Sebastes variabilis (Pallas, 1814)
Light dusky rockfish

Family:  Sebastidae (Rockfishes, rockcods and thornyheads), subfamily: Sebastinae
Max. size:  43.08 cm SL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 50 years
Environment:  demersal; marine; depth range 6 - 675 m
Distribution:  North Pacific: Japan, east coast of Kamchatka to Cape Ol'utorskii in western Bering Sea, along the Aleutian Islands to 60°N in the eastern Bering Sea, through the Gulf of Alaska south to Johnstone Strait, British Columbia and to central Oregon.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 13-14; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-16; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 7-9; Vertebrae: 28-29. This species is distinguished by the following characters: body light yellow to greenish brown to gray, typically greenish brown, with orange flecks present on sides, distinctly light ventrally above anal-fin base and on ventral pectoral-fin rays; peritoneum light gray to jet black; strong symphyseal knob; extrinsic swimbladder muscle with a single section of striated muscle, lacking anterior fascia, otherwise of type I (a-z) of Hallacher (1974); lateral-line pores 43-54, scales 47-63; pectoral-fin rays 16-19; anal-fin rays 7-9; dorsal-fin rays 13-16; vertebrae total 28-29 (11-12 + 16-18) (Ref. 53613).
Biology:  Collection depth between 6-370 m, deepest recorded depth at 675 m. Large adults common along the edge of the continental shelf at 100-300 m where the species is targeted for commercial use. Captured in the offshore trawl fishery. Males and females captured by trawl surveys vary widely in maturity during the summer (May-July) (Ref. 53613).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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