Black-and-Yellow Rockfish

Black-and-Yellow Rockfish, Yellow Pinnacle, Santa Cruz Island

I encountered this Black-and-Yellow Rockfish on Yellow Pinnacle in June of 2002. Yellow Pinnacle is off Yellowbanks, on the southeast corner of Santa Cruz Island in the Calilfornia Channel Islands. As I recall, the fish was initially startled when I appeared. He swam back and forth in front of the pinnacle, and I retreated a bit. He took confidence and swam forward to confront me. I was shooting film: Fujichrome Velvia in my Nikon F5, using a 105 mm lens. Rockfish are among the signature fish of the kelp forest. They are related to scorpionfish, and probably evolved from ancestors in Alaskan waters. Unfortunately, I haven't seen a black-and-yellow rockfish for a few years. They were always more common in Northern California and north to Canada. Warmer oceans may have driven them north.

Black-and-Yellow Rockfish, Hazard's, Santa Cruz Island

Another Black-and-Yellow Rockfish, from Hazard's in June of 2008. Hazard's is on the Northwest side of Santa Cruz Island. This was made with a Velvia film, in a Nikon F5 with a 60mm lens.