NOAA Professional Paper NMFS 18

Fishes of the Salish Sea: a compilation 

and distributional analysis

Theodore W. Pietsch

James W. Orr

September 2015
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NOAA Professional Paper NMFS 18

Fishes of the Salish Sea: 

a compilation and distributional analysis

Theodore W. Pietsch

James W. Orr

September 2015

U.S. Department of Commerce

Seattle, Washington
Cover image

The Salish Sea and surrounding basin, by Stefan Freelan (http://staff.wwu.edu/stefan/

SalishSea.htm). Used with permission.

Suggested reference

Pietsch, Theodore W., and James W. Orr. 2015. Fishes of the Salish Sea: a compilation 

and distributional analysis. NOAA Professional Paper NMFS 18, 106 p.

doi:10.7755/PP.18

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Disclaimer

The fi ndings and conclusions in this manuscript are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA).
CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Species accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Literature cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Index to scientifi c and common names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

iii

1

Fishes of the Salish Sea: a compilation and 

distributional analysis

Theodore W. Pietsch (contact author)1

James W. Orr2

Email address for contact author: twp@uw.edu

1 School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and 

Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture 

University of Washington

1122 NE Boat Street

Seattle, Washington 98105-5020

2 Alaska Fisheries Science Center

National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA

7600 Sand Point Way NE

Seattle, Washington 98115

Abstract—As part of a current 

effort to restore the Salish Sea, a 

16,925-km2 inland waterway shared 

by Washington State and British Columbia, a definitive, up-to-date list 

of the fishes that inhabit this marine 

ecosystem has been badly needed. 

The last such effort was published 

more than three decades ago. In response to this deficiency, we compiled information from various 

sources and identified 253 fish species observed in marine or brackish 

waters of the Salish Sea ecosystem, 

an increase of nearly 14% since the 

last published checklist. These 253 

species, encompassing 1 myxinid, 2 

petromyzontids, 18 chondrichthyans, 

2 chondrosteans, and 230 teleosts, 

are contained within 78 families 

and 31 orders. This comprehensive 

list of the Salish Sea ichthyofauna 

will serve as a foundation for determining the occurrence of new species and perhaps the disappearance 

of others, enabling the selection of 

species as indicators of ecosystem 

health, and will provide a basis for 

identifying the mechanisms responsible for marine animal declines.

Introduction

The Salish Sea, a fitting name for the 

inland marine waters of Washington State and British Columbia, is a 

coastal waterway that surrounds the 

southern end of Vancouver Island, 

including the Strait of Georgia to the 

north, with Desolation Sound and the 

Campbell River at its northern extremity (Fig. 1), and Puget Sound to 

the south, terminating at the mouth 

of the Deschutes River and the city 

of Olympia at the head of Budd Inlet (Fig. 2). Its western boundary is 

the entrance to the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca, defined as a line between Cape 

Flattery and Carmanah Point. In addition to the San Juan Islands, Gulf 

Islands, and southern margin of the 

Discovery Islands, the watershed contains the lower Fraser River Delta and 

the Puget Lowlands as well as Hood 

Canal, the Tacoma Narrows, and Deception Pass.

In recognition and tribute to the 

Salish people, with whom virtually 

all the indigenous tribes around Puget 

Sound and the straits of Georgia and 

Juan de Fuca have links and probably 

a common origin, the name Salish Sea 

was coined only in the late 20th century. It was first formally proposed in 

1988 by marine biologist Bert Webber 

of Bellingham, Washington. He recognized the need for a single geographic 

term to encompass the entire ecosystem, spanning across the international border of the United States and 

Canada. Having a name to identify 

the entire area draws attention to the 

transborder commonality of water, 

air, wildlife, and history. Rather than 

a replacement for any of the existing 

names, the designation Salish Sea, as 

now recognized, is a collective term 

that unites the well-established and 

familiar names of the various water 

and land bodies of the region, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Strait 

of Georgia, Puget Sound, Gulf Islands, 

San Juan Islands, and many others.

In August 2009, the British Columbia Geographical Names Office 

approved a resolution recommending 

that the Geographical Names Board 

of Canada adopt the name Salish 

Sea, contingent on approval by the 

United States Board on Geographic 

Names. The name was endorsed by 

the Washington State Board on Geographic Names in late October 2009. 

It was approved in a unanimous vote 

by the United States Board on Geographic Names on 12 November 2009 

and by British Columbia authorities 
2 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Figure 1

Northern part of the Salish Sea: the Strait of Juan de Fuca, defined as a line between Cape Flattery on the Washington coast and 

Carmanah Point on Vancouver Island to the western shore of the northern part of Whidbey Island; the San Juan Archipelago, 

made up of the roughly circular cluster of islands that separate the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the Strait of 

Caption continued
3

Figure 1 (continued)

Georgia; Bellingham, the partially enclosed area that lies east of Lummi, Cypress, and Guemes islands and including Bellingham, 

Samish, and Padilla bays; and the Strait of Georgia, including the Gulf Islands and everything else north of the San Juan Archipelago to Desolation Sound (but excluding the narrow waterways in and around the Discovery Islands in the passage between 

Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia; further division of the Strait of Georgia between north and south is set roughly 

along a line between Departure Bay and Burrard Inlet). After Waldichuk, 1957; courtesy of Eileen Evans-Nantais, Canadian Science Publishing, used with permission.

Figure 2

Southern part of the Salish Sea: Puget Sound, partially separated from the Strait of Juan de Fuca by Whidbey Island and extending south from Similk Bay and the entrance to Admiralty Inlet, along a line between Fort Ebey State Park and Port Townsend, 

to Budd Inlet and Olympia, including Hood Canal. After DeLacy et al., 1972; courtesy of Robyn Ricks, Washington Sea Grant, 

used with permission.
4 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

in February 2010. The name is now officially accepted 

internationally.

Covering 16,925 km2 (6533 mi2) of sea surface and 

7470 km (4639 mi) of shoreline—including some 419 

islands that provide a total land area of 3660 km2 (1413 

mi2)—and with a maximum depth of 650 m (2132 ft), the 

Salish Sea and surrounding lowlands provide habitat for 

thousands of species of plants and animals, but exactly 

how many species is yet to be determined. The marine 

macroinvertebrate fauna of this region is very poorly 

known; no list of species exists and the only published 

estimate—about “3000” species (Gaydos and Brown, 

2009)—is undoubtedly conservative (Gaydos1). In contrast, the birds and mammals that depend on the Salish 

Sea ecosystem are well known: 172 bird and 37 mammal species are highly dependent on Salish Sea intertidal 

and/or marine habitat as well as on marine derived food 

(Gaydos and Brown, 2009; Gaydos and Pearson, 2011). 

As for marine fishes, the number of recognized species has increased dramatically in the past 130 years. The 

earliest published list, compiled by David Starr Jordan 

and Charles Henry Gilbert (1881c), accounted for only 

90 species. This estimate was followed by those of Carl 

Eigenmann and his wife and close collaborator Rosa 

Smith Eigenmann (1892), 106 species; Jordan and his 

student Edwin Chapin Starks (1895), 141 species; Starks 

(1911), 168 species; and Trevor Kincaid (1919), “at least 

200 species.” Much more recently, Allan Clark DeLacy 

and colleagues (1972) estimated 211 species, and Bruce 

S. Miller and Steven F. Borton (1980) listed 218 species 

(note that most of these authors were considering only 

Puget Sound, the San Juan Archipelago, and the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca; however, the Strait of Georgia contains 

only a few additions to the ichthyofauna as a whole, and, 

with only one possible exception (the blackfin sculpin, 

Malacocottus kincaidi) no fish species is endemic to any 

one part or to the Salish Sea as a whole). Based on our 

analysis, the number of fish species recorded from marine habitats in the Salish Sea ecosystem (excluding the 

forkline sole, an intergeneric hybrid between the English 

sole, Parophrys vetulus, and starry flounder, Platichthys 

stellatus) is now 253, a nearly 14% increase over the 

most recently published figure (Miller and Borton, 1980; 

see also Garrison and Miller2). The total includes 1 myxinid, 2 petromyzontids, 18 chondrichthyans, 2 chondrosteans, and 230 teleosts, distributed among 78 families 

and 31 orders (Table 1).

Since publication of the most recent checklist (Miller 

and Borton, 1980), the following 37 species have been 

added to the Salish Sea marine ichthyofauna: Eptatretus 

1 Gaydos, J. K. 2012. Personal commun., 23 April 2012. SeaDoc 

Society, Eastsound, WA 98245.

2 Garrison, K. J., and B. S. Miller. 1982. Review of the early life 

history of Puget Sound fishes. Univ. Wash., Fish. Res. Inst. Rep. 

FRI-UW-8216, 729 p.

stoutii, Triakis semifasciata, Bathyraja interrupta, Raja 

inornata, Cyprinus carpio, Leuroglossus schmidti, Spirinchus starksi, Salmo salar, Salvelinus confluentus, Argyropelecus sladeni, Chauliodus macouni, Nannobrachium regale, Protomyctophum crockeri, Protomyctophum thompsoni, Lampris guttatus, Chilara taylori, Sebastes semicinctus, Cottus aleuticus, Cottus asper, Icelinus fimbriatus, 

Paricelinus hopliticus, Stellerina xyosterna, Xeneretmus 

leiops, Liparis mucosus, Liparis rutteri, Lipariscus nanus, 

Seriphus politus, Lycodapus parviceps, Lycodes beringi, 

Lycodes cortezianus, Lumpenella longirostris, Lumpenopsis hypochroma, Zaprora silenus, Lepidopsetta polyxystra, Limanda aspera, Pleuronichthys decurrens, and 

Symphurus atricaudus. For the sake of completion, the 

forkline sole, the hybrid described as Inopsetta ischyra by 

Jordan and Gilbert (1880k), has also been added, listed 

alphabetically along with the other flatfishes.

The following valid species listed in previously published checklists, but without evidence of occurrence in 

our waters, have been removed from the Salish Sea ichthyofauna: Raja stellulata, Artedius corallinus, Lycodes 

diapterus, Liparis beringianus, and Hyperprosopon argenteum (see “Comments,” p. 72).

In applying this checklist, it should be recognized that 

plant and animal distributions are not static over time—

that populations disperse and recede in response to largeas well as small-scale environmental changes, induced by 

humans and otherwise. In the case of Salish Sea fishes, a 

significant number of species included here are based on 

one or only a few observations made long ago—we have 

no way of knowing whether these forms still reside in 

our waters, let alone whether there was ever a breeding 

population. The result of the present effort is, therefore, 

not so much a picture of present-day fish biodiversity 

in the Salish Sea but rather an accumulation of records 

over time that together describe an ichthyofauna that has 

ebbed and, perhaps, waned over the years since records 

have been kept. Because it is extremely difficult, if not 

impossible, to say for certain that something does not 

live here anymore, we can only expect—in the absence of 

evidence for local extinction—that the list of Salish Sea 

fishes will grow in the future. We hope this comprehensive analysis of the ichthyofauna of the Salish Sea will 

serve as a foundation for determining the occurrence of 

new species and, perhaps, the disappearance of others, 

enabling selection of species as indicators of ecosystem 

health and providing a basis for identifying the mechanisms responsible for changes in marine biodiversity 

(Gaydos and Brown, 2009; Gaydos and Pearson, 2011).

Methods

The following accounts, providing information on the 

distribution of fishes recorded from the Salish Sea, are 
5

Table 1

Orders, families, and species of fishes (plus the forkline sole) recorded from marine habitats of the Salish Sea. JF=Strait of 

Juan de Fuca; SJ=San Juan Islands; BB=Bellingham Bay; SG=southern Strait of Georgia; NG=northern Strait of Georgia; 

NS=northern Puget Sound; SS=southern Puget Sound; HC=Hood Canal.

