Growth hormone (GH) regulates growth in fishes by stimulating liver synthesis of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which then mediates growth-promoting pathways in peripheral tissues. However, under conditions of food limitation, fish with low IGF-1 and slow growth can still exhibit elevated circulating GH, suggesting that nutritional stress may alter liver sensitivity to GH. However, the exact mechanism(s) of this inhibition are not well understood. In this study, we explored how food deprivation affected GH induction of liver IGF-1 production in juvenile gopher rockfish, Sebastes carnatus. Fish were either fed at a rate of 9% per g body mass or fasted for 14 d and then given a single injection of either recombinant sea bream GH or saline (control). GH injection increased liver IGF-1 mRNA levels in fed rockfish but did not alter IGF-1 gene expression in fasted rockfish. Fasted fish exhibited lower gene transcript abundance for liver GH receptors and reduced mRNA levels for several intracellular proteins involved in the pathway mediating GH induction of liver IGF-1 synthesis, including janus kinase 2 (JAK2) signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT5b) and hepatocyte nuclear factor 3β (HNF3β). Protein phosphorylation levels of JAK2 and STAT5b were also lower in fasted fish as compared to fed fish, suggesting fasting reduced activation of the IGF-1 synthesis pathways mediated by these proteins. Overall, these findings indicate that food deprivation downregulates hepatic pathways critical for GH stimulation of IGF-1 production and support liver GH resistance as one mechanism contributing to reduced growth of fish during food deprivation stress.