Widow Rockfish

About the Species

U.S. wild-caught widow rockfish is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Status

• According to the 2015 stock assessment, the West Coast stock of widow rockfish is not overfished and not subject to overfishing based on 2016 catch data.
  • Due to the quick expansion of the West Coast fishery, West Coast widow rockfish populations were depleted and declared overfished in 2001.
  • Fishery managers implemented a rebuilding plan in 2001, and declared the stock rebuilt in 2011.
• According to the 2018 stock assessment, the Gulf of Alaska widow rockfish stock is not subject to overfishing but the population status is unknown.
  • Widow rockfish are not assessed individually, but are grouped together under a complex with other rockfish.

Appearance

• Widow rockfish are dusky-brown with traces of light yellow and red.
• They have black fin membranes and a strongly slanted anal fin.
• They have weak or reduced (short) head spines and a mouth that is relatively small when compared to other rockfish.

Biology

• Widow rockfish reach lengths up to 24 inches and may live as long as 60 years, but fish older than 20 are uncommon.
• Males grow faster than females, but females reach larger sizes.
• Widow rockfish mature at about 8 years old or when they are about 16.5 inches long.
• Widow rockfish are internal fertilizers, and larvae are released alive in January or February.
• Juveniles feed on krill and copepods.
• Older fish feed on juvenile crabs, amphipods, krill, and small fishes. 
• Chinook salmon and northern fur seals feed on juvenile widow rockfish.

Where They Live

• Widow rockfish are found between the Gulf of Alaska and northern Baja California.
• Adults are rarely seen in California and are most abundant from British Columbia to northern California.

Management

• NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council manage the widow rockfish fishery on the West Coast.
• Managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan:
  • Permits and limited entry to the fishery.
  • Limit on how much may be harvested in one fishing trip.
  • Certain seasons and areas are closed to fishing.
  • Gear restrictions help reduce bycatch and impacts on habitat.
  • A trawl rationalization catch share program that includes:
    • Catch limits based on the population status of each fish stock and divided into shares that are allocated to individual fishermen or groups.
    • Provisions that allow fishermen to decide how and when to catch their share.
• NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council manage widow rockfish as part of the other rockfish complex in the Gulf of Alaska.
• Managed under the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska:
  • There is no directed fishery for this species in Alaska, and only minor amounts are landed incidentally in other fisheries.