Taxon Common name JF SJ BB SG NG NS SS HC

MYXINIFORMES HAGFISHES 

 Myxinidae Hagfishes 

 Eptatretus stoutii Pacific hagfish X X 

PETROMYZONTIFORMES LAMPREYS 

 Petromyzontidae Lampreys 

 Entosphenus tridentatus a Pacific lamprey X X X X X X X X

 Lampetra ayresii e Western river lamprey X X X X 

CHIMAERIFORMES CHIMAERAS or RATFISHES 

 Chimaeridae Chimaeras or ratfishes 

 Hydrolagus colliei Spotted ratfish X X X X X X X X

LAMNIFORMES MACKEREL SHARKS 

 Alopiidae Thresher sharks 

 Alopias vulpinus Common thresher shark X X 

 Cetorhinidae Basking shark 

 Cetorhinus maximus Basking shark X X X X

 Lamnidae Mackerel sharks 

 Lamna ditropis Salmon shark X X X X X 

CARCHARHINIFORMES GROUND SHARKS 

 Scyliorhinidae Cat sharks 

 Apristurus brunneus Brown cat shark X X X X X

Triakidae Hound sharks 

 Triakis semifasciata a Leopard shark X 

 Carcharhinidae Requiem sharks 

 Prionace glauca Blue shark X 

HEXANCHIFORMES SIX-GILL SHARKS 

 Hexanchidae Cow sharks 

 Hexanchus griseus Bluntnose sixgill shark X X X X X X X X

 Notorynchus cepedianus b Broadnose sevengill shark X X

SQUALIFORMES DOGFISH SHARKS 

 Squalidae Dogfish sharks 

 Squalus suckleyi b Pacific spiny dogfish X X X X X X X X

 Somniosidae Sleeper sharks 

 Somniosus pacificus Pacific sleeper shark X X X X 

SQUATINIFORMES ANGEL SHARKS 

 Squatinidae Angel sharks 

 Squatina californica Pacific angel shark X 

TORPEDINIFORMES ELECTRIC RAYS 

 Torpedinidae Electric rays 

 Torpedo californica Pacific electric ray X X X X X X

RAJIFORMES SKATES 

 Rajidae Skates 

 Bathyraja interrupta a Bering skate X 

 Bathyraja kincaidii Sandpaper skate X X X 

 Beringraja binoculata Big skate X X X X X X X X

 Raja inornata a California skate X 

 Raja rhina Longnose skate X X X X X X X X

ACIPENSERIFORMES STURGEONS 

 Acipenseridae Sturgeons 

 Acipenser medirostris Green sturgeon X X X 

 Acipenser transmontanus White sturgeon X X X X X X

ANGUILLIFORMES EELS 

 Nemichthyidae Snipe eels 

 Nemichthys scolopaceus Slender snipe eel X X X 

Table continued
6 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Table 1 (continued)

Taxon Common name JF SJ BB SG NG NS SS HC

CLUPEIFORMES HERRINGS 

 Engraulidae Anchovies 

 Engraulis mordax Northern anchovy X X X X X X X X

Clupeidae Herrings and sardines 

 Alosa sapidissima c, d American shad X X X X X X X X

 Clupea pallasii Pacific herring X X X X X X X X

 Sardinops sagax Pacific sardine X X X X X X

CYPRINIFORMES CARPS 

 Cyprinidae Minnows and carps 

 Cyprinus carpio a, c, e Common carp X 

ARGENTINIFORMES MARINE SMELTS 

 Bathylagidae Deepsea smelts 

 Leuroglossus schmidti a Northern smoothtongue X X 

OSMERIFORMES FRESHWATER SMELTS 

 Osmeridae Smelts 

 Allosmerus elongatus Whitebait smelt X X 

 Hypomesus pretiosus Surf smelt X X X X X X

 Mallotus villosus Capelin X 

 Spirinchus starksi a Night smelt X 

 Spirinchus thaleichthys d Longfin smelt X X X X X X X X

Thaleichthys pacificus d Eulachon X X X X X X

SALMONIFORMES TROUTS 

 Salmonidae Trouts and salmons 

 Oncorhynchus clarkii b, d Cutthroat trout X X X X X X X X

 Oncorhynchus gorbuscha d Pink salmon X X X X X X X X

 Oncorhynchus keta d Chum salmon X X X X X X X X

 Oncorhynchus kisutch d Coho salmon X X X X X X X X

 Oncorhynchus mykiss b, d Steelhead X X X X X X X X

 Oncorhynchus nerka d Sockeye salmon X X X X X X X X

 Oncorhynchus tshawytscha d Chinook salmon X X X X X X X X

 Salmo salar a, c, d Atlantic salmon X X X X X X X

 Salvelinus confluentus a, e Bull trout X X X X X X X

 Salvelinus malma d, e Dolly Varden X X X X X X X X

STOMIIFORMES DRAGONFISHES 

 Sternoptychidae Marine hatchetfishes 

 Argyropelecus sladeni a Lowcrest hatchetfish X 

 Stomiidae Dragonfishes 

 Chauliodus macouni a Pacific viperfish X X 

AULOPIFORMES LIZARDFISHES 

 Synodontidae Lizardfishes 

 Synodus lucioceps California lizardfish X X 

 Alepisauridae Lancetfishes 

 Alepisaurus ferox Longnose lancetfish X X X X X

 Paralepididae Barracudinas 

 Arctozenus risso b White barracudina X X

MYCTOPHIFORMES LANTERNFISHES 

 Myctophidae Lanternfishes 

 Diaphus theta California headlightfish X X X X X X

 Nannobrachium regale a Pinpoint lampfish X 

 Protomyctophum crockeri a California flashlightfish X 

 Protomyctophum thompsoni a Northern flashlightfish X 

 Stenobrachius leucopsarus Northern lampfish X X X X

 Tarletonbeania crenularis Blue lanternfish X 

LAMPRIFORMES OPAHS 

 Lampridae Opahs 

 Lampris guttatus a Opah X X 

 Trachipteridae Ribbonfishes 

 Trachipterus altivelis King-of-the-salmon X X X 

Table continued
7

Table 1 (continued)

Taxon Common name JF SJ BB SG NG NS SS HC

GADIFORMES CODS 

 Merlucciidae Merlucciid hakes 

 Merluccius productus Pacific hake X X X X X X X X

 Gadidae Cods 

 Gadus chalcogrammus Walleye pollock X X X X X X X X

 Gadus macrocephalus Pacific cod X X X X X X X X

 Microgadus proximus Pacific tomcod X X X X X X X X

OPHIDIIFORMES CUSK-EELS 

 Bythitidae Viviparous brotulas 

 Brosmophycis marginata Red brotula X X X X X

 Ophidiidae Cusk-eels 

 Chilara taylori Spotted cusk-eel X 

BATRACHOIDIFORMES TOADFISHES 

 Batrachoididae Toadfishes 

 Porichthys notatus Plainfin midshipman X X X X X X X X

BELONIFORMES NEEDLEFISHES 

 Scomberesocidae Sauries 

 Cololabis saira Pacific saury X X 

CYPRINODONTIFORMES KILLIFISHES 

 Cyprinodontidae Pupfishes 

 Cyprinodon variegatus c, e Sheepshead minnow X 

GASTEROSTEIFORMES STICKLEBACKS 

 Aulorhynchidae Tubesnouts 

 Aulorhynchus flavidus Tubesnout X X X X X X X X

 Gasterosteidae Sticklebacks 

 Gasterosteus aculeatus d, e Threespine stickleback X X X X X X X X

 Syngnathidae Pipefishes 

 Syngnathus leptorhynchus b Bay pipefish X X X X X X X X

SCORPAENIFORMES MAIL-CHEEKED FISHES 

 Scorpaenidae Scorpionfishes 

 Sebastes aleutianus Rougheye rockfish X X 

 Sebastes alutus Pacific ocean perch X X 

 Sebastes auriculatus Brown rockfish X X X X X X X X

 Sebastes babcocki Redbanded rockfish X X X

 Sebastes brevispinis Silvergray rockfish X X

 Sebastes caurinus Copper rockfish X X X X X X X X

 Sebastes crameri Darkblotched rockfish X X X 

 Sebastes diploproa Splitnose rockfish X X X X X

 Sebastes elongatus Greenstriped rockfish X X X X X

 Sebastes emphaeus Puget Sound rockfish X X X X X

 Sebastes entomelas Widow rockfish X X X 

 Sebastes flavidus Yellowtail rockfish X X X X X

 Sebastes helvomaculatus Rosethorn rockfish X X 

 Sebastes maliger Quillback rockfish X X X X X X X X

 Sebastes melanops Black rockfish X X X X X X X X

 Sebastes miniatus Vermilion rockfish X X X X X

 Sebastes mystinus Blue rockfish X X 

 Sebastes nebulosus China rockfish X X 

 Sebastes nigrocinctus Tiger rockfish X X X X 

 Sebastes paucispinis Bocaccio X X X X X X

 Sebastes pinniger Canary rockfish X X X X X X X

 Sebastes proriger Redstripe rockfish X X X X X X X

 Sebastes rosaceus Rosy rockfish X X 

 Sebastes ruberrimus Yelloweye rockfish X X X X X X X X

 Sebastes saxicola Stripetail rockfish X X X X X

 Sebastes semicinctus a Halfbanded rockfish X 

 Sebastes zacentrus Sharpchin rockfish X X X X

 Sebastolobus alascanus Shortspine thornyhead X X X X

Table continued
8 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Table 1 (continued)

Taxon Common name JF SJ BB SG NG NS SS HC

Anoplopomatidae Sablefishes 

 Anoplopoma fimbria Sablefish X X X X X X X X

 Hexagrammidae Greenlings 

 Hexagrammos decagrammus Kelp greenling X X X X X 

 Hexagrammos lagocephalus Rock greenling X X X X X 

 Hexagrammos stelleri Whitespotted greenling X X X X X X

 Ophiodon elongatus Lingcod X X X X X X X X

 Oxylebius pictus Painted greenling X X X X X X X

 Zaniolepis latipinnis Longspine combfish X X X X X X

 Rhamphocottidae Grunt sculpins 

 Rhamphocottus richardsonii Grunt sculpin X X X X X X X X

 Cottidae Sculpins 

 Artedius fenestralis Padded sculpin X X X X X X X X

Artedius harringtoni Scalyhead sculpin X X X X X X X X

Artedius lateralis Smoothhead sculpin X X X X X X X X

Artedius notospilotus Bonyhead sculpin X 

 Ascelichthys rhodorus Rosylip sculpin X X X X X X

 Asemichthys taylori Spinynose sculpin X X X 

 Chitonotus pugetensis Roughback sculpin X X X X X X X X

 Clinocottus acuticeps Sharpnose sculpin X X X X X X X

 Clinocottus embryum Calico sculpin X X X X 

 Clinocottus globiceps Mosshead sculpin X X X 

 Cottus aleuticus a, e Coastrange sculpin X X X X X X X X

 Cottus asper a, e Prickly sculpin X X X X X X X X

 Enophrys bison Buffalo sculpin X X X X X X X

 Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus Red Irish lord X X X X X X X X

 Hemilepidotus spinosus Brown Irish lord X X 

 Icelinus borealis Northern sculpin X X X X X X X

 Icelinus burchami Dusky sculpin X X

 Icelinus filamentosus Threadfin sculpin X X X X X

 Icelinus fimbriatus a Fringed sculpin X X 

 Icelinus tenuis Spotfin sculpin X X X X

 Jordania zonope Longfin sculpin X X X X X 

 Leptocottus armatus Pacific staghorn sculpin X X X X X X X X

 Myoxocephalus 

 polyacanthocephalus Great sculpin X X X X X X X X

 Oligocottus maculosus Tidepool sculpin X X X X X X X X

 Oligocottus rimensis Saddleback sculpin X X X X 

 Oligocottus snyderi Fluffy sculpin X X 

 Paricelinus hopliticus a Thornback sculpin X X 

 Radulinus asprellus Slim sculpin X X X X X X X X

 Radulinus boleoides Darter sculpin X X 

 Ruscarius meanyi b Puget Sound sculpin X X X X 

 Scorpaenichthys marmoratus Cabezon X X X X X X X X

 Synchirus gilli Manacled sculpin X X X X X X

Triglops macellus Roughspine sculpin X X X X X X X

Triglops pingelii Ribbed sculpin X X X X X 

 Hemitripteridae Spiny sculpins 

 Blepsias cirrhosus Silverspotted sculpin X X X X X X X

 Nautichthys oculofasciatus Sailfin sculpin X X X X X X X X

Agonidae Poachers 

 Agonopsis vulsa b Northern spearnose poacher X X X X X X

Anoplagonus inermis Smooth alligatorfish X X X X X 

 Bathyagonus alascanus b Gray starsnout X X X X X X

 Bathyagonus infraspinatus b Spinycheek starsnout X X X X X X

 Bathyagonus nigripinnis Blackfin poacher X X X X X

 Bathyagonus pentacanthus b Bigeye poacher X X X X X

 Bothragonus swanii Rockhead X X X 

Table continued
9

Table 1 (continued)

