Acadian Redfish
Acadian redfish — called ocean perch by most Canadians — are a deep-water commercial groundfish of the Atlantic coast, caught primarily in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off Nova Scotia.
They're not a recreational target in the traditional sense; nearly all Canadian harvest comes from commercial trawl and longline fleets. Slow-growing and long-lived, a fish in your hand may be older than you are.
Scientific Name: Sebastes fasciatus
Also known as Ocean perch, Atlantic redfish, Acadian rockfish, Labrador redfish
- Flame orange to deep red overall, with a paler belly; juveniles show patches of black and green that fade as they mature and move to the bottom.
- Body is longer than it is deep, with a single continuous dorsal fin running nearly the full length of the back and a notably small tail fin.
- Large eyes and a wide mouth with many small teeth — built for low-light, deep-water feeding.
- Grows to roughly 18–20 inches; nearly identical to deepwater redfish (Sebastes mentella) — the reliable tell is counting soft rays in the anal fin.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Native to the northwestern Atlantic; in Canada, found in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, off Nova Scotia, and along the Scotian Shelf into the Laurentian Channel.
- A deep-water species — typically 400–1,200 feet down, over rocky, clay, or mud-silt bottom along the continental shelf edge.
- Juveniles associate with boulder reefs that have deep crevices; adults school in open water above the bottom and along structural edges.
- Sponge fields on the Scotian Shelf (such as Sambro Bank) provide important habitat — fish use sponge structure to shelter from bottom currents.
Key Locations
- Gulf of St. Lawrence — the centre of Canadian redfish abundance, where the 2019 DFO survey recorded record-high biomass.
- Scotian Shelf and Laurentian Channel — shelf-edge habitat supporting both commercial harvest and ongoing population monitoring.
- Sambro Bank Sponge Conservation Area (Scotian Shelf) — documented redfish habitat where sponge structure concentrates fish.
Specific Spots
- Deep basins and shelf-edge drop-offs in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where cold, oxygen-rich water concentrates schools.
- Rocky and boulder-reef bottom with complex structure — redfish use crevices and sponge fields as current breaks and resting habitat.
- Mid-water above the bottom at night, when fish rise off the seafloor to feed on zooplankton and small prey.
Acadian Redfish FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
When is the best time to fish for Acadian Redfish?
Harvested year-round commercially; the DFO Unit 1 commercial season runs roughly mid-May through mid-May the following year. Spring and summer see the heaviest harvest activity in Atlantic Canadian waters.
How do you catch Acadian Redfish?
Acadian redfish in Canada are harvested almost entirely by commercial fleets using bottom trawls and bottom longlines in deep offshore waters. Recreational angling for this species is not an established practice in Canada given the depths involved.
What do Acadian Redfish eat?
Feeds mainly on krill (euphausiids), mysid shrimp, small decapods, and tiny mollusks, the dense zooplankton layers that concentrate at depth in Atlantic Canadian waters. Also takes small fish opportunistically.
Where do Acadian Redfish live?
Native to the northwestern Atlantic; in Canada, found in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, off Nova Scotia, and along the Scotian Shelf into the Laurentian Channel. A deep-water species, typically 400–1,200 feet down, over rocky, clay, or mud-silt bottom along the continental shelf edge.
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