Sebastes paucispinis (California Bocaccio)
Credit: SWFSC ROV Team
about the species
Bocaccio (Sebastes paucispinis) are a rockfish species found throughout California marine waters. Rockfishes are one of the most rapidly diversifying teleost clades worldwide consisting of ~110 different species, the highest concentration of which are found off the California coast. In addition to their important role in California marine ecosystems, rockfishes are a critical part of commercial and recreational fisheries. However, sustainable management of these fisheries is critical as evidenced by the collapse of many rockfish populations from overfishing over the past decades. Rockfishes are particularly susceptible to overfishing due to their long lifespans and late onset of maturity.
why species was selected
Extensive overfishing of bocaccio populations resulted in the dramatic collapse of their numbers in 2005 when they were federally declared overfished. Population scale sequencing data will allow us to determine the genetic imprint of a fisheries collapse and the impact of the extreme selective pressures imparted on this species from both fishing and climate change over the past three decades.