Taxon Common name JF SJ BB SG NG NS SS HC

 Chesnonia verrucosa b Warty poacher X X 

 Hypsagonus quadricornis Fourhorn poacher X X X 

 Odontopyxis trispinosa Pygmy poacher X X X X X X

 Pallasina barbata Tubenose poacher X X X X X 

 Podothecus accipenserinus b Sturgeon poacher X X X X X X X

 Stellerina xyosterna a Pricklebreast poacher X 

 Xeneretmus latifrons Blacktip poacher X X X X 

 Xeneretmus leiops a Smootheye poacher X 

 Xeneretmus triacanthus Bluespotted poacher X X X X X

 Psychrolutidae Fathead sculpins 

 Dasycottus setiger Spinyhead sculpin X X X X X X X X

 Malacocottus kincaidi Blackfin sculpin X X X X X

 Psychrolutes paradoxus Tadpole sculpin X X X X X X X

 Psychrolutes sigalutes b Soft sculpin X X X X X X X

 Cyclopteridae Lumpfishes 

 Eumicrotremus orbis Pacific spiny lumpsucker X X X X X

 Liparidae Snailfishes 

 Careproctus melanurus Blacktail snailfish X X X 

 Liparis callyodon Spotted snailfish X X X X X 

 Liparis cyclopus Ribbon snailfish X X X X X

 Liparis dennyi Marbled snailfish X X X X X X X

 Liparis florae Tidepool snailfish X X X X X 

 Liparis fucensis Slipskin snailfish X X X X X

 Liparis greeni b Lobefin snailfish X X X X 

 Liparis mucosus a Slimy snailfish X X 

 Liparis pulchellus Showy snailfish X X X X X X X X

 Liparis rutteri a Ringtail snailfish X X X 

 Lipariscus nanus a Pygmy snailfish X 

 Nectoliparis pelagicus Tadpole snailfish X X X X

PERCIFORMES PERCHES 

 Moronidae Temperate basses 

 Morone saxatilis c Striped bass X X X

 Carangidae Jacks 

 Trachurus symmetricus Jack mackerel X

 Bramidae Pomfrets 

 Brama japonica Pacific pomfret X 

 Sciaenidae Drums and croakers 

 Atractoscion nobilis White seabass X X X 

 Genyonemus lineatus White croaker X X X

 Seriphus politus a Queenfish X X X 

 Embiotocidae Surfperches 

 Brachyistius frenatus Kelp perch X X X X X X

 Cymatogaster aggregata Shiner perch X X X X X X X X

 Damalichthys vacca Pile perch X X X X X X X

 Embiotoca lateralis Striped seaperch X X X X X X X X

 Hyperprosopon ellipticum Silver surfperch X X 

 Phanerodon furcatus White seaperch X X X X X X

 Bathymasteridae Ronquils 

 Ronquilus jordani Northern ronquil X X X X X X

 Zoarcidae Eelpouts 

 Lycodapus mandibularis Pallid eelpout X X X X

 Lycodapus parviceps a Smallhead eelpout X X 

 Lycodes beringi a Bering eelpout X X X X X

 Lycodes brevipes Shortfin eelpout X X X X X X

 Lycodes cortezianus a Bigfin eelpout X X X X 

 Lycodes pacificus b Blackbelly eelpout X X X X X X X X

 Lycodes palearis Wattled eelpout X X X X X

Table continued
10 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Table 1 (continued)

Taxon Common name JF SJ BB SG NG NS SS HC

 Stichaeidae Pricklebacks 

 Anoplarchus insignis Slender cockscomb X X X X X

 Anoplarchus purpurescens High cockscomb X X X X X X X

 Chirolophis decoratus b Decorated warbonnet X X X X X X X

 Chirolophis nugator Mosshead warbonnet X X X X X

 Leptoclinus maculatus b Daubed shanny X X X X X 

 Lumpenella longirostris a Longsnout prickleback X 

 Lumpenopsis hypochroma a Y-prickleback X X 

 Lumpenus sagitta Snake prickleback X X X X X X X X

 Phytichthys chirus Ribbon prickleback X X X X 

 Plectobranchus evides Bluebarred prickleback X X X X

 Poroclinus rothrocki Whitebarred prickleback X X X X X X

 Xiphister atropurpureus Black prickleback X X X X 

 Xiphister mucosus Rock prickleback X X X X 

 Cryptacanthodidae Wrymouths 

 Cryptacanthodes aleutensis b Dwarf wrymouth X X X X X X

 Cryptacanthodes giganteus b Giant wrymouth X X X X X X 

 Pholidae Gunnels 

 Apodichthys flavidus Penpoint gunnel X X X X X X X X

Apodichthys fucorum b Rockweed gunnel X X X X 

 Pholis clemensi Longfin gunnel X X X X X X

 Pholis laeta Crescent gunnel X X X X X X X X

 Pholis ornata Saddleback gunnel X X X X X X X

 Pholis schultzi Red gunnel X X X 

 Anarhichadidae Wolffishes 

 Anarrhichthys ocellatus Wolf-eel X X X X X X X

 Ptilichthyidae Quillfishes 

 Ptilichthys goodei Quillfish X X X X

 Zaproridae Prowfishes 

 Zaprora silenus a Prowfish X X X

 Scytalinidae Graveldivers 

 Scytalina cerdale Graveldiver X X 

 Trichodontidae Sandfishes 

 Trichodon trichodon Pacific sandfish X X X X 

 Ammodytidae Sand lances 

 Ammodytes personatus b Pacific sand lance X X X X X X X

 Icosteidae Ragfishes 

 Icosteus aenigmaticus Ragfish X X X X

 Gobiesocidae Clingfishes 

 Gobiesox maeandricus Northern clingfish X X X X X 

 Gobiidae Gobies 

 Clevelandia ios Arrow goby X X X X X X X X

 Lepidogobius lepidus Bay goby X X X X X X X X

 Rhinogobiops nicholsii b Blackeye goby X X X X X X X

 Sphyraenidae Barracudas 

 Sphyraena argentea Pacific barracuda X X X X

 Trichiuridae Cutlassfishes 

 Benthodesmus pacificus b North Pacific frostfish X X 

 Scombridae Mackerels 

 Sarda chiliensis Pacific bonito X X X X

 Scomber japonicus Pacific chub mackerel X X X 

 Stromateidae Butterfishes 

 Peprilus simillimus Pacific pompano X X X X X X X X

PLEURONECTIFORMES FLATFISHES 

 Paralichthyidae Sand flounders 

 Citharichthys sordidus Pacific sanddab X X X X X X X X

 Citharichthys stigmaeus Speckled sanddab X X X X X X X X

Table continued
11

Table 1 (continued)

Taxon Common name JF SJ BB SG NG NS SS HC

 Pleuronectidae Righteye flounders 

 Atheresthes stomias Arrowtooth flounder X X X X X X X X

 Eopsetta jordani Petrale sole X X X X X X X X

 Glyptocephalus zachirus Rex sole X X X X X X X X

 Hippoglossoides elassodon Flathead sole X X X X X X X X

 Hippoglossus stenolepis Pacific halibut X X X X X X X X

 Isopsetta isolepis Butter sole X X X X X X X X

 Lepidopsetta bilineata Rock sole X X X X X X X X

 Lepidopsetta polyxystra a Northern rock sole X X X X X X X X

 Limanda aspera a Yellowfin sole X

 Lyopsetta exilis Slender sole X X X X X X X X

 Microstomus pacificus Dover sole X X X X X X X X

 Parophrys vetulus English sole X X X X X X X X

Parophrys vetulus × Platichthys 

 stellatus a Forkline sole X X X

 Platichthys stellatus Starry flounder X X X X X X X X

 Pleuronichthys coenosus C-O sole X X X X X X X X

 Pleuronichthys decurrens a Curlfin sole X X X

 Psettichthys melanostictus Sand sole X X X X X X X X

 Cynoglossidae Tonguefishes 

 Symphurus atricaudus a California tonguefish X 

TETRAODONTIFORMES PLECTOGNATHS 

 Molidae Molas 

 Mola mola Ocean sunfish X X X X 

a Species (and hybrid) new to the marine ichthyofauna of the Salish Sea, added since the most recently published checklist (Miller and 

Borton, 1980). b Name changes introduced since the most recently published checklist (Miller and Borton, 1980). c Introduced species d Anadromous species e Primarily freshwater species

based on an analysis of data derived from several sources, including the published literature, unpublished logs 

and field notebooks, taxonomic and locality databases 

that provide access to collection records held by institutions around the world (FishBase, http://www.fishbase.

org; FishNet2, http://www.fishnet2.net; Global Biodiversity Information Facility [GBIF], http://www.gbif.

org; Ocean Biogeographic Information System [OBIS], 

http://iobis.org), preserved voucher specimens (archived 

primarily by the Burke Museum of Natural History and 

Culture, University of Washington, Seattle; Royal British 

Columbia Museum, Victoria, Canada; and Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada), and other verifiable evidence, such as 

photographs. In addition to the references given with 

each account, the following publications were consulted 

with respect to every species: Hart (1973), Miller and 

Borton (1980), Eschmeyer and Herald (1983), Mecklenburg et al. (2002), Love et al. (2005), and Love (2011). 

Authorship, dates of publication of original descriptions, 

type localities, taxonomic spelling, and synonyms were 

verified using Eschmeyer’s (2013) online Catalog of Fishes. Scientific and common names are those provided by 

Page et al. (2013) and the phylogenetic arrangement of 

taxa follows Nelson (2006), unless otherwise explained 

in the species descriptions.

For ease of discussion, the Salish Sea is divided into 

five regions (following Miller and Borton, 1980): 1) the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca, defined as a line between Cape 

Flattery on the Washington coast and Carmanah Point

on Vancouver Island to the western shore of the northern part of Whidbey Island; 2) the San Juan Archipelago, 

made up of the roughly circular cluster of islands that 

separate the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca 

from the Strait of Georgia; 3) Bellingham, the partially enclosed area that lies east of Lummi, Cypress, and 

Guemes islands, and includes Bellingham, Samish, and 

Padilla bays; 4) the Strait of Georgia, including the Gulf 

Islands and everything else north of the San Juan Archipelago to Desolation Sound (but excluding the narrow 

waterways in and around the Discovery Islands in the 

passage between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia; further division of the Strait of Georgia 

between north and south is set roughly along a line be-
12 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

tween Departure Bay and Burrard Inlet); and 5) Puget 

Sound, partially separated from the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca by Whidbey Island and extending south from Similk Bay and the entrance to Admiralty Inlet (along a 

line between Fort Ebey State Park and Port Townsend) 

to Olympia, including Hood Canal (further division of 

Puget Sound between north and south is set roughly 

along a line between Skiff and West points).

As emphasized by Miller and Borton (1980), a wide 

assortment of gear and methods has been employed in 

the collection of fishes included in this checklist, including but not limited to beach seines, bottom trawls, gillnets, purse seines, traps, spearfishing, hook and lines, 

poisoning, stomach contents, underwater observations, 

and the occasional beach find. It has therefore not been 

possible to present meaningfully the relative sampling effort in the various areas. Certain areas and habitats (e.g., 

rocky reefs and rock walls) have been sampled less intensively than others, and for many species the frequency of 

reports no doubt underestimates the true size and geographic breadth of populations. Any additional information that readers may provide is welcome as we contemplate periodic updating of this list. 

Species accounts

MYXINIFORMES HAGFISHES

Myxinidae Hagfishes

Eptatretus stoutii (Lockington, 1878) Pacific hagfish

The Pacific hagfish is restricted to the eastern North Pacific Ocean, extending from Hecate Strait, British Columbia, to central Baja California at Punta San Pablo, 

Mexico. Two collections, said to have been made in 

southeastern Alaska—the first recorded in January 1931 

from “S.E. Alaska” by the International Fish Commission, and the second documented in March 1950 from 

Clarence Strait in the Alexander Archipelago—have been 

discredited by Wisner and McMillan, and all physical 

evidence of these putative northernmost records has been 

lost. In the Salish Sea, it is represented by only two collections: four specimens taken in May 1956 just inside 

the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and a single individual collected in September 1926 in Holmes Harbor, 

Whidbey Island, in Puget Sound (a specimen identified as 

Polistotrema deani, in the collections of the California 

Academy of Sciences, was taken well off Cape Flattery 

and, therefore, cannot be included here). This species is 

rather common in offshore coastal waters, near or on the 

bottom at depths of 16 to 966 m, but rarely encountered 

except by those seeking them out for research purposes. 

(Fannin, 1898; Barraclough, 1948; Grinols, 1965; Miller and Lea, 1972; Quast and Hall, 1972; Knaggs et al., 

1975; Wisner and McMillan, 1990; Love et al., 2005)

PETROMYZONTIFORMES LAMPREYS

Petromyzontidae Lampreys

Entosphenus tridentatus Pacific lamprey

(Richardson, 1836)

The Pacific lamprey is a widely distributed species in Pacific coastal drainages of North America, ranging from 

the eastern Chukchi Sea to the eastern Aleutians (as far 

west as Seguam Pass between Seguam and Amlia islands), 

and south to Cedros Island, Baja California, with rare to 

occasional marine records from the Commander Islands, 

the Pacific coast of Kamchatka, and Hokkaido, Japan. 

