In Puget Sound there are 36 different Rockfish species, and worldwide there are 100 different types of this creature that is popular with fishermen. Each type has its own shape, size, and color. What Rockfish have in common is big heads with large eyes, broad down-turned mouths, and bony plates covering the head and body. They also sport mildly poisonous spines whose sting causes swelling, burning pain and fever.

As you might expect, Rockfish usually live near rocks, in various habitats and depths down to 9,000 feet. An air bladder helps them float by adjusting the fish's weight, keeping it from rising or sinking too much and being injured by changing pressure. When fishermen catch Rockfish in deep water and reel them to the surface too quickly the fish can't equalize their air bladder pressure and die. There's no catch-and-release with Rockfish.

These creatures grow slowly and live long. In fact, the Rough-eye Rockfish, whose life can exceed 200 years, may be the longest-lived fish on earth. Female Rockfish give birth to live young the size of eye lashes. They don't reach maturity until they're 20, which makes them vulnerable to overfishing. Another problem Rockfish face is that many are homebodies spending their entire long lives in a small area. It takes many decades for Rockfish to re-colonize good habitat once they're fished out.

Fishing pressure, both commercial and for sport, and habitat loss have caused rockfish populations to plummet. Some have declined 98%, and species such as the Yellow-eye Rockfish are federally listed as threatened with extinction. You can help Rockfish by protecting their habitat, carefully following fishing regulations, and choosing seafood wisely.