Abundance and Size Composition of Vermilion Rockfish, Sebastes miniatus (Jordan and Gilbert 1880), from Sport Fishing Catches of San Quintín, Ensenada, Baja California, México

The vermilion rockfish (Sebastes miniatus) is part of an extended group of fish species named rockcods or rockfishes that are distributed in waters of the Californias. This species is a common and popular fish caught by the commercial and recreational fishers. This study shows the results of the vermilion rockfish monitoring from the recreational fishing at San Quintín, Baja California, México during 2005. A total of 71 boats were counted from one-day (Saturday) monthly visits, and a total of 1,026 vermilion rockfish was registered, 60.4% of those were measured and weighed. Catches were highest during April (25.9 ± 3.7 SE vermilions per boat), lowest (5.8 ± 3.9 SE) in November and for the overall year averaged 14.5 ± 1.3 SE. The sizes of vermilions rockfish were from 240 mm TL caught in November, and the biggest (680 mm TL) in December; the annual mean size was 448 mm TL (±2.4 mm SE). The recreational fishing at San Quintín, B.C. targeted almost all adult vermilion rockfishes, with only five individuals, of those measured, under the first maturity size (310 mm TL).