
Washington	SNR	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
5 - Biological resource use	Large (31-70%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
5.4 - Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources	Large (31-70%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
5.4.2 - Intentional use: large scale (species being assessed is the target) [harvest]	Restricted (11-30%)	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
5.4.4 - Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Large (31-70%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)

Roadless Areas (1)

Alaska (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
North Kruzof	Tongass National Forest	33,146

References (11)

COSEWIC. 2013. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Bocaccio Sebastes paucispinis in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. x + 49 pp.
Drake, J. S., E. A. Berntson, J. M. Cope, R. G. Gustafson, E. E. Holmes, P. S. Levin, N. Tolimieri, R. S. Waples, S. M. Sogard, and G. D. Williams. 2010. Status Review of five rockfish species in Puget Sound, Washington Bocaccio (Sebastes paucispinis), Canary Rockfish (S. pinniger), Yelloweye Rockfish (S. ruberrimus), Greenstriped Rockfish (S. elongatus), and Redstripe Rockfish (S. proriger). NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-108. 234 pp.
Garrison, K. 2002. Extinction of ocean fish: a growing threat. Endangered Species Update 19(5):217-221.
He, X., D. E. Pearson, L. Lefebvre, and S. Lindley. 2015. Status of bocaccio, Sebastes paucispinis, in the Conception, Monterey and Eureka INPFC areas for 2015. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Santa Cruz, CA. 460 pp.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 2002. 12-month finding on a petition to list bocaccio as threatened. Federal Register 67(223):69704-
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 2010. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants: threatened status for the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin Distinct Population Segments of yelloweye and canary rockfish and endangered status for the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin Distinct Population Segment of boccaccio rockfish. Federal Register 75(81):22276-22290.
Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Stanley, R. D., K. Rutherford, amd N. Olsen. 2002. COSEWIC status report on bocaccio Sebastes paucispinis Ayres, 1854 from B.C. waters. Draft report, September 2002. vii + 48 pp.

Sebastes paucispinis

Habitat

Ecology

Reproduction

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