Yelloweye rockfish

Everything in the black rockfish account applies here and the stakes are higher, because this is one of the longest-lived fish anybody catches on rod and line. Verified ages well beyond a century are recorded, maturity comes late, and a large yelloweye has been in that water since before most of the boats fishing over it were built.

WHAT THAT MEANS FOR HANDLING. A single fish is a much larger fraction of the population's reproductive capacity than its weight suggests, and the species has been under rebuilding management across much of its range for exactly that reason. Where retention is prohibited, the release has to actually work — a fish returned to the surface to die satisfies the regulation and not its purpose.

THE BAROTRAUMA IS SEVERE AND VISIBLE. These fish come from depth, and the everted stomach, bulging eyes and distended abdomen are usually present. None of it is repairable at the surface. A descending device, deployed quickly, is the only intervention with good evidence behind it, and recompression reverses the visible signs as the fish goes down.

AND THE SPINES ARE A SECOND, SEPARATE PROBLEM. The dorsal spines are sharp and the associated tissue causes a wound that is disproportionately painful and slow to heal. Handle the fish with a wet cloth or gloves, from behind, with the palm below the dorsal — and do it once, because the fish should be back in the water within seconds.

WHAT NOT TO ASSUME. That a fish which swam down strongly survived. Recompression greatly improves the odds; it does not make them certain, and the residual mortality is why deep-water avoidance matters more than good release technique.

Exceptionally long-lived, with documented ages well past a hundred years, and very late to mature. Reproductive output increases with size and age, so old females are disproportionately important and effectively irreplaceable within a human timescale.

Viviparous, with internal fertilisation and the release of live larvae. Older, larger females produce far more and better-provisioned larvae than young ones, which is why age structure matters more than raw numbers.

Takes fish, crabs, shrimp and other invertebrates on and around deep rocky ground, feeding opportunistically from an ambush position.

Hunts at depth in low light around rocky structure, relying on sight at close range and on lateral-line detection of movement. The large eye is suited to the very low light levels at the depths it occupies, and it is an ambush feeder rather than a pursuer.

Largely resident on deep rocky ground year-round with limited movement, which is why depletion is local and recovery slow.

Very largely a species anglers must avoid or release rather than target, subject to strict restrictions across much of its range as part of long-running rebuilding plans. Where it is encountered incidentally on deep reef, correct release handling is the whole of the angling responsibility. FishingHQ does not state what any rule is; Pacific rockfish rules are detailed, area-specific and change frequently.

Barotrauma is severe and unavoidable from the depths this fish lives at, and a released yelloweye floating at the surface will die. A descending device is essential rather than optional. Handle with gloves clear of the venomous fin spines and head spines, and return the fish promptly to depth.