Marine populations are usually found at depths of less 

than 250 m, but a maximum depth of 1508 m has been 

recorded. It has been commonly observed throughout the 

Salish Sea since it was first reported here by Jordan and 

Gilbert in 1881, but its abundance and distribution have 

declined significantly throughout its range over the past 

three decades. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881d; Bean, 1883; 

Seale, 1895; Gilbert and Thompson, 1905; Creaser and 

Hubbs, 1922; Vladykov and Follett, 1958; Hubbs, 1967; 

McPhail and Lindsey, 1970; Patton et al., 1970; Vladykov and Kott, 1979; Beamish and Levings, 1991; Luzier 

et al.3; Renaud, 2011; Ward et al., 2012; Hayes et al., 

2013)

Lampetra ayresii Western river lamprey

(Günther, 1870)

More narrowly distributed than the Pacific lamprey, the 

western river lamprey is endemic to the west coast of 

North America, ranging from just north of Juneau in 

southeastern Alaska to San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento–San Joaquin drainage in northern California. 

Sea-run adults remain near shore and apparently do not 

venture into deeper waters. No detailed distributional records exist for it in the Salish Sea, but this species probably occurs in most major river systems throughout the 

region. Sightings and captures have been reported for the 

Fraser River in the southern Strait of Georgia; the San 

Juan Islands and off Bellingham; and Port Susan, off Everett, Camano Island, the Ballard Locks, Elliot Bay, and 

the Duwamish River estuary. It appears to inhabit shallow, nearshore waters during the few months it spends 

at sea. (Creaser and Hubbs, 1922; Vladykov and Follett, 

1958; Quast and Hall, 1972; Scott and Crossman, 1973; 

Vladykov and Kott, 1979; Beamish, 1980; Bond et al., 

3 Luzier, C. W., H. A. Schaller, J. K. Brostrom, C. Cook-Tabor, 

D. H. Goodman, R. D. Nelle, K. Ostrand, and B. Streif. 2011. 

Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentata) assessment and template for conservation measures, 282 p. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., 

Portland, OR. [Available at http://www.fws.gov/pacific/Fisheries/sphabcon/Lamprey/pdf/USFWS%20Pacific%20Lamprey%20

Assessment%20and%20Template%20for%20Conservation%20

Measures%202011.pdf.]
13

1983; Beamish and Youson, 1987; Beamish and Neville, 

1995; Renaud, 2011)

CHIMAERIFORMES RATFISHES

Chimaeridae Shortnose chimaeras

Hydrolagus colliei (Lay and Spotted ratfish

Bennett, 1839) (Fig. 3A)

Ranging from the western Gulf of Alaska, east of Kodiak Island, to southern Baja California at Punta Prieta, 

as well as the northern Gulf of California, the spotted 

ratfish is common off British Columbia, and extremely abundant in the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound, 

where year-round, in terms of abundance and biomass, it 

dominates the fish fauna at depths of 80–160 m. Overall 

the species has a wide vertical range occurring to depths 

as great as 971 m, but it is occasionally found also in 

intertidal waters. An abundance of spotted ratfish has 

also been noted in deep waters immediately adjoining 

the Salish Sea, but it remains unclear whether this species 

is as common in similar habitats throughout the eastern 

North Pacific or if this super abundance is confined to 

the inland sea. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Quinn 

et al., 1980; Didier and Rosenberger, 2002; Ebert, 2003; 

Palsson et al.4; Stevenson et al., 2007; Reum et al., 2008; 

Reum and Essington, 2011)

LAMNIFORMES MACKEREL SHARKS

Alopiidae Thresher sharks

Alopias vulpinus Common thresher shark

(Bonnaterre, 1788)

Pelagic and nearly cosmopolitan in tropical and temperate oceans and inland seas (including the Mediterranean, 

Black, Baltic, and North seas)—but somewhat more 

common in temperate waters—the common thresher 

shark is found most often in slope waters along continental and insular margins, extending from the surface 

to a depth of at least 572 m. In the eastern North Pacific, 

it ranges from southeastern Alaska near Sitka to Goose 

Bay and Johnstone Strait off British Columbia and farther south to Baja California, the Gulf of Panama, and 

Chile. Extremely rare in the Salish Sea, it has been taken 

off Otter Point near Sooke in the Strait of Juan de Fuca 

and in Saanich Inlet off the southeast end of Vancouver 

Island. A 3.7-m specimen caught on 24 May 1972 off 

Sucia Island in the San Juan Archipelago was stuffed and 

put on display at the Shrimp Shack in Bellingham, Wash4 Palsson, W. A., S. Hoffmann, P. Clarke, and J. Beam. 2003. Results from the 2001 transboundary trawl survey of the southern 

Strait of Georgia, San Juan Archipelago and adjacent waters, 109 

p. Wash. Dep. Fish Wildl., Mill Creek, WA. [Available at http://

wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01044/wdfw01044.pdf.] 

ington. (Gill, 1864b; Cowan, 1938; Clemens and Wilby, 

1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Cailliet and Bedford, 

1983; Compagno, 1984, 2001; Scott and Scott, 1988; 

Bedford, 1992; Bussing and López, 1994; Eitner, 1995; 

McEachran and Fechhelm, 1998; Ebert, 2003; Stevenson 

et al., 2007)

Cetorhinidae Basking shark

Cetorhinus maximus Basking shark

(Gunnerus, 1765)

Worldwide in cold seas, with only a few records from 

tropical latitudes, and ranging in depth from the surface 

down to 1264 m in the eastern Pacific, the distribution 

of the basking shark extends from the Aleutian Islands 

and Gulf of Alaska south to the Gulf of California and 

off Chile. It is rare in the Salish Sea, with fewer than 

10 verifiable occurrences: published localities include 

Hammond Bay in the southern Strait of Georgia, off 

Richmond Beach, the entrance to Gig Harbor, off the 

mouth of Chambers Creek (north of Steilacoom), near 

Mukilteo, and the east waterway of the Duwamish River. Unpublished occurrences include both sightings and 

captures near Edmonds, off Kingston, and near Vashon 

and San Juan islands. 

Prior to 1970, large aggregations of this shark were 

common seasonally off the coast and within the Salish Sea, but numbers have plummeted since then, with 

the decline attributed to directed fisheries for liver oil 

(1941−1947) and an eradication program that killed 

hundreds, perhaps thousands of individuals between 

1945 and 1970. Off British Columbia, the minimum 

historical population reconstructed from documented 

kills was at least 750 individuals, whereas the current 

population is virtually zero, implying a rate of decline 

exceeding 90% within fewer than two generations. The 

basking shark is listed as a species of concern by the U.S. 

Federal Endangered Species Act and as endangered in 

British Columbia by Canada’s Committee on the Status 

of Endangered Wildlife and Species at Risk Public Registry. (Green, 1891, 1893; Phillips, 1948; Castro, 1983; 

Compagno, 1984, 2001; Squire, 1990; Last and Stevens, 

1994; Baduini, 1995; Ebert, 2003; Bueckert, 2007; Stevenson et al., 2007)

Lamnidae Mackerel sharks

Lamna ditropis Hubbs and Salmon shark

Follett, 1947 (Fig. 3B)

The salmon shark is restricted to temperate and subarctic waters of the North Pacific Ocean, ranging from the 

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to the Sea of Okhotsk, 

Japan, and South Korea in the west, and to the Gulf of 

Alaska and south to central Baja California in the east 

(a waif has been recorded in the central Pacific near the 
14 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Figure 3

Fishes of the Salish Sea: (A) spotted ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei), (B) salmon shark (Lamna ditropis), and (C) white sturgeon 

(Acipenser transmontanus). © Joseph R. Tomelleri.
15

Hawaiian Archipelago). It is common off British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, and in the straits of Juan 

de Fuca and Georgia, but this species is rarely seen in 

the San Juan Islands and Puget Sound, where it is represented by fewer than a half dozen verifiable records: between Eagle Point and Cattle Point on San Juan Island, 

in Rolling Bay (Bainbridge Island), and in Elliot Bay near 

Seattle. It is usually found offshore in continental waters 

to depths of 792 m, but it also ranges into shallow water 

just off beaches, occurring either singly or in schools or 

feeding aggregations of several individuals. (Clemens and 

Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Castro, 1983; 

Ebert, 1992, 2003; Nakano and Nagasawa, 1996; Nagasawa, 1998; Compagno, 2001; Hulbert and Rice5; Hulbert et al., 2005; Weng et al., 2005, 2008; Stevenson et 

al., 2007; Goldman and Musick, 2008)

CARCHARHINIFORMES GROUND SHARKS

Scyliorhinidae Cat sharks

Apristurus brunneus (Gilbert, 1892) Brown cat shark

The brown cat shark is restricted to the eastern North 

Pacific Ocean, where it extends from southeast Alaska 

at Icy Point to central Baja California, inhabiting water as shallow as 33 m but generally preferring greater 

depths to a maximum of 1306 m. It is usually associated with soft muddy or sandy bottoms, but juveniles 

are sometimes taken in mid-water well off the substrate. 

Although it is relatively common in the southern Strait 

of Georgia and throughout Puget Sound (including Hood 

Canal), this species is rare everywhere else in the Salish 

Sea. There are no known records from the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca, and, in the San Juan Archipelago, there is only 

a single capture of three specimens off San Juan Island 

in May 1966. (Gilbert and Thompson, 1905; Kincaid, 

1919; DeLacy and Chapman, 1935; Roedel and Ripley, 

1950; Roedel, 1951; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Compagno, 1984; Lamb and Edgell, 

1986, 2010; Ebert, 2003; Stevenson et al., 2007)

Triakidae Hound sharks

Triakis semifasciata Girard, 1855a Leopard shark

Endemic to the eastern North Pacific Ocean, the leopard 

shark is relatively common between Coos Bay, Oregon, 

and Mazatlán, Mexico, including the Gulf of California. 

It is most often encountered at depths less than 40 m. 

This species is represented in the Salish Sea by a single 

known specimen, a 170-cm female captured in 2 m of 

5 Hulbert, L. B., and S. D. Rice. 2002. Salmon shark, Lamna ditropis, movements, diet, and abundance in the eastern North Pacific 

Ocean and Prince William Sound, Alaska, x + 40 p. Exxon Valdez 

Oil Spill Restoration Project Final Report (Restoration Project 

02396), NMFS Auke Bay Laboratory, Juneau, AK. [Available at 

http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/52953248.pdf.]

water in Samish Bay, just south of Bellingham, Washington, in September 2007. (Talent, 1976, 1985; Compagno, 1984; Smith and Abramson, 1990; Cailliet, 1992; 

Ackerman et al., 2000; Ebert, 2003; Hopkins and Cech, 

2003; Farrer, 2009; Love, 2011; Pietsch et al., 2012)

Carcharhinidae Requiem sharks

Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758) Blue shark

The blue shark has perhaps the greatest geographic range 

of any elasmobranch and one of the broadest distributions of any marine vertebrate. It can be found almost 

anywhere in tropical and temperate waters from the surface down to a depth of at least 812 m, but it is most 

abundant from the surface to depths of more than 200 

m. Although typically an oceanic species, it often ventures inshore, especially at night, and is sometimes found 

off oceanic islands or in areas with a narrow continental 

shelf. In the eastern Pacific, it ranges from Kodiak Island 

to Chile, including the Gulf of California, but it is extremely rare, if not absent, within the confines of the inland seas of Washington and British Columbia. The only 

record in the Salish Sea was published in 1881 by Jordan 

and Gilbert: “the jaws of an adult taken near Seattle are 

in the Museum of the University of Washington Territory.” But no physical evidence to support this claim can 

now be found, and the very few subsequent indications 

of the presence of the blue shark in the Salish Sea are 

most likely based on this single, most likely, erroneous 

record. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan and 

Starks, 1895; Kincaid, 1919; Compagno, 1984; Harvey, 

1989; Last and Stevens, 1994; Ebert, 2003; Stevenson et 

al., 2007; Nakano and Stevens, 2008)

HEXANCHIFORMES SIXGILL SHARKS

Hexanchidae Cow sharks

Hexanchus griseus Bluntnose sixgill shark

(Bonnaterre, 1788)

Widely distributed in tropical and temperate waters of all 

three major oceans of the world, including the Mediterranean Sea, the bluntnose sixgill shark is found primarily 

on continental and insular shelves and upper slopes, from 

the surface down to a depth of at least 2500 m. In the 

eastern North Pacific, it ranges from the Aleutian Islands 

to the tip of Baja California and farther south to Chile. 

