Vermilion Rockfish

Sebastes miniatus has a rather stocky body shape with the depth of the body being equivalent to just under two fifths of its standard length. It has moderately robust to weak spines on its head, the nasal, preocular, supraocular, postocular, tympanic and parietal spines being always present, the nuchal spine usually being absent and the coronal spine never being present. The dorsal fin is continuous with a deep notch separating the spiny and soft rayed parts with the spiny part has a longer base than the soft rayed part with deep incisions on the membranes between the spines. There are 13 spines and 13 to 15 soft rays in the dorsal fin while the anal fin has 3 spines and 7 soft rays. The lower jaw is rough with large scales. It has deep caudal peduncle and the caudal fin has a slight fork.

Sebastes miniatus occurs in the eastern Pacific from San Quintin, Baja California in Mexico north to Prince William Sound in Alaska. It is found in and around rocky reefs at depth from 6 to 250 m (20 to 820 ft).

Sebastes miniatus is targeted by commercial fisheries and is a major component of the landings of rockfish, frequently caught by trawling in deep water as well as by hook and line and gill nets. In California it tends to be caught as bycatch when fishers are targeting bocaccio rockfish (S. paucispinis). It is also an important species in recreational fishing and is the third most frequently caught rockfish species by recreational fisheries off California, and the seventh most landed species overall.