GOPHER ROCKFISH

GOPHER ROCKFISH

LIFE HISTORY

Adult Stage:

Adults are benthic and occur at depths < 55 m off California.

Composites: rocky shelf, non-rocky shelf

Mating Stage:

Mating occurs in January and February, probably within the adult habitat.

Composites: rocky shelf, non-rocky shelf

Juveniles:

Benthic juveniles probably occur within the adult habitat.

Composites: rocky shelf, non-rocky shelf

Larval Stage:

Larvae are pelagic. Insufficient information to define EFH.

Parturition:

Parturition occurs from March - May, probably within the adult habitat.

Composites: rocky shelf, non-rocky shelf

Range

Gopher rockfish are common and range from Eureka, California, to San Roque, Baja California [159, 240].

Fishery

Anglers catch a fair number of gopher rockfish from charter boats and skiffs [159] and they are taken by spear fishers (Robert Lea, personal communication). When blue rockfish (mid-water dwelling species) are low in skiff catches, gopher rockfish (bottom-dwelling species) reach their highest contributions to Santa Cruz and Monterey catches [216].

Habitat

Gopher rockfish generally occur in waters <30 m [55] but have been taken as deep as 55 m [159].

Gopher rockfish are shallow-water benthic rockfishes that inhabits rocky reefs. They spend the majority of their time during the day in rocky shelters [177] and at night (and to a lesser degree during the day) perching on the bottom in the open [178]. Home ranges of gopher rockfish consist of a primary shelter hole and a larger, feeding area in which they often rest in more exposed positions. The home range size increases with fish size and depth [178]. Both the young-of-the-year and adults rest on the bottom.

Young gopher rockfish prefer low rock relief or sand bottoms. They are closely associated with algae and are distributed equally among drift algae and Macrocystis. During and after fall storms, they shift to crevices within high relief rock and are less associated with algae [55].

Early gopher rockfish recruits (planktonic larvae) initially occur in the surface canopy in late May and increase in density through July. By July, individuals at mid-depth and on the bottom are larger. As density decreases in the surface canopy, it increases at mid-depth and on the bottom, indicating a gradual movement from surface to bottom in a 1-month period [55].

Adult territories, in rocky reefs dominated by the giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), are aggressively defended.

Migrations and Movements

In one study [222], gopher rockfish moving 1.2 km from a natural reef to an artificial reef in pursuit of a better habitat. However, movements of more than 3 km are rare [216].

Reproduction

Gopher rockfish are ovoviviparous; eggs are fertilized internally and are carried for 1-2 months and then spawned as pelagic larvae [177]. Gonadal development begins in late November and mating occurs in late January and early February; spawning occurs from March-May [177].

Growth and Development

Larvae are planktonic and they settle in late June [177]. Metamorphosing juveniles first appear inshore during mid- to late June [177]. Gopher rockfish reach sexual maturity in 3 to 4 years at sizes of 135 mm SL or greater [178]. Gopher rockfish can live to be more than 30 years old [216].

Trophic Interactions

The gopher rockfish is a sedentary predator [178] that occupies an intermediate trophic level feeding primarily on crabs and shrimp, with more motile fish and cephalopods comprising most of the remainder of their diet [177]. In deeper waters juvenile gopher rockfish are the primary prey of adult gopher rockfish, probably because preferred food (crabs and shrimp) is less abundant in the deeper water [112].

Young-of-the-year gopher rockfish consume algal-associated prey [55]. Juveniles living in the surface canopy fall prey to a variety of predators including birds [123].

GOPHER ROCKFISH

SUMMARY TABLE