For such a large elasmobranch (attaining a maximum 

length of about 4.82 m), it is surprisingly common in the 

Salish Sea. Collections and sightings have been made in 

the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in the Strait of Georgia, from 

the San Juan Islands, and throughout Puget Sound from 

off Bellingham, Everett, and Seattle to Commencement 

Bay near Tacoma and in Hood Canal, Colvos Passage, 

and Hale Passage. It has been listed as a species of spe-
16 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

cial concern by the Government of Canada. (Jordan and 

Gilbert, 1880p; Miller and Greenfield, 1965; Compagno, 

1984; Ebert, 1986a, 1986b, 1990, 2003; Last and Stevens, 1994; Gilbert and Williams, 2002; Stevenson et al., 

2007; Gaydos and Brown, 2009)

Notorynchus cepedianus Broadnose sevengill shark

(Péron, 1807)

Widely distributed primarily in temperate oceans and 

seas around the world, the broadnose sevengill shark is 

found mainly in shallow, inshore, coastal waters, including bays and estuaries, out onto the continental shelf at 

depths of at least 136 m. Although often found over 

sandy and mud bottoms, it seems to prefer rocky reef 

habitats where kelp beds thrive. In the eastern North 

Pacific, it ranges from southeast Alaska to Baja California, including the Gulf of California, but it is exceedingly 

rare within the restricted waters of the Salish Sea. It was 

first recorded from southern Puget Sound in 1863 by 

Gill, on the basis of the jaws of a specimen “presented at 

Nisqually to one of the representatives of the Exploring 

Expedition under Commodore Wilkes.” Although physical evidence of Gill’s specimen no longer exists, a 1.2-mlong female in the University of Washington Fish Collection from off South Beach, just south of Point Roberts 

in the Strait of Georgia, taken at a depth of 120 to 160 

m, appears to be the only verifiable record in the Salish Sea. There are additional records from the southern 

Strait of Georgia, particularly in the vicinity of Pender 

Island, and one from south Puget Sound, off Walker 

Park, Hammersley Inlet, just east of Shelton. This species was previously known as Notorynchus maculatus. 

(Gill, 1863, 1864b; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881d; Compagno, 1984; Ebert, 1986b, 1989, 1990, 2003; Last and 

Stevens, 1994; Stevens and Last, 1998; Gilbert and Williams, 2002)

SQUALIFORMES DOGFISH SHARKS

Squalidae Dogfish sharks

Squalus suckleyi (Girard, 1855a) Pacific spiny dogfish

The Pacific spiny dogfish is endemic to the North Pacific Ocean, occupying a wide depth range from very 

shallow in some areas down to depths of at least 1236 

m. Its range extends from Korea and Japan, north to 

Kamchatka, the Sea of Okhotsk, and Sakhalin Island, 

east across the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands to the 

Gulf of Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington, and 

farther south to southern Baja California. In the eastern 

Pacific, it is extremely common off British Columbia and 

Washington but declines in abundance off the Oregon 

and California coasts. It can be found almost anywhere 

throughout the Salish Sea at depths ranging from the 

surface to more than 250 m. This species was previously 

known as Squalus acanthias Linnaeus, 1758 (a valid species not found in the North Pacific). (Jordan and Gilbert, 

1881c, 1881d; Kincaid, 1919; DeLacy and Chapman, 

1935; Compagno, 1984; Ketchen, 1986; Saunders and 

McFarlane, 1993; Last and Stevens, 1994; Stevens and 

Last, 1998; Gilbert and Williams, 2002; Ebert, 2003; 

Stevenson et al., 2007; Palsson, 2009; Ebert et al., 2010; 

Veríssimo et al., 2010)

Somniosidae Sleeper sharks

Somniosus pacificus Pacific sleeper shark

 Bigelow and Schroeder, 1944

The Pacific sleeper shark is restricted to the North Pacific 

Ocean, extending from Japan, along the Siberian coast 

and across the Bering Sea, to Alaska and south to Baja 

California. It is extremely rare in the Salish Sea, with 

less than a half dozen sightings. It was first recorded but 

not collected by Jordan and Gilbert in 1881, on the basis of “a specimen 8 feet in length seen by us at Victoria.” A stuffed specimen from Seattle “in the Museum 

of the Young Naturalists’ Society” was later recorded by 

Jordan and Starks. Additional published records include 

sightings in the San Juan Islands and off Comox in the 

Strait of Georgia. Typically a benthic species, it is usually found hovering over the bottom at depths ranging 

from 240 to 2000 m, but sometimes comes to the surface, even occasionally entering the intertidal. (Jordan 

and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan and Starks, 1895; 

Bigelow and Schroeder, 1948; Gotshall and Jow, 1965; 

Compagno, 1984; Ebert et al., 1987; Last and Stevens, 

1994; Gilbert and Williams, 2002; Ebert, 2003; Yano et 

al., 2004; Stevenson et al., 2007)

SQUATINIFORMES ANGEL SHARKS

Squatinidae Angel sharks

Squatina californica Ayres, 1859 Pacific angel shark

The Pacific angel shark, a cold- to warm-temperate species restricted to the eastern Pacific Ocean, extending 

from southeastern Alaska to the Gulf of California and 

from off Ecuador to southern Chile, inhabits primarily 

the continental shelf at depths ranging from 3 to 100 

m but may occasionally be found at depths of 183 m 

or more. It is often found in shallow bays, in estuaries, 

and around rocky reefs and kelp forests. Although primarily a benthic species, it has been reported to occur 

in mid-water at depths of 15–91 m off the bottom. It is 

extremely rare in the Salish Sea, known only from a single individual collected “near Seattle” in October 1931. 

(Schultz et al., 1932; Schultz and DeLacy, 1935; Miller and Borton, 1980; Compagno, 1984; Cailliet et al., 

1992; Stevens and Last, 1998; Fouts and Nelson, 1999; 

Gilbert and Williams, 2002; Ebert, 2003)
17

TORPEDINIFORMES ELECTRIC RAYS

Torpedinidae Torpedo electric rays

Torpedo californica Ayres, 1855b Pacific electric ray

The Pacific electric ray is found only in the North Pacific, from Japan in the west, and extending from northern British Columbia at Graham Island to Magdalena 

Bay, Baja California, in the east. It is most commonly 

found at depths of 3–30 m, but in southern parts of its 

range it occurs at much greater depths, down to at least 

274 m. In the inland waters of the Salish Sea, records 

include collections and sightings from off Cape Flattery 

and Tatoosh Island near the mouth of the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca; off Cherry Point in the southern Strait of Georgia; from off Bellingham and Everett; throughout most 

of Puget Sound, including Admiralty Inlet, Port Ludlow, 

Hood Canal, Port Orchard, central Puget Sound; and in 

the South Sound, from off Tacoma and in Case and Carr 

Inlets. Three divers are said to have been shocked by 

this fish in 1972 off Seahurst Park, Burien, Washington. 

(Crawford, 1927b; DeLacy and Chapman, 1935; Bray 

and Hixon, 1978; Miller and Borton, 1980; Compagno, 

1984; Last and Stevens, 1994; Stevens and Last, 1998; 

Neer and Cailliet, 2001; Gilbert and Williams, 2002; Ebert, 2003)

RAJIFORMES SKATES

Rajidae Skates

Bathyraja interrupta Bering skate

(Gill and Townsend, 1897)

Ranging from the Bering Sea and eastern Aleutian Islands through the Gulf of Alaska to the Strait of Georgia, and found over soft bottoms at depths of 26–1050 

m, the Bering skate is known in the Salish Sea from a 

single specimen trawled off the bottom at a depth of 

183 m on the west side of Boundary Bay in the southern 

Strait of Georgia. This species was previously considered 

to be synonymous with the sandpaper skate, Bathyraja 

kincaidii (Garman, 1908), but recent unpublished molecular work has confirmed its validity. (Garman, 1908, 

1913; Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Ishihara and Ishiyama, 1985; Allen and Smith, 1988; Ebert, 2003; Stevenson, 2004; Love et al., 2005; Stevenson et al., 2007)

Bathyraja kincaidii (Garman, 1908) Sandpaper skate

Ranging from southeastern Alaska to northern Baja California and preferring soft bottoms, at depths of 18–500 

m, the sandpaper skate was originally described in 1908 

from a specimen collected at Friday Harbor, San Juan 

Island, and first recorded in British Columbia waters in 

1936, on the basis of a specimen taken in Trincomali 

Channel, near Porlier Pass, in the southern Strait of 

Georgia. Additional material has since been collected off 

Neah Bay, off Protection Island, and west of McArthur 

Bank in the Strait of Juan de Fuca; between Skipjack Island and Turn Point, and northwest of Barnes Island, in 

the San Juan Archipelago; in Burrows Bay (Skagit County); and off Point Roberts in the southern Strait of Georgia. This species was previously considered to be synonymous with the Bering skate, Bathyraja interrupta (Gill 

and Townsend, 1897), but recent unpublished molecular 

work has confirmed its validity. (Garman, 1913; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1935; Ebert, 2003; Love et al., 2005; Stevenson et al., 2007; Love, 2011)

Beringraja binoculata (Girard, 1855a) Big skate

The big skate ranges from the southeastern Bering Sea 

and eastern Aleutian Islands, at least as far west as Unalaska, to central Baja California at Cedros Island and 

the Gulf of California. Although rare south of Point 

Conception, California, it is one of the most common 

skates in the Salish Sea, exceedingly abundant almost everywhere on soft bottoms, typically at depths of 2–100 

m. This species has occasionally been confused with the 

starry skate, Raja stellulata Jordan and Gilbert, 1880c, 

and the Alaska skate, Bathyraja parmifera (Bean, 1881b) 

(see “Comments,” p. 72). (Suckley, 1860; Jordan and 

Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Schultz and DeLacy, 

1935; Miller and Borton, 1980; Ebert, 2003; Stevenson 

et al., 2007; Love, 2011; Ishihara et al., 2012)

Raja inornata California skate

Jordan and Gilbert, 1881f

In sharp contrast to its close relative the big skate described above, the California skate is extremely rare 

in the Salish Sea, known only from a single specimen 

collected by Charles H. Gilbert in 1891 off Cape Flattery just inside the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. 

This locality also marks the northernmost extent of its 

range—from there it extends south to southern Baja 

California and the Gulf of California. It is generally 

found on soft bottoms, inshore and in shallow bays, at 

depths of 13–120 m, but occasionally taken as well in 

much deeper water, exceeding 1600 m. (Gilbert, 1896c; 

Schultz and DeLacy, 1935; Miller and Lea, 1972; Pearcy 

et al., 1982; Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Ebert, 2003; 

Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Raja rhina Jordan and Gilbert, 1880h Longnose skate

A deep-dwelling species, occupying soft bottoms at 

depths of 9–1294 m, but more often between 50 and 

200 m, the longnose skate ranges from the southeastern 

Bering Sea and eastern Aleutian Islands to southern Baja 

California at Punta San Juanico and the Gulf of Califor-
18 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

nia. In the Salish Sea, it is exceedingly abundant and may 

be found in deep water almost anywhere throughout 

the straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca, in and around 

the San Juan Archipelago, and the full length of Puget 

Sound, including Hood Canal. (Jordan and Gilbert, 

1881c, 1881d; Starks and Morris, 1907; Starks, 1911; 

Kincaid, 1919; Schultz and DeLacy, 1935; Miller and 

Borton, 1980; Stevenson et al., 2007)

ACIPENSERIFORMES STURGEONS

Acipenseridae Sturgeons

Acipenser medirostris Ayres, 1854 Green sturgeon

The green sturgeon, perhaps the most widely distributed member of the family Acipenseridae, is found in 

nearshore marine waters throughout the eastern North 

Pacific Ocean, ranging from the Bering Sea and Gulf of 

Alaska to Washington and Oregon, and as far south as 

Ensenada on the Baja California peninsula. Asian records of this species—reported from Taiwan, Korea, Peter the Great Bay, Hokkaido, Sakhalin Island, and the 

Amur River—most likely represent the closely related 

Sakhalin sturgeon, Acipenser mikadoi. In marine habitats of the eastern North Pacific, the green sturgeon is 

best known from southern British Columbia, the west 

coast of Vancouver Island, and Willapa Bay, Washington, but it is rarely found in the Salish Sea. The earliest 

indication of its presence here was published in 1900 

by Richard Rathbun in his “review of the fisheries in 

the contiguous waters of the state of Washington and 

British Columbia,” but since then there have been fewer 

than two dozen records. In the late 1970s, two specimens were observed, but apparently not collected, inside 

Dungeness Spit at the eastern end of the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca. Additional specimens have since been recorded 

from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, including in Discovery 

Bay and off Victoria, as well as in the Fraser River and 

northern end of the Strait of Georgia. It has been listed 

as threatened in northern parts of Puget Sound under 

the U.S. Federal Endangered Species Act and a species of 

special concern by Canada’s Committee on the Status of 

Endangered Wildlife and Species at Risk Public Registry. 

