copper rockfish
- noun
- /ˈkɑːpər ˈrɑːkˌfɪʃ/
- US
- The copper rockfish is commonly found in the coastal waters off California and Oregon.
Examples
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Many divers enjoy spotting the copper rockfish because of its distinctive coppery hue.
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During a fishing trip, we caught several copper rockfish which were known for their vibrant color.
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Copper rockfish was at its highest proportion in the catch from 1966 to 1972, the period of high Pacific sanddab catches.
Academic text (1995) -
GRAPHS: Figure 6. Cumulative percentages of shallow-water rockfish group and copper rockfish caught from skiffs: A = Santa Cruz, B = Monterey.
Academic text (1995)
Synonyms
A rockfish of the Pacific coast of North America often called the copper rockfish
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'copper rockfish' is directly compositional: a rockfish (a fish living on rocky reefs) described by the adjective/noun 'copper' (copper-coloured), so its meaning — a rockfish with a coppery colour — is immediately derivable from the parts. This type of color + noun species name is a common, cross-linguistic naming pattern and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The name copper rockfish comes from its shiny reddish-brown copper color and from being a rockfish that lives among rocks by the sea. So the name reminds you that it is a fish with a copper color that lives near rocky shores.