Sebastolobus altivelis

The longspine thornyhead (Sebastolobus altivelis) is a species of fish in the family Sebastidae. It is found in deep waters of the northeastern Pacific Ocean.[1] Longspine thornyhead are similar in appearance to shortspine thornyhead though they don't grow as large and are typically found in deeper water.[2] Both shortspine and longspine thornyhead have been harvested in commercial fisheries with the period of peak catches occurring in the 1980s and 1990s.[2]

Longspine thornyhead observed by a remotely operated underwater vehicle near Astoria Canyon

Longspine thornyhead
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Scorpaeniformes
Family:
Sebastidae
Genus:
Sebastolobus
Species:
S. altivelis
Binomial name
Sebastolobus altivelis

Distribution

The shortspine thornyhead is native to the cold waters of the northeastern Pacific Ocean and is found from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska to southern Baja California, Mexico.[1] Its depth range is between 201 and 1,757 m (659 and 5,764 ft)[1] but it primarily occurs deeper than 600 metres (2,000 ft).[2]

Status

Separate stock assessments for longspine thornyhead in the waters off Alaska and the West Coast of the United States have estimated the stock as healthy (above the management limits) with overfishing not occurring.[2][3]

In the Canadian waters off the coast of British Columbia, a COSEWIC report declared the species a "special concern" based on the slow life history and declining trend in abundance, though no estimates of abundance or stock status were made.[4]

References
  1. "Sebastolobus altivelis Gilbert, 1896 Longspine thornyhead". FishBase. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
  2. Stephens A, Taylor IG (2013), Stock Assessment and Status of Longspine Thornyhead (Sebastolobus altivelis) off California, Oregon and Washington in 2013 (PDF), Portland, OR: Pacific Fishery Management Council
  3. Echave KB, Hulson PJ, Shotwell SK (2015), Assessment of the Thornyhead stock complex in the Gulf of Alaska, in Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Report for the Groundfish Resources of the Gulf of Alaska (PDF), 605 W 4th Ave, Suite 306, Anchorage AK: North Pacific Fishery Management CouncilCS1 maint: location (link)
  4. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (2007), COSEWIC assessment and status report on the longspine thornyhead Sebastolobus altivelis in Canada, Ottawa: COSEWIC
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