Brown rockfish are a common nearshore rockfish species in California.
They, as their name implies, are brown in color with darker brown mottling. Distribution, Stock Structure and Migration. Brown rockfish are found along the Pacific coast of North America from southeast Alaska to Hipolito Bay, central Baja California. They live in shallow waters and bays, and have been found as deep as 420 ft, although they are primarily found in waters less than 175 ft. Sub-adult and adult brown rockfish are residential, although they migrate into deeper water in the winter.