(Rathbun, 1900; Kincaid, 1919; Fowler, 1923; Clemens 

and Wilby, 1946; Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 

2003; Adams et al., 2007; Benson et al., 2007; Colway 

and Stevenson, 2007; Erickson and Hightower, 2007; 

Heppell, 2007; Lindley et al., 2008)

Acipenser transmontanus White sturgeon

Richardson, 1836 (Fig. 3C)

In marine habitats, the white sturgeon ranges from the 

northern Gulf of Alaska to Ensenada, Mexico, but it apparently spawns only in large rivers from the Sacramento–

San Joaquin system northward. At present, self-sustaining 

spawning populations are known only in the Sacramento, 

Columbia, and Fraser rivers. In 1866, John Keast Lord, a 

naturalist for the North American Boundary Commission, 

was the first to indicate its presence in the Salish Sea, describing its biology and exploitation by Native Americans 

along the Fraser River. Since then, it has been recorded 

numerous times in the Strait of Georgia and the Fraser 

River estuary, throughout the Strait of Juan de Fuca, near 

Port Susan in the tidal waters of the Stillaguamish River, 

off Port Orchard and Seattle, and from southern Puget 

Sound, including Hood Canal. It has been listed as endangered in British Columbia by Canada’s Committee on the 

Status of Endangered Wildlife and Species at Risk Public 

Registry. (Lord, 1866; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; 

Rathbun, 1900; Kincaid, 1919; Stevens and Miller, 1970; 

Haw and Buckley, 1971; Miller and Borton, 1980; Wang, 

1986; Emmett et al., 1991; Schaffter, 1997; Moyle, 2002; 

Wydoski and Whitney, 2003)

ANGUILLIFORMES EELS

Nemichthyidae Snipe eels

Nemichthys scolopaceus Slender snipe eel

Richardson, 1848

The snipe eel is the most common and geographically 

widespread of all the nemichthyids. Primarily a mesopelagic species, it is found occasionally at the surface and 

to depths as great as 4337 m. It ranges throughout tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic Ocean between 

about 55° N and 50° S, including in the Caribbean, eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Mediterranean Sea; the Indian 

Ocean from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal south 

to about 50° S; the western Pacific from Japan to New 

Zealand; and the eastern Pacific from the Gulf of Alaska 

to southern Chile, including the Gulf of California. But 

in the Salish Sea, which offers very little deepwater habitat, it is quite rare. Since this species was first recorded 

in 1881 (as Nemichthys avocetta) by Jordan and Gilbert, 

from the harbor of Port Gamble, Washington, only a 

very few specimens have been mentioned. The second 

known specimen was reported by Jordan in 1896, found 

on the beach at Beacon Hill, near Victoria; the third was 

reported by Gilbert in 1904—a 71-cm specimen taken 

during the summer of 1898, off Waldron Island in the 

southern part of the Strait of Georgia, “swimming on the 

surface of the water like a snake.” In February 2007, a 

67-cm specimen was found on a dock at the Port Washington Marina in Bremerton, Washington, but whether the fish was actually resident there or brought in by 

someone from elsewhere is unknown. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881a, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 1896; Gilbert, 1904; 

Peden, 1974; Nielsen and Smith, 1978; Nielsen, 1984; 

Smith and Nielsen, 1989; Wippelhauser et al., 1996; 

Smith, 1999, 2003; Smith and Tighe, 2002; Moore et al., 

2003; Bilecenoglu et al., 2006)
19

CLUPEIFORMES HERRINGS

Engraulidae Anchovies

Engraulis mordax Girard, 1854a Northern anchovy

The northern anchovy ranges from the Queen Charlotte 

Islands in northern British Columbia to Cape San Lucas, 

Baja California, with a center of abundance from San 

Francisco to Magdalena Bay and a few records off La 

Paz at the southernmost end of the Gulf of California. 

Primarily a coastal, nearshore species, it is usually found 

on or near the surface but known also to occupy depths 

greater than 200 m. It is present throughout the Salish 

Sea, with verifiable records in both straits, in the San 

Juan Islands, off Bellingham and Everett, and throughout most of Puget Sound from Admiralty Inlet to Olympia, including Hood Canal. (Suckley, 1860; Schultz and 

DeLacy, 1935; Kramer and Ahlstrom, 1968; Miller and 

Borton, 1980; Laroche and Richardson, 1983; Methot 

and Lo6; Whitehead, 1988; Burridge, 2002; Penttila7; 

Miller and Kendall, 2009)

Clupeidae Herrings

Alosa sapidissima (Wilson, 1811) American shad

A widely distributed, anadromous species, the American 

shad is native to the Atlantic coast of North America, 

from the St. Lawrence River and Nova Scotia southward to central Florida, often entering streams and rivers. Introductions in the Gulf of Mexico have apparently 

failed, but similar efforts along the Pacific coast by way 

of the Sacramento River, California, in 1871 (with subsequent shipments by the U.S. Fish Commission in 1873 

and 1876−1880) were highly successful—the population soon spreading to other waters along the coast of 

the Pacific Northwest, with reports of mature fish in the 

Columbia River by 1876. Additional introductions were 

made in the Columbia River in 1885 and 1886. The species is now found from Kamchatka to Kodiak Island and 

British Columbia and south to Todos Santos Bay, Baja 

California. First caught in Puget Sound in August 1882, 

it has remained relatively uncommon, reported occasionally from the straits of Juan de Fuca and Georgia, the 

San Juan Islands, and Bellingham Bay and throughout 

most of Puget Sound south to the Tacoma Narrows and 

off Olympia, including Hood Canal. In freshwater, it is 

most abundant in the Fraser, Skagit, Stillaguamish, Snohomish, and Nooksack rivers. (Swan, 1883; Welander, 

1940; Wendler8; Cheek, 1968; Dodson et al., 1972; 

6 Methot, R. D., and N. C. H. Lo. 1987. Spawning biomass of the 

northern anchovy in 1987. SWFC Admin. Rep., La Jolla, California, LJ-87-14, 46 p.

7 Penttila, D. 2007. Marine forage fishes in Puget Sound. Puget 

Sound Nearshore Partnership Report 2007-03, Seattle District, 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle, WA, vi + 23 p

8 Wendler, H. O. 1967. The American shad of the Columbia River 

Leggett and Whitney, 1972; Whitehead, 1985; Melvin et 

al., 1986; Quinn and Adam, 1996; Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 2003; Pearcy and Fisher, 2011; Hasselman et al., 2012)

Clupea pallasii Valenciennes, 1847 Pacific herring

The Pacific herring is widely distributed in the northern 

hemisphere: in the Arctic, from the White Sea eastward 

to the Chukchi and Beaufort seas; in the western Pacific 

from Anadyr Bay to the east coast of Kamchatka and the 

Aleutian Islands and south to Japan and the west coast 

of Korea; and in the eastern Pacific from Alaska, southward to San Diego and northern Baja California. A pelagic schooling species, it is commonly found in coastal 

and offshore regions at the surface to a depth of 250 m. 

The earliest Salish Sea record was made by John Keith 

Lord, who sent two skins to the British Museum in 1866 

that were subsequently recorded (as Clupea mirabilis) 

by Albert Günther. Adults of this species are extremely 

abundant and widespread in bays and inlets throughout 

the Salish Sea. (Lord, 1866; Günther, 1868; Haist and 

Stocker, 1985; Hammond, 1887; Rounsefell, 1930; Fitch 

and Lavenberg, 1975; Miller and Borton, 1980; Morrow, 1980; Whitehead, 1985; Swift et al., 1993; Penttila7; Gaydos and Brown, 2009)

Sardinops sagax (Jenyns, 1842) Pacific sardine

The Pacific sardine ranges from southern Japan and Kamchatka, east to southeastern Alaska, and south to Cape 

San Lucas, Baja California, and throughout the Gulf of 

California. Although first reported in Puget Sound in 

1892, this species is rarely found in the Salish Sea—verifiable records are few, and it has never been established 

that it spawns here. Fewer than a dozen specimens each 

have been reported from the following localities: the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca and southern Strait of Georgia, 

the San Juan Islands, off Everett and Port Orchard, and 

Hood Canal. Nearly all that is known about the biology 

of this species is based on studies conducted off California. (Collins, 1892; Hubbs, 1929; Clark, 1935; Hildebrand, 1946; Svetovidov, 1952, 1963; Ahlstrom and 

Kramer, 1957; Miller and Lea, 1972; Fitch and Lavenberg, 1975; Whitehead, 1985; Parrish et al., 1989; Javor 

et al., 2011)

CYPRINIFORMES CARPS

Cyprinidae Carps and minnows 

Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758 Common carp

The common carp is primarily a freshwater species, 

widely introduced around the world, although it is Asiwith a recommendation for management of the fishery, 22 p. 

Wash. Dep. Fish., Olympia, WA.
20 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

atic in origin. It was introduced as a food fish in many 

parts of the United States, especially in the years following the Civil War, and initially into Idaho, Oregon, and 

Washington in 1882. By 1894, it was well established in 

the lower Columbia River, but it has proved to be detrimental to native fish populations and has never become 

popular in our region, either as food or as a sport fish. It 

can now be found in lakes, ponds, reservoirs, rivers, and 

streams throughout the United States and across southern Canada from the St. Lawrence Valley to brackish 

water of the lower Fraser River. Its presence in the Salish 

Sea is based on a single specimen taken in June 1946 in 

brackish water off Point Grey near Vancouver and on 

what has been described as an “anomalous occurrence” 

in July 1967 of 13 juvenile specimens collected with a 

surface trawl in low salinity waters at the southern end 

of the Strait of Georgia between the mouth of the Fraser River and Saturna Island. These few records support 

the notion of carp dispersal and colonization of streams 

through short distances of salt water. (Carl et al., 1959; 

Barraclough and Robinson, 1971; Balon, 1995; Moyle, 

2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 2003; Kottelat and Freyhof, 2007)

ARGENTINIFORMES MARINE SMELTS

Bathylagidae Deepsea smelts

Leuroglossus schmidti Northern smoothtongue

Rass, 1955

The northern smoothtongue is widespread around the 

northern parts of the Pacific Rim, from Northern Honshu, Japan, through the Okhotsk and Bering seas and the 

Gulf of Alaska and to British Columbia as far south as 

Vancouver Island. Although generally labeled a mesopelagic species—most commonly distributed at depths between 200 and 1000 m—juveniles and adults have been 

collected at various times near the surface, in depths less 

than 15 m, even during daylight hours. Such shallowwater occurrences have been recorded from Glacier Bay, 

Gulf of Alaska, and also in the Strait of Georgia where 

juveniles and adults are generally distributed throughout, from Hernando Island southeast to the 49th parallel. There are no known records farther south in the San 

Juan Islands and in Puget Sound, or in the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca. (Barraclough9; Borodulina, 1968; Peden, 1981c; 

Dunn, 1983; Mason and Phillips, 1985; Matarese et al., 

1989; Moser and Ahlstrom, 1996; Sobolevsky and Sokolovskaya, 1996; Abookire et al., 2002)

9 Barraclough, W. E. 1967. Number, size, and food of larval and juvenile fish caught with an Isaacs-Kidd trawl in the surface waters 

of the Strait of Georgia, April 25–29, 1966. Fish. Res. Bd. Can. 

Manuscr. Rep. Ser. 926, 79 p. [Available at http://www.dfo-mpo.

gc.ca/Library/30481.pdf.] 

