Shortspine thornyhead (Sebastolobus alascanus)

Scientific name: Sebastolobus alascanus Bean, 1890

The Shortspine thornyhead (Sebastolobus alascanus) is a marine fish of the family Sebastidae.

Biology

Very common on soft bottoms. Oviparous. Eggs are extruded in floating gelatinous masses. Have a thick glandular tissue on posterior margin of fin spines which is believed to be venomous. Rarely taken by game fishers. Flesh sweeter than that of other rockfishes.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Sebastolobus alascanus
Family: Sebastidae (Rockfishes, rockcods and thornyheads)
Order: Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 80.0
Depth range: 17–1600 m (56–5249 ft)
Environment: Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 17 - 1600 m, usually 91 - ? m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: North Pacific: Sea of Okhotsk north to the Navarin Canyon in the Bering Sea and from Stalemate Bank and Ulm Plateau in the Aleutian Islands southeast to Cedros Island, Baja California, Mexico. Reported from Japan.
Conservation status (IUCN): Endangered (EN) (A2d)
Threat to humans: Venomous
Uses: Fisheries: minor commercial
Resilience: Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (tmax: 115 (validated age: 62 yrs); tm=41; Fec > 10,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026