Pile Surfperch
Rhacochilus vacca
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Photo contributed by:
Daniel W. Gotshall
To email him click here.
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In-depth Information Regarding this Species
| U.S. Range in the Pacific Ocean |
Alaska to Baja (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983, Love 1996)
Common south of British Columbia (Love 1996) |
| Habitat |
Rocky shore, kelp, pilings (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Depth range (meters) |
Inshore to 46 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Behavior |
Usually school
Active during the day (Love 1996) |
| Average Maximum Overall Length (cm) |
44 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983, Love 1996) |
| Average Maximum Overall Length for Males (cm) |
43 (Wares 1971 in Stickney et al. 1995) |
| Average Maximum Overall Length for Females (cm) |
49 (Wares 1971 in Stickney et al. 1995) |
| Average Maximum weight for Males (kg) |
1.1 (Wares 1971 in Stickney et al. 1995) |
| Average Maximum weight for Females (kg) |
2 (Wares 1971 in Stickney et al. 1995) |
| Overall Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years) |
18/2 (Love 1996) |
| Overall Maximum Age (years) |
10 (Wares 1971 in Stickney et al. 1995) |
| Overall Growth Rate |
Females grow faster than males (Love 1996)
Females larger than males after age 4 (Wares 1971 in Stickney et al. 1995) |
| Overall Age at Maturity (years) |
2 (Love 1996) |
| Male Age at Maturity (years) |
Males mature earlier than females (Love 1996)
2 (some) (Wares 1971 in Stickney et al. 1995) |
| Female Age at Maturity (years) |
2 (some)
3 (90%) (Wares 1971 in Stickney et al. 1995) |
| Overall Length at Maturity (cm) |
18 (Love 1996) |
| Type of Reproduction |
Internal fertilization
Viviparous (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983, Love 1996) |
| Fecundity |
3–10 per litter (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
50 (Love 1996) |
| Spawning Behavior |
Males fight during spawning season (Love 1996) |
| Time of Year of Spawning |
May–September (Oregon) (Love 1996)
Mate in fall but three months until fertilization
Gestation period is 6.5 months
Young born in late June–Early August (Wares 1971 in Stickney et al. 1995)
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| Adult Feeding Type |
Carnivorous (Wares 1971 in Stickney et al. 1995) |
| Adult Food Preference |
Mollusk, Crab, Barnacles (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Brittle stars, Crabs, Mussels, Snails (Love 1996)
Barnacles, Mussels, Bay clams, Crabs, Mud shrimp, and Tube-dwelling amphipods (Wares 1971 in Stickney et al. 1995) |
| Commercial Fishery |
Small
200 pounds per year in California (Love 1996) |
Recent Wild Harvest Data for Oregon
Data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(Data for all surfperch in the family Embiotocidae)
|
Year
|
Total Catch
(Pounds)
|
Ex-vessel Value
( U.S. Dollars)
|
|
1989
|
3,710
|
2,810
|
|
1990
|
4,953
|
3,540
|
|
1991
|
2,201
|
1,748
|
|
1992
|
3,596
|
3,529
|
|
1993
|
1,676
|
2,458
|
|
1994
|
1,298
|
1,819
|
|
1995
|
2,471
|
2,226
|
|
1996
|
3,428
|
4,788
|
|
1997
|
2,148
|
2,260
|
|
1998
|
3,319
|
4,773
|
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Photo contributed by:
Douglas F. Markle
Department of Fisheries & Wildlife
Oregon State University
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