OSMERIFORMES FRESHWATER SMELTS

Osmeridae Smelts

Allosmerus elongatus (Ayres, 1854) Whitebait smelt

The whitebait smelt ranges in shallow waters from the 

outer coast of Vancouver Island to San Francisco Bay, 

with a highly questionable record from farther south off 

San Pedro, California (a single specimen that may have 

been released as live bait). It is rare in the Salish Sea, but 

there are a number of verifiable records at several localities within the Strait of Juan de Fuca, including Neah 

Bay, off Sail Rock, and in Clallam and Sequim bays, 

as well as in East Sound in the San Juan Islands. There 

are no known occurrences in the Strait of Georgia or in 

Puget Sound. (Hubbs, 1925; Shelford et al., 1935; Smith, 

1936; McAllister, 1963; Miller and Borton, 1980; Matarese et al., 1989; Moyle, 2002)

Hypomesus pretiosus (Girard, 1854c) Surf smelt

The surf smelt ranges from the north side of the Alaska 

Peninsula at Izembek Bay and the Gulf of Alaska south 

to Long Beach, California. Based on numerous published 

records, it is widely distributed throughout the southern 

part of the Salish Sea: from Burrard Inlet at the southern end of the Strait of Georgia, off Port Angeles and 

Dungeness at the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca, in and around the San Juan Islands, and south 

throughout most of Puget Sound as far south as Olympia. Areas of high abundance, apparently associated with 

established spawning grounds, are found in Birch, Bellingham, and Samish bays; in and around the San Juan 

Islands, Fidalgo Bay, Crescent Harbor, and Penn Cove; 

off the northern end and eastern margin of Camano Island; off Kilisut Harbor; Liberty Bay; off West Point and 

in Shilshole Bay; off the west coast of Bainbridge Island; 

in Dyes and Sinclair inlets; around Harbor Island and in 

the Duwamish waterway; at the southern end of Hood 

Canal off Hoodsport and along the shores of The Great 

Bend; and in Henderson, Budd, and Totten inlets. (Swan, 

1881a; Hubbs, 1925; McAllister, 1963; Fitch and Lavenberg, 1975; Lee et al., 1980; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Morrow, 1980; Matarese et al., 1989; Moyle, 2002; 

Penttila7)

Mallotus villosus (Müller, 1776) Capelin

The capelin is a circumboreal species, widespread 

throughout the northern part of the Pacific Rim, extending from Korea, Japan, and the Sea of Okhotsk and 

across southern Arctic Canada to Cape Cod in the western North Atlantic. In the eastern Pacific, it ranges from 

the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands to Barkley 

Sound on the outer coast of Vancouver Island, but it very 

rarely enters the Salish Sea. The only verifiable record is 
21

an observation of 50 or more individuals apparently occupying a spawning ground on the west side of Sequim 

Bay at the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It is 

usually found in shallow coastal waters but known to occupy depths of 80 m or more. (Hubbs, 1925; McAllister, 

1963; Miller and Borton, 1980; Pahlke, 1985; Stergiou, 

1989; Carscadden et al., 1994; Naumenko, 1996; Hay, 

1998; Brown, 2002; Doyle et al., 2002; Moyle, 2002)

Spirinchus starksi (Fisk, 1913) Night smelt

The night smelt is restricted to the eastern North Pacific 

Ocean from the southeastern Gulf of Alaska at Shelikof 

Bay to Southern California off Point Arguello. Its presence in the Salish Sea is based on six specimens, all collected in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca: a single individual collected in May 2003 in Discovery Bay and 

five more taken in July 2011 just to the west off Green 

Point, Washington. Usually found in near-surface waters 

and spawning in the surf at night, it is known to occupy 

depths of at least 128 m. (Dryfoos, 1961; McAllister, 

1963; Fitch and Lavenberg, 1971; Matarese et al., 1989; 

Coad, 1995; Fritzsche and Cavanagh, 1995; Saruwatari 

et al., 1997; Moyle, 2002; Paquin et al., 2014)

Spirinchus thaleichthys (Ayres, 1860a) Longfin smelt

The longfin smelt, an anadromous, shallow-water species, is found only in the eastern North Pacific Ocean, 

ranging from the west side of Kodiak Island in the 

Gulf of Alaska to Monterey Bay, California. It is relatively common and widespread throughout the Salish Sea, represented by published and otherwise welldocumented records in the straits of Juan de Fuca and 

Georgia, the San Juan Islands, Bellingham Bay, and 

the full length of Puget Sound from Admiralty Inlet to 

Olympia, including Hood Canal. (Hubbs, 1925; Schultz 

and Chapman, 1934; Dryfoos, 1961, 1965; McAllister, 1963; Morrow, 1980; Stevens and Miller, 1983; 

Matarese et al., 1989; Chigbu and Sibley, 1994, 1998; 

Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 2003; Penttila7; 

Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Thaleichthys pacificus (Richardson, 1836) Eulachon

The eulachon is found only in the eastern North Pacific 

Ocean, ranging from the Bering Sea west of St. Matthew Island to off Kuskokwim Bay and the Nushagak 

River, off Bowers Bank and the central Aleutian Islands, 

through the coastal Gulf of Alaska, and south to central 

California at Point Conception. An anadromous species 

found in shallow to moderately deep waters, it is common but found sporadically throughout the Salish Sea: 

from the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, from 

Cape Lazo to Point Roberts in the Strait of Georgia, in 

and around the San Juan Islands, and from Camano Island south to Carr Inlet and Commencement Bay off Tacoma in Puget Sound. In March 2010, the National Marine Fisheries Service listed southern eulachon (populations in Washington, Oregon, and California) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. It is listed as 

endangered in British Columbia by Canada’s Committee 

on the Status of Endangered Wildlife and Species at Risk 

Public Registry. (Swan, 1881b; Hubbs, 1925; McAllister, 

1963; Morrow, 1980; Stevens and Miller, 1983; Wang, 

1986; Matarese et al., 1989; Chigbu and Sibley, 1994; 

Hay, 1998; Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 2003; 

Shaffer et al., 2007; Gaydos and Brown, 2009)

SALMONIFORMES TROUTS

Salmonidae Trouts and salmons

Oncorhynchus clarkii Cutthroat trout

(Richardson, 1836)

The cutthroat trout is confined to the eastern North Pacific Ocean, from the Kenai Peninsula, Gulf of Alaska, 

southward along the Pacific coast of southeast Alaska 

to British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon (generally within 145 km, or 90 mi, of the coast and usually much closer), and farther south to the Eel River in 

northern California. It is widely distributed in the lower 

Columbia River and in most all coastal and Salish Sea 

drainages. This species was previously known as Salmo 

clarkii. (Morrow, 1980; Smith and Stearley, 1989; Behnke, 1992, 2002; Coad, 1995; Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and 

Whitney, 2003; Quinn, 2005)

Oncorhynchus gorbuscha Pink salmon

 (Walbaum, 1792)

The pink salmon is common throughout the North Pacific and Bering Sea to about 40° N, from northern Japan 

and North Korea to the Arctic drainages of Siberia (as 

far west as the Lena River), and from the Bering Strait, 

east to the Mackenzie River, British Columbia, and 

south to the Sacramento River, California. Successful introductions have been made in the upper Great Lakes, 

but attempts in Atlantic drainages of North America 

have failed. Several introductions into rivers tributary 

to the White and Barents seas of northern Europe have 

succeeded, with the stocks now maintained by both 

natural spawning and additional stocking; they are well 

established in rivers from the Ob (Russia) to Finmark 

(Norway), with some straying farther south. The species 

is common throughout the Salish Sea. In Puget Sound, 

the largest runs occur in the Stillaguamish, Skagit, Snohomish, Puyallup, and Nooksack watersheds. (Craig and 

Haldorson, 1986; Emmett et al., 1991; Heard, 1991; 

Behnke, 2002; Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 

2003; Quinn, 2005)
22 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum, 1792) Chum salmon

Widely distributed in the North Pacific, the chum salmon 

ranges from southern Japan (Kyushu Island), Korea, and 

Kamchatka to the Arctic coast of Siberia (as far west as 

the Lena River), east to the Beaufort Sea and Yukon River in Alaska, and south to the Sacramento River, northern California, with strays as far south as Del Mar near 

the Mexican border. Several attempts have been made to 

introduce this species into rivers tributary to the White 

and Barents seas of northern Europe, but all have been 

unsuccessful. In British Columbia and Washington, it is 

found in all coastal drainages, throughout the Salish Sea, 

and up the Columbia River to the Wind River, just upstream from the Bonneville Dam. Because of its sensitivity to human activities and natural events, the summer 

run in Hood Canal has been listed as threatened under 

the Federal Endangered Species Act. (Bakkala, 1970; 

Morrow, 1980; Coad, 1995; Behnke, 2002; Moyle, 

2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 2003; Quinn, 2005; Gaydos and Brown, 2009)

Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum, 1792) Coho salmon

The coho salmon is common throughout the North Pacific and Bering Sea to about 40° N, from Korea, northern Japan, and Kamchatka to Arctic Alaska and south 

to Monterey Bay, California, with strays as far south 

as Chamalu Bay, Baja California. Introductions in the 

Great Lakes have been successful, particularly in Lake 

Michigan. It has also been introduced into the northern 

rivers of France where it is has been moderately successful. Spawning adults are found in most streams of the 

lower Columbia River drainage, in Washington and British Columbia coastal drainages, and all the larger rivers 

and streams of the Salish Sea. In the Strait of Georgia 

and Puget Sound, it has been listed as a species of concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (Buckley and 

Haw, 1978; Craig and Haldorson, 1986; Sandercock, 

1991; Behnke, 2002; Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 2003; Quinn, 2005; Gaydos and Brown, 2009)

Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792) Steelhead

The steelhead is widely distributed in the North Pacific,

from northern Japan to Kamchatka, the Bering Sea, and 

coastal waters and drainages of Alaska and south to 

northern Baja California (anadromous populations now 

extend only as far south as Los Angeles County, California). Introduced in temperate waters throughout the 

world, the nonmigratory or inland strain of this species 

(rainbow trout) is now widely distributed far beyond its 

historical range through extensive stocking into lakes 

and streams of the Pacific Northwest and other parts of 

the United States. In British Columbia and Washington, 

it is present in most coastal streams, the lower Columbia 

River, and in all the larger drainages of the Salish Sea. 

Previously known as Salmo gairdneri Richardson, 1836, 

this species is listed as threatened in Puget Sound under the Endangered Species Act. (Andrich and Smaldino, 

1971; Smith and Stearley, 1989; Behnke, 1992, 2002; 

Busby et al., 1996; Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 

2003; Quinn, 2005; Gaydos and Brown, 2009; Bell et 

al., 2011)

Oncorhynchus nerka Sockeye salmon

 (Walbaum, 1792)

The sockeye salmon is broadly distributed in the North 

Pacific, ranging from northern Japan and Siberia to the 

Bering Sea and Yukon River in Alaska, and south to 

Southern California, but it is rare in streams south of 

the Columbia River system. Widely introduced in other parts of the world, it is common throughout all the 

larger drainages of the Salish Sea, especially in the Fraser River. (Craig and Haldorson, 1986; Burgner, 1991; 

Behnke, 2002; Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 

2003; Quinn, 2005; Gaydos and Brown, 2009)

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha Chinook salmon

(Walbaum, 1792)

The Chinook salmon is widely distributed in the North 

Pacific, from northern Japan, the Russian Far East, Kamchatka, the Bering Sea, and Alaska as far north as Point 

Hope, with rare strays farther north along the Chukchi 

and Beaufort coasts and south to San Diego, California, 

but is rare in freshwater south of the Sacramento–San 

Joaquin River system. It has been introduced into the 

Great Lakes, New Zealand, Chile, and elsewhere. In our 

region, spawning adults are found in most of the larger 

streams of the Columbia River, and in coastal and Salish 

Sea drainages. It has been listed as a candidate for concern in Puget Sound by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission and as threatened under the Endangered 

Species Act. It has also been listed as threatened in British Columbia by Canada’s Committee on the Status of 

Endangered Wildlife and Species at Risk Public Registry. 

