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Originally Posted by iethinker
HMMM...I came across this while googling some rockfish too. Does anyone know what it is?
This rockfish was so happy to see me:
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It's called BAROTRAUMA. All rockfishes possess a closed swim bladder (a gas-filled organ that regulates buoyancy). When fish are brought up from depth, decreasing pressure allows the gas to expand which may cause injury and prevent the fish from returning to depth under its own power. Visible symptoms of gas expansion include a swollen and tight belly, stomach protruding past the gullet and into the mouth, and distended and/or "crystallized" eyes. Miraculously, many rockfish can recover from barotrauma if they are properly released to their respective depths as soon as possible.
You can find more information about it here:
https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.a...D=36345&inline