Southern rock sole
Occasionally caught off the Washington coast by commercial harvesters using otter-trawls. They are commonly caught by recreational harvesters within Puget Sound.
Rock sole are the only flatfish in Puget Sound that are known to spawn in very shallow water, even intertidally, and their eggs have been found on exposed beaches in some locations.
Description and Range
Physical description
A right-eyed sole with a thick oval to round body shape covered in rough scales on the eyed side. The eyed side is gray to olive to dark brown or black and is mottled with lighter or darker shades, sometimes spotted with yellow or red. The blind side is light in color with glossy white bands corresponding to muscle bands. The dorsal and anal fins have dark blotches or bars on them and may be yellowish near the tail. The caudal fin is rounded or in the shape of a broad āVā. This species has a lateral line with a high arch and a flat top with a short accessory dorsal branch. Southern rock sole have a small mouth with fleshy lips and teeth that are more developed on the blind side. The eyes are small. This species has a strong anal spine.
Southern rock sole are very similar to Northern rock sole with the Northern rock sole having more gill rakers on the first arch (ā„ 3 on the upper portion and ā„ 10 overall) and a uniformly white blind side. They are also similar to Butter sole which has a low lateral line arch and a longer accessory dorsal branch.
Southern rock sole can grow up to 58 cm (23 in) in length. Maximum age is 26 years old.
Geographic range
Southern rock sole are found from the SE Bering Sea around the Islands of Four Mountains in the north to Baja California in the south. They inhabit sand and gravel bottoms from 0 to 339 m (0-1112 ft) generally on the continental shelf; they tend to be most abundant between 20 and 40 m (66-131 ft).
State record
- Weight
- 4.19 lbs
- Angler
- Alan Schram
- Location
- Hein Bank
- Date Caught
- July 9, 1989