There are many different species of Rockfish living in the Pacific Ocean and many of them are known to live for hundreds of years. Rougheye Rockfish are said to live for over 200 years, making them the longest living fish on Earth. Above is a photo of a Yelloweye Rockfish, formerly known as Pacific Red Snapper. It is probably around 20 years old, check out the amazing coloring on this beautiful fish! All Rockfish play a crucial role in the west coast ecosystems to which they belong. About 10 years ago there was no legal limit on how many of these fish you could catch and keep. Today, due to a seriously diminished population you are not aloud to keep any, yet commercial fisherman continue to catch thousands of pounds each year. From 1971-2005, the combined trawl and longline fleets removed 25,590 tons of Rougheye Rockfish biomass from B.C. coastal waters (fisheries and oceans canada). Further proof that one regions resources cannot sustainably feed the global market. Hopefully we can learn to localize the way we live before our "so-called" resources become another faint memory. If you stop and think about it for a second, how can one regions resources be expected to feed the global community?