Bocaccio are rare rockfish that grow to be three feet long and live among rocky reefs and on the ocean bottom from Kodiak Island, Alaska, to Punta Blanco in Mexico. There are two distinct populations, northern and southern, divided by an area off Northern California and Oregon in which almost no bocaccio are found. Some scientists now think those populations might be genetically different. Like most of the many members of the Sebastes tribe, bocaccio grow slowly, reproduce late in life, and live a long time, all traits that make them vulnerable to overfishing. Bocaccio's scientific name means magnificent few spines. The Pacific Fishery Management Council has taken steps to rebuild bocaccio stocks to sustainable levels, but it will take many years given the biological characteristics of this species.