A solitary chilipepper over deep, rocky substrate.

Contact: SWFSC Fisheries Resources Division, Benthic Resources Team

Species data:
Chilipepper (Sebastes goodei) are elongate fish with reduced head spines. Adults are brown or pink-red on the back and pink on the sides. Adult chilis might be confused with bocaccio when underwater, but bocaccio have much larger mouths.

Chilis range from British Columbia to southern Baja California, with older juveniles and adults most common at depths from about 75 to 325 meters. They form a sizable part of both the recreational and commercial fisheries of California, primarily south of Cape Mendocino. Commercial fishermen catch chilis with trawls, gillnets, and hook and line.

Alternate common name: Chili, johnnies, johnny cod, red snapper.
Maximum size: 59 cm (23 inches).
Maximum age: 35 years.

From: The Rockfishes of the Northeast Pacific, by M.S. Love, M. Yoklavich, and L. Thorsteinson. University of California Press, 2002.