Invasion of the Black Rockfish

coachrenz · Post by **coachrenz** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 11:33 pm

First, I spotted some at Three Tree North the beginning of the month hanging out over the Golf Ball Boat.

Now, tonight, I saw my first one at Redondo.

Are others seeing them in places where they haven't been seen recently?

GillyWeed · Post by **GillyWeed** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:23 am

I haven't but I will keep my eyes posted for them.. I wasn't really looking before but now I will.. I guess I should be a little more fastidious with my id'ing than I have been..

LCF · Post by **LCF** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:51 am

We saw one at Cove 2 last week, where I've never seen any before.

There were tons of them on the Possession Point ferry last Wednesday, but since I've only dived that once before, I can't say if that was something new.

WylerBear · Post by **WylerBear** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:56 am

I have also been seeing them in unusual places. We saw a bunch at Pt. Whitney a couple of months ago. We've been diving that site pretty regularly for the HCDOP and it was the first time we saw any. And we saw the ones at Three Tree. Very strange. Is this a cyclical event? Janna? What do you know? I guess I could just read in my Rockfishes book but it isn't here right now.

Jan K · Post by **Jan K** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:01 am

Maybe it is the new era for rockfish - the Canary at Keystone is also a new spot..

Zen Diver · Post by **Zen Diver** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:53 am

I've also seen them at 3 Tree and Redondo. Hopefully this is good news?

-Valerie

nwscubamom · Post by **nwscubamom** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 3:51 pm

My observations over the past 7 years or so, have been that Edmonds Underwater Park was the only place to really be able to see Blacks in 'Puget Sound'. I've been hearing from other divers that they're seeing Blacks at places previously devoid of them - so it's not just you guys!

Rockfish 'recruitment' varies. Some years are good, some are bad. The ones you are starting to see now are at least a few years old - what size are they? I'm assuming not horribly big, but certainly at least large enough to see they're blacks. (ie: not YOY's) So, there must have been a good recruiting year (with lots of young and survivors) 5 years or so ago. (I'm guessing on the timeframe).

Anyway, I think it's VERY cool that they're starting to pop up here and there, and all the more reason to keep doing REEF surveys to track their progress in various locations!

- Janna

BbbleMkr · Post by **BbbleMkr** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 10:18 am

This last Sunday I was rewarded with a medium (10-15) school of smallish (5-6 inch) Black Rockfish under the pilings at the Edmond Oil Dock. Very exciting.

dd

Post by **Sea of Green** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 11:12 am

Zen Diver 2 wrote:I've also seen them at 3 Tree and Redondo. Hopefully this is good news?

-Valerie

I would think so, it means your vision is still good.

(Being a smart-:bootyshake: )

Seth T. · Post by **Seth T.** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 2:02 pm

Yum. Serve them up with chips!

$\:D/$

Cold_H2O · Post by **Cold_H2O** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 2:20 pm

I will have to keep my eyes open for these guys.

Nice to hear they are showing up at several sites.

Post by **Sea of Green** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:10 pm

nwscubamom wrote: - what size are they? I'm assuming not horribly big, but certainly at least large enough to see they're blacks. (ie: not YOY's)

- Janna

I saw a good sized one at Possession Point Ferry a week or two ago. Of course, buddy with camera wasn't around.

What's a YOY?

coachrenz · Post by **coachrenz** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:48 pm

Sea of Green wrote:
nwscubamom wrote: - what size are they? I'm assuming not horribly big, but certainly at least large enough to see they're blacks. (ie: not YOY's)

- Janna
I saw a good sized one at Possession Point Ferry a week or two ago. Of course, buddy with camera wasn't around.

What's a YOY?

Young of Year. They are the juveniles that are very difficult to ID. REEF says they have to be <5cm to be called YOY.

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 12:08 pm

I saw a medium sized Black Rockfish at 3 Tree being chased by a larger Copper or Brown (don't remember which). I don't remember that interaction between species before, although I'm sure it's not that uncommon.

bob · Post by **bob** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 5:33 am

they are seabass there at barview also . when your drifting they stay very close to you
it is pretty cool!

lamont · Post by **lamont** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 6:01 am

Sea of Green wrote: I saw a good sized one at Possession Point Ferry a week or two ago. Of course, buddy with camera wasn't around.

last year i saw a large school of them at the PP wall...

CaptnJack · Post by **CaptnJack** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 8:41 am

They have been common around Possession Point for several years now. Also mixed schools of smaller (10-20cm) rockfish at the Langley tire reef have included blacks (with yellowtails and coppers). I'm pleasantly surprised to hear about them at 3Tree.

Biodiversity_Guy · Post by **Biodiversity_Guy** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:30 pm

Black Rockfish can now be seen regularly at Sund Rock, on both the north and south walls.

WylerBear · Post by **WylerBear** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 11:23 pm

Black Rockfish have been pretty common on the south wall for several years. Occasionally I've seen one or two on the north wall usually among a school of Coppers.

coachrenz · Post by **coachrenz** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:06 am

I may have spotted a second Black Rockfish at Redondo the other night.

The one I had been seeing was always on the southern most pile of lampshades. I saw one down at the Carousel Boat on dive last weekend.

May have been the same one, since I didn't see one on the lampshades that night, or it may be a different one. I tried to ask it, but, no response.

Zen Diver · Post by **Zen Diver** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:51 am

coachrenz wrote: May have been the same one, since I didn't see one on the lampshades that night, or it may be a different one. I tried to ask it, but, no response.

Did you try whispering sweet nothings into it's ear?

-Valerie

WylerBear · Post by **WylerBear** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 5:21 pm

The one I've been seeing there hangs out at the south end of the tube. This guy gets around.

Penopolypants · Post by **Penopolypants** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:30 pm

I saw one all by his lonesome at the logs on the boundary line tonight at Cove 2. Or her lonesome....is that a faint swell of the belly?

coachrenz · Post by **coachrenz** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 9:32 pm

I haven't been to 3 Tree North for awhile.

Tonight, we headed to the big boat to the south of the entry.

I was delighted to find a single Black rockfish about 15 yards north of the boat. That delight turned to (insert word that is better than delight here) when on the north side of the boat there was a healthy school of more than 10 of the black rockfish hanging out.

I wonder if this is a different group than was previously sighted by the golf ball boat.

bob · Post by **bob** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:12 pm

i live in warrenton O.R. so i dive a bit at barview in garibaldi on a drift dive . the channel is 50' deep drift at 40ish the blackrock drift all around you it's pretty cool 9 or 10 at a time .
tony my dive buddy speerd some. we ate but really had no flavor so i will enjoy watching them!!

Northwest Dive Club

Invasion of the Black Rockfish

Invasion of the Black Rockfish

Hood Canal also

Another one Spotted at Redondo

Re: Another one Spotted at Redondo

More Black Rockfish at 3 Tree North