[3] The black rockfish was first formally described in 1856 by the French biologist Charles Frederic Girard with the type locality given as Cape Flattery, Washington, and Astoria, Oregon.

[2] In 1864 Theodore Gill described a new species Sebastosomus simulans from Cape Flattery and none of Girard's specimens can be traced to that locality.

The dark color on the upper body is frequently paler than that on the flanks, leading to a mottled appearance.

Like other pelagic fish, they spend most of their time amid the water columns and are generally associated with rougher terra.

This can make it somewhat inconvenient for commercial fisheries, which are often situated in nearshore, shallow water, and rocky areas (reefs).

[8] Black rockfish breed via internal fertilization, meaning that female members of the species store sperm until the development of the eggs.

[8] Tagging studies off Washington, Oregon, and Southeast Alaska indicate that although for the most part they spend most of their life in a small area, some long-distance travel does occur.

[3] Schools of adults often aggregate over rocky bottoms or at the sea surface, habits that make them susceptible to targeted fishing.