(Allen and Hassler, 1986; Craig and Haldorson, 1986; 

Healey, 1991; Behnke, 2002; Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and 

Whitney, 2003; Quinn, 2005; Gaydos and Brown, 2009)

Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758 Atlantic salmon

Native to both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, the Atlantic 

salmon ranges from the Barents Sea and northern Norway to the Baltic and south to northern Portugal, but 

it is absent in the Mediterranean, around Iceland and 

southern Greenland, and west to the coasts of Canada 

and North America as far south as the Connecticut River. It is now widely distributed in the eastern Bering Sea, 

the Gulf of Alaska, and south to Washington State, as a 
23

result of fish-farming—the reported number of escapees 

from aquaculture pens in British Columbia and Washington into the marine environment, from 1996 through 

2010, exceeds 1.1 million. A few naturally reproducing populations have already been documented in British Columbia. Although no specific localities have yet 

been documented, occurrences in the Salish Sea can be 

expected almost anywhere and will most likely increase 

in the future. (McKinnell and Thomson, 1997; Alverson 

and Ruggerone10; Volpe et al., 2000; Waknitz11; Behnke, 2002; Waknitz et al., 2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 

2003; Quinn, 2005; Thompson12)

Salvelinus confluentus (Suckley, 1859) Bull trout

The precise boundaries of the historical range of the bull 

trout are unknown because of confusion in the past with 

the Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma, see below), but its 

present range extends from the headwaters of the Mackenzie and Yukon rivers in the north to north-central Nevada in the south. It is present throughout the Columbia 

River basin and west to Montana, the Klamath River 

basin, mainland coastal drainages of Washington and 

British Columbia, and the Salish Sea. Although mostly 

found in freshwater, individuals spend two months or 

so in saltwater, moving back and forth between mouths 

of rivers and streams where their cryptic coloration is 

a good match for shallow inshore habitats. Because of 

its sensitivity to human activities and natural events, the 

species has been listed as threatened in most areas of 

Washington State, including in Puget Sound, under the 

Endangered Species Act, and designated of special concern in British Columbia by Canada’s Committee on the 

Status of Endangered Wildlife and Species at Risk Public 

Registry. (Cavender, 1978; Goetz13; Haas and McPhail, 

1991; Behnke, 1992, 2002; Mongillo, 1993; Stearley and 

Smith, 1993; Baxter et al., 1997, 1999; Leary and Allendorf, 1997; Rieman and Allendorf, 2001; Moyle, 2002; 

Leary et al., 2003; Wydoski and Whitney, 2003; Quinn, 

2005; Gaydos and Brown, 2009)

10Alverson, D. L., and G. T. Ruggerone. 1997. Escaped farm salmon: environmental and ecological concerns. Part B. In Salmon 

Aquaculture Review Report, vol. 3. Technical Advisory Team 

Discussion Papers, p. B-i–B-95. Environmental Assessment Office, 

British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. [Available at http://a100.

gov.bc.ca/appsdata/epic/html/deploy/epic_document_20_6047.

html.] 11Waknitz, F. W. 2000. The influence of escaped Atlantic salmon 

on native salmon in Washington State, 25 p. Northwest Fish. Sci. 

Cent., Nat. Mar. Fish. Serv., Manchester, WA.

12Thompson, J. 2008. Farmed Atlantic salmon: potential invader 

in the Pacific Northwest? Science Findings. Issue 100, 5 p. Pac. 

Northwest Res. Stn., For. Serv. USDA, Portland, OR. [Available 

at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/sciencef/scifi100.pdf?.] 13Goetz, F. 1989. Biology of the bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, 

a literature review, 53 p. Willamette Natl. For., For. Serv., USDA, 

Eugene, OR. 

Salvelinus malma (Walbaum, 1792) Dolly Varden

The Dolly Varden is broadly distributed in the North 

Pacific, extending from Hokkaido, Sakhalin Island, and 

the Asiatic mainland (as far south as Korea) east to the 

Kuril, Commander, and Aleutian islands, and from the 

Alaska Peninsula south to British Columbia and throughout most of the Salish Sea. But it is apparently absent in 

and around the San Juan Archipelago. (Cavender, 1978; 

Haas and McPhail, 1991; Behnke, 1992, 2002; Brown, 

1992; Stearley and Smith, 1993; Baxter et al., 1997, 

1999; Baker et al., 2003; Wydoski and Whitney, 2003; 

Quinn, 2005)

STOMIIFORMES DRAGONFISHES

Sternoptychidae Marine hatchetfishes

Argyropelecus sladeni Lowcrest hatchetfish

Regan, 1908

The lowcrest hatchetfish—often confused with Argyropelecus lychnus Garman, 1899, and less often with 

Argyropelecus olfersii (Cuvier, 1829)—is widespread 

throughout tropical and temperate waters of all three 

major oceans of the world. In the Pacific, it ranges from 

the Bering Sea to New Zealand in the west and off southern Chile in the east. It is commonly taken in deepwater 

pelagic trawls off British Columbia, Washington, and 

Oregon but is extremely rare inside the restricted waters 

of the Salish Sea. There are only two verifiable records, 

both from the Strait of Georgia: a specimen captured on 

13 June 1935, in a shrimp trawl, in 55 m of water off 

Jericho Beach in English Bay, Burrard Inlet; and a second, on 14 March 1953, also taken in a shrimp trawl, at 

a depth of 75 m, off the mouth of the Fraser River. Primarily a mesopelagic, diel-migrating species, it occurs at 

depths of about 100 to 375 m at night and 350 to 600 m 

during the day. (Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Barraclough 

and Waldichuk, 1954; Barraclough, 1956; Schultz, 1961; 

Baird, 1971; Balanov, 1992; Harold, 1993; Shinohara et 

al., 1994)

Stomiidae Dragonfishes

Chauliodus macouni Bean, 1890b Pacific viperfish

The Pacific viperfish is another broadly distributed, primarily mesopelagic species, commonly taken in mid-water trawls from the Bering Sea to the Gulf of California 

and across the North Pacific to Kamchatka, the Kuril 

Islands, and Japan. But there are only three known records in the Salish Sea: two from the Strait of Georgia 

at the mouth of the Fraser River—one captured in April 

1947, in a shrimp trawl in 73 m of water, and the other 

on 4 March 1951, off Canoe Pass buoy, at depths between 106 and 109 m—and one at mid-channel in the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca, collected on 5 May 2007 in 194 
24 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

m of water. (Barraclough, 1950, 1954; Barraclough and 

Waldichuk, 1954; Fitch and Lavenberg, 1968; Parin and 

Novikova, 1974; Allen and Smith, 1988; Willis et al., 

1988; Mecklenburg et al., 2002)

AULOPIFORMES LIZARDFISHES

Synodontidae Lizardfishes

Synodus lucioceps (Ayres, 1855b) California lizardfish

A relatively warm-water fish, found primarily on muddy or sandy bottoms at depths ranging from 1 to 230 

m, the California lizardfish is most commonly observed 

off Southern California, but its full distribution extends 

from San Francisco to central Baja California and inside 

the Gulf of California as far north as Guaymas, Mexico. 

During El Niño events in the 1980s, however, individuals, probably non-breeding expatriates, were recorded as 

far north as Cape Beale on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, and a few (all relatively large adults, measuring 34.5–44.5 cm standard length) were collected in 

the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound, with records 

at the mouth of Discovery Bay, off Jefferson Point, at 

Port Orchard, and in Elliot and Dumas bays. (Fitch and 

Lavenberg, 1971; Miller and Borton, 1980; Fulton and 

LeBrasseur 1985; Gonyea and Burton, 1985; McAllister, 

1990; Lea and Rosenblatt, 2000; Love, 2011)

Alepisauridae Lancetfishes

Alepisaurus ferox Lowe, 1833 Longnose lancetfish

The longnose lancetfish is widely distributed in the 

warmer waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian 

oceans, although individuals are occasionally found in 

cooler, northern waters, even as far north as Greenland 

and the Bering Sea. In the Pacific, it ranges from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to the Sea of Okhotsk, the 

Kuril Archipelago, and Japan in the west, and to southern Chile in the east. It is primarily a deepwater oceanic 

species (taken at depths exceeding 1800 m), but it is often found close to shore and occasionally found washed 

up after storms on sandy beaches at localities throughout 

the Salish Sea. This species was first recorded in our region by Gill in 1862 (as Alepidosaurus borealis)—and 

later by Jordan and Gilbert—additional published or 

vouchered records are from Cape Flattery and Tatoosh 

Island, off Salt Creek in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Oyster Bay in the Strait of Georgia, Point Lawrence in the 

San Juan Islands, Admiralty Bay off Whidbey Island, off 

Edmonds, the south end of the Tacoma Narrows near 

Day Island, and off Browns Point in Commencement 

Bay. (Gill, 1862a; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; 

Crawford, 1925, 1927b; Schultz, 1930; Walker, 1953; 

Larkins, 1964; Wilimovsky, 1964; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Peden et al., 1985; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Paralepididae Barracudinas and daggertooths

Arctozenus risso White barracudina

(Bonaparte, 1840)

The white barracudina is found worldwide in cold, temperate, and tropical waters (at depths of 50–2200 m). 

Pacific populations of the white barracudina range from 

the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to Kamchatka, the 

Sea of Okhotsk, and Japan in the west and to Baja California in the east. Although first described from our waters by Jordan and Gilbert in 1881 (as Paralepis coruscans), on the basis of a specimen from Port Townsend, 

this species is extremely rare in the Salish Sea, known 

only from two additional occurrences, a specimen collected at Point Defiance near Tacoma on 21 November 

1939 and another taken from the stomach of a Chinook 

salmon caught off Point No Point on the Kitsap Peninsula in summer 1986. This species was previously known 

as Notolepis coruscans or Notolepis rissoi. (Jordan and 

Gilbert, 1881b, 1881c, 1881d; Taylor, 1967; Post, 1968, 

1987; Miller and Borton, 1980; Hughes, 1981; Balanov 

et al., 1995; Il’inskiy et al., 1995; Maslenikov et al., 

2013)

MYCTOPHIFORMES LANTERNFISHES

Myctophidae Lanternfishes

Diaphus theta Eigenmann California headlightfish

and Eigenmann, 1890

The California headlightfish is widely distributed in epiand mesopelagic waters throughout subarctic and temperate waters of the Pacific, ranging from the southern 

Bering Sea along the northern margin of the Aleutian 

island chain and throughout the Gulf of Alaska, to the 

Okhotsk Sea and Japan in the west and to Chile in 

the east. Rarely caught in the Salish Sea, it has been 

taken in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in English Bay in 

the Strait of Georgia, off Flattop Island in the San Juan 

Islands, off the east coast of Vashon Island, in the Tacoma Narrows near Point Defiance, and off Chinom 

Point in Hood Canal. A partially digested specimen, 45 

mm standard length, was recovered from the stomach 

of a Chinook salmon caught by hook and line at Point 

Defiance on 11 February 1948. (Clemens and Wilby, 

1946; Shimada, 1948; DeLacy et al., 1972; Peden, 

1974; Wisner, 1976; Miller and Borton, 1980; Becker, 

1983; Willis et al., 1988; Shinohara et al., 1994; Love 

et al., 2005)

Nannobrachium regale Pinpoint lampfish

 (Gilbert, 1892)

This lanternfish is broadly distributed in the subarctic 

North Pacific, extending from the Bering Sea to Hokkaido, Japan, in the west to the Gulf of Alaska, to south-
25

ern Baja California at Magdalena Bay in the east. An 

epi- and mesopelagic species, with a maximum depth of 

1500 m, it migrates vertically to within about 50 m of 

the surface at night. Relatively common off the coasts 

of northern British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, 

its presence in the Salish Sea is based on a single known 

specimen (now in rather poor condition) collected on 8 

April 1968 in the southern Strait of Georgia at 49° N, 

123° W. (Gilbert, 1915; Aron14; Grinols, 1965; Taylor, 

1968; Collard, 1970; Wisner, 1976; Willis et al., 1988; 

Moser and Ahlstrom, 1996; Love et al., 2005)

Protomyctophum crockeri California flashlightfish

(Bolin, 1939)

The California flashlightfish ranges from northern Japan 

and southern British Columbia to Baja California and 

farther south to Chile. Primarily a mesopelagic species, 

recorded to a depth of 950 m, it is occasionally taken on 

the surface at night. Although it is relatively common off 

the coasts of Washington and Oregon, its presence in the 

Salish Sea is based solely on two specimens found dead 

on the beach at Tilley Point, South Pender Island, in the 

southern Strait of Georgia on 3 April 2000. (Aron15; 

Grinols, 1965; Wisner, 1976; Peden and Hughes, 1986; 

Willis et al., 1988; Matarese et al., 1989; Pequeño, 1989; 

Nakabo, 2002; Love et al., 2005)

Protomyctophum thompsoni Northern flashlightfish

(Chapman, 1944)

The northern flashlightfish is widespread in the subarctic 

North Pacific, especially north of 40° N, ranging from 

the southern Bering Sea and across the North Pacific to 

northern Japan in the west and central California in the 

east. Like its close relative the California flashlightfish, it 

is primarily a mesopelagic species, recorded to a depth 

of 1370 m, but usually taken between 200 and 500 m. 

It is relatively common off the coasts of northern British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, but its presence 

in the Salish Sea is based on a single specimen collected 

by nightlight from the dock at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories, San Juan Island, on 

28 June 1979. (Chapman, 1939; Grinols, 1965; Wisner, 

1976; Masuda et al., 1984; Peden et al., 1985; Peden 

and Hughes, 1986; Willis et al., 1988; Moser and Ahlstrom, 1996; Love et al., 2005)

14Aron, W. 1958. Preliminary report of midwater trawling studies 

in the North Pacific Ocean. Univ. Wash. