Bocaccio are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. In Canada, the fish lives along the British Columbia coast, seeming to favour Queen Charlotte Sound and the northwest coast of Vancouver Island.

With its distinctive long jaw extending at least as far as its eye socket, adult bocaccio are easy to identify. The fish's back ranges in colour from olive to burnt-orange or brown when mature; its stomach is pink and red. Young bocaccio are light bronze and have small brown spots on their sides. Their colour darkens and the spots disappear as they mature. Typically up to 74 centimetres in length, female bocaccio have been known to grow up to 90 centimetres. Young bocaccio grow rapidly in their first year, often reaching approximately 25 cm in length. The fish is thought to mature at four or five years of age, and to have a lifespan of approximately 40 years. Females are often larger than males.