Fish Have Homes!
Blog updated on February 15, 2026, with a sighting of Darwin the Tiger Rockfish, now documented in the same location for 7 years!
Yes, in addition to cataloguing Humpback Whales, I attempt to identify and catalogue individual Tiger Rockfish. I can’t stop myself.
There’s so much that may be learned when you can recognize animals as individuals. There is more conservation value too when people realize that even individual fish have homes.
The markings of Tiger Rockfish are so distinct that it is easy to recognize them as individuals IF they are not tucked away deep in a crack, which is often their way. See below for some of the individuals, how long I have been able to document them, and what their homes look like.
To date (2026), the longest I have been able to document any Tiger Rockfish is 8 years. This shows how strong the site fidelity is and why Rockfish Conservation Areas can have such success.
I will clearly have to hand off this cataloguing to a younger biologist since these fish are likely to outlive me. They are known to be able to live to age 116.
Tiger Rockfish =Sebastes nigrocinctus to 61 cm long (35 cm by 17 years of age).
Tiger Rockfish #1
- Nickname Papillon for the butterfly or bowtie-like marking on the right side of her head.
- Appeared pregnant/gravid in 2012.
- Documented in the same location for 8 years.
- Not seen since August 2020.
Tiger Rockfish #4
- Nickname Darwin for the stripes being reminiscent of one of those cartoons showing the progression of evolution to a human-like shape (from tail to head on this fish).
- Lives very near to where Papillon lives/lived. Documented them both from 2019 to 2020.
- Documented in the same location for 7 years.
- Last sighting 2026-02-14. You can maybe imagine the euphoria at having seen him after almost 1.5 years. I feared he might be dead. Why didn’t I see him over that time span? Because he was “out and about”? Because he was safe deep in his home? Because he knew I was there before I did and retreated into his home? Because other divers passed by first, whereby he may have retreated? I don’t know.
Note that I know to be very slow and quiet when I near his home and to try to document him from afar.
In the 3 photos below, you can see where Darwin lives and get a sense of the ideal habitat for Tiger Rockfish.
Tiger Rockfish #3
- Nickname Rouge for the bat-like markings near the right side of her head.
- Pregnant/gravid in 2018.
- Documented in the same location for 6 years.
- Last sighting 2019-08-14
Please read more on Rockfish Conservation Areas, barotrauma, and rockfish reproduction in my previous blog at this link.
Resources:
- Get the app that alerts you when you enter a Rockfish Conservation Area
- My blog “Rockfish Barotrauma” (and how to solve / reduce)
- Government of Canada
The Marine Detective 
10 Responses to “Fish Have Homes!”
Jackie, this is so very, very awesome:) Thank you!
Means the world . . . knowing the source of the comment. Thank you.
Thank you so much. Its amazing the amount of work and effort you do, it is very informative and a thrill to read and see the pictures you have taken.
Thank you so much for this feedback Charmaine. It heartens me so much that people value the knowledge of fish as individuals.
Thank you again for a beautiful, highly educational, inspiring, and fun post!! Love your passion and incredible expertise!! Jon
On Sat, Aug 15, 2020 at 4:12 PM The Marine Detective wrote:
> The Marine Detective posted: “This week, I found back the same Tiger > Rockfish in the same spot after eight years. Yes, on top of cataloguing > Humpback Whales, I catalogue Tiger Rockfish. I can’t stop myself. There’s > so much that may be learned when you can recognize” >
Jon, thank you! This comment is so motivating to me; allowing me to know that content like this is valued. It makes me feel there is a community united in caring about individual fish, and so much more.
So very cool Jackie!
This is fantastic, I love your enthusiasm! Kayleigh
Great blog title Jackie! Thank you for continuing to share your deep knowledge so enthusiastically.
Yours words and photos are a bright spot in these strange times.
So good always to connect with you Brown Pelican. 💙