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Topic: canary vs copper vs vermillion vs cowcod  (Read 5576 times)

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Hat Trick

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could you review, canary vs copper vs vermillion vs cowcod.
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bsteves

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Let's see, much of fish identification for me is gestalt (i.e. I know it when I see it.)  That of course if very unhelpful to everyone else...

To start out with, let me link you to one of the best resources for fish info on the web... http://www.fishbase.org ... thanks to cheap labor in the Phillipines this site has managed to gather great information of just about every species of fish known to man.

So first some photos and links...

Canary Rockfish (Sebastes pinniger)

Photo Joel ("Mooch").
More information from Fishbase ...
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=3989

Identification Tips: 
  • Generally orange in color.
  • underside of jaw smooth
  • anal fin point not rounded
  • distinct white area around lateral line
  • It's hard to see in this photo, but there is a black patch at the end fo the spiny dorsal fin.

 


Copper Rockfish (Sebastes caurinus)

Photo by Brian Steves
More info from Fishbase...
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=3957

Identification Tips: 
  • Color varies widely, I've seen brownish, pinkish, yellowish, orangish
  • White belly
  • Yellow lower lip
  • white area around lateral line
 



Vermilion Rockfish (Sebastes miniatus)

Photo by Brian Steves
More info from Fishbase...
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=3982

Identification Tips: 
  • usually dark red
  • underside of jaw rough
  • anal fin more rounded than canary



Cowcod (Sebastes levis)

Photo by Dr. Miton Love
More info from Fishbase..
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=3976

And just for fun, check out Dr. Milton Love's Cowcod blog...
http://cowcod.livejournal.com

Identification Tips: 
  • yellowish red
  • long spiny dorsal fin rays
  • faint veritcal bars in adults, dark veritical bars in juveniles





In summary, Cowcods are rare and probably the easiest to id based on their distinctive doral fin rays.   
Coppers are hard to describe because they vary, but they don't look that much like any of the species that will get you in trouble for keeping so don't worry too much about them.
Vermilions and Canarys are the most likely to give your trouble, but I'm pretty sure once you catch a canary you'll know the difference.


Brian



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jmairey

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For canary and vermillion are not the shapes of the tail different enough to help with identification?
john m. airey


bsteves

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I would say that canaries have a slightly more indented tail than vermilions which have a fairly straight tail and this is certianly true of the DFG illustrations below.  However, I hadn't heard that feature being a key diagnostic.

Here are some illustrations from CA-DFG (they seem to have scanned them from Miller and Lea's book)



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ChuckE

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I caught and released a big canary at Mill this week.  The smooth underside of the jaw was the most noticeable difference.
« Last Edit: May 05, 2006, 01:46:34 PM by ChuckE »
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