E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Sebastes borealis Sebastes borealis
Shortraker Rockfish
Family: Scorpaenidae

Source: Distribution of Sebastes borealis as compiled by Aquamaps

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Species Information

Dorsal spines (total): 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7; Vertebrae: 26. Head spines strong to moderate - nasal, preocular, supraocular, postocular, tympanic, coronal (may be absent), parietal and nuchal spines present (Ref. 27437). Less than 2 spines on lower orbital rim; very large pores on lower jaw (Ref. 27437). Caudal fin moderately indented (Ref. 6885). Reddish pink to orange red; mouth red and may have black blotches (Ref. 27437).

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Biology

Species Biology

Found on soft bottoms (Ref. 2850). Viviparous (Ref. 34817). Environment: bathydemersal; marine; depth range 0 - 1200 m (Ref. 50550). Climate: deep-water; 61°N - 34°N

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Distribution

North Pacific: southeastern Kamchatka to Navarin Canyon in the Bering Sea, Stalemate and Bowers Banks and the Aleutian Islands south to Point Conception, California, USA. Reported from southern Japan (Ref. 559).

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	SNR	No Status	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic and lineage information (NCBI Taxonomy Browser)

Additional Range and Status Information Links

NatureServe Explorer
University of Alaska Museum

Additional Photo Sources

Flickr Image Search
Google Image Search
Images from Calphoto

Related Databases

fishbase

General References

FishBase References
Google Scholar Search

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2021. E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia [efauna.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2026-05-10 4:46:57 PM]

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