Sablefish are found near the continental shelf and slope of the Pacific Ocean, their eastern range beginning near Baja, California and extending north to British Columbia and Alaska, then westward over the Bering Strait to Kamchatka and Japan. Adult sablefish are found near bottom over soft substrate, living at depths of up to 2,700 metres; juveniles migrate inshore for several years, where they can be found in shallow waters, and then migrate offshore as adults.

Sablefish have a slim, elongated body covered with small scales. They have a large mouth filled with very small teeth and a tail with a slight indent. On their dorsal side, sablefish are dark grey or greyish-green, often with paler blotches, and have two widely separated dorsal fins. Their underside is pale grey to white. Sablefish can grow to be quite large, to more than a metre in length and can weigh between 11 and 25 kilograms. They are long-lived, with some reaching over 80 years of age.