May. It may take up to 90 days, at a range of .08 to 1.6 in. TL, before the larvae settle out of the plankton. In central California, June has been observed to be the primary month for recruitment of larvae to nearshore areas. There are no estimates of natural mortality for gopher rockfish. No information is available on diseases in gopher rockfish.
Juveniles are also diurnal and eat crustaceans.
Their predators include fishes, such as rockfishes, lingcod, cabezon, and salmon, as well as birds and porpoises. Adult gopher rockfish are nocturnal predators that ambush their prey. Their predators include sharks, dolphins, and seals. Also, based on co-occurrence, gopher rockfish probably competes for food and space with cabezon, lingcod, greenlings, and other rockfish such as China, quillback, copper, and vermilion. Critical Habitat Small juveniles may inhabit the kelp canopy.