Sablefish (Black Cod)

Anoplopoma fimbria

Illustration of Sablefish (Black Cod) by Tom Crestodina

Wild-Caught

Gear

Longline

Pots

Traps

Trawl

Location(s)

Sablefish, also called black cod, are a large species of groundfish that are blackish or greenish gray in color with a slightly paler mottling pattern on their upper back. Adult sablefish are found on the sandy or muddy seafloors of the continental shelf slope, in deep waters that range from 650 - 9,000 feet, while smaller juveniles live near the surface closer to the coast. Their habitat ranges from Baja California/Mexico to Alaska and Japan. They can live up to 90 years and grow up to three feet long, though most are caught at smaller sizes. Sablefish prey mostly on marine worms, crustaceans and smaller fish and are by and large consumed by predators such as marine mammals, sharks, and other deep water species.

Overall availability

Sablefish are harvested in all three West Coast states, California, Oregon and Washington. Peak availability varies by geographic region: they are typically more abundant in the winter in California, and in the spring through fall in Oregon and Washington. While most sablefish are exported to foreign markets, primarily in Asia, domestic markets have been developing in recent years. Despite ongoing research exploring methods for farming sablefish, they are currently only available as a US wild-caught product. Sablefish are prized for their high omega fatty acid content, moist texture and rich flavor profile and are often prepared using broiling methods. It is available fresh, frozen, smoked and canned.

activity wheel for sablefish/black cod that depicts monthly activity levels (peak, low, closed)

Management

Sablefish are commercially fished using longline, trawl, pot and trap gear. The sablefish resource is managed as part of the overall West Coast Groundfish complex, a grouping of 90+ species that inhabit the ocean floor. In particular, the sablefish resource is managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan by the Pacific Fishery Management Council in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries, state fisheries resource management agencies in CA, OR and WA, and support from the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.