FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 



431 



Figure 222. — Rosefish (Sebastes marinus), Eastport, Maine. From Goode. Drawing by H. L. Todd. 



erally perch-like conformation. But it is separable 

 from the first two by its much larger mouth, spiny 

 head, large eyes, more slender caudal peduncle, 

 and larger pectorals ; and from the sea bass by its 

 large spiny head, by the shape and small size of 

 its caudal fin, and by the fact that its anal fin 

 and the soft portion of its dorsal are relatively 

 much lower. Its brilliant red color is a sufficient 

 field mark. 



Color. — Orange to flame red, occasionally gray- 

 ish red or brownish red, with the belly a paler red 

 that fades to white after death. The black eyes 

 contrast vividly with the brightly colored body. 

 Medium sized rosefish usually have a dusky blotch 

 on each gill cover, and several irregularly broken 

 dusky patches along the back. These dark mark- 

 ings are more conspicuous on small fish, and young 

 fry up to 3-4 inches long are only faintly reddish, 

 if at all so. 



Size. — The rosefish matures sexually when 9 to 



10 inches long, males when a little smaller than 

 females. In the Gulf of Maine they are said to 

 grow ordinarily to a maximum length of perhaps 

 2 feet. The largest measured specimen taken 

 recently in the Gulf of Maine of which we have 

 heard was 22 inches long, and weighed 5 pounds 



11 ounces. 14 The largest we have seen measured 

 18% inches. 15 But Goode 16 reported one of about 



» A fish landed in Gloucester, reported in Maine Coast Fisherman, Janu- 

 ary 1951, p. 9. 



11 One of 63 specimens trawled by Albatross III on the southeastern slope of 

 Georges Bank at 175-195 fathoms. May 16, 1950. 



» Fish. Ind. U. S. Sect. 1, 1884, p. 261. 



24 inches, weighing about 14 pounds brought in 

 to Gloucester; a 27K-inch specimen has been 

 reported from the southern edge of the Newfound- 

 land Bank, near the Whale Deep. 17 Another 

 27-inch fish, said to have weighed 13% pounds was 

 landed in Gloucester by the dragger Estaela on 

 February 7, 1951, from somewhere off Newfound- 

 land. And rosefish grow even larger (maximum 

 about 31-32 inches) in the other side of the 

 Atlantic and in Arctic Seas. 18 



The rosefish run smaller near the coast (usually 

 8 to 12 inches long) than on the offshore banks. 

 In European waters, where a similar size-rela- 

 tionship obtains, the small inshore form represents 

 a separate species (Sebastes viviparus) for it has 

 many fewer scales than the larger, offshore form 

 (S. marinus). But no racial distinctions have 

 been found between the inshore populations and 

 those offshore among the American rosefish. 



The relationship between length and weight 

 runs about as follows for Gulf of Maine rosefish: 

 9% inches, % pound; 12 inches, 1 pound; 15 inches, 

 2 pounds; 17-18 inches, 2^-3 pounds; 20 inches, 

 perhaps 4 pounds. 



Habits. — The young rosefish drift in the upper 

 and intermediate water layers (p. 435) until they 

 are nearly an inch long. Fish upwards of a 



i' This specimen, reported by McKenzie. (Proc. Nova Scotian Inst. 

 Sci., vol. 20, 1940, p. 44) was said to have weighed 7H pounds dressed, ap- 

 parently an error, unless the fish was very thin. 



" According to Saemundsson (Faune Ichthyol., Cons. Intemat. Explor. 

 Mer. 1932, plate). A length of 100 cm. (about 40 inches) has been stated, 

 but we are inclined to doubt this. 



