Rockfish 101 - Widow Rockfish

Widow rockfish (Sebastes entomelas) are one of the more rarer species of rockfish found off the west coast of North America. After doing some research I’ve discovered that this fish has been known by many names over the years but I haven’t figured out why it’s called a Widow. Known as a Buda in the 1880’s, and than as a Beccafico (Italian bird) prior to the 1930s. Brownie, belinda bass, brown bomber, and soft brown are among the modern names that are also used for this rockfish. In all of my fish books it’s called a Widow.

Identifying this fish underwater can be a bit of a challenge if you do run into one. Widow’s appear brownish, brass, or sometimes orange. Newly spawned widows are light brown or orange, reddish spots can be seen on juveniles.

Living up to 60 years, these rockfish have a fairly short, robust body with a large head and a mouth with a protruding lower jaw.

Typically living between 50 to 400 meters, these fish aren’t often spotted by recreational divers due to how deep they live, however there are certain areas where I have had luck seeing them. Northeastern Vancouver Island as well as further north up the coast towards Haida Gwaii. These fish do range from Alaska to California but rarely if ever spotted in shallow enough waters for divers.

Photographing these fish can be challenging due to where they live but I’ve found that they tend to swim towards you rather than away which can make for some fun moments underwater.

Good luck and happy diving.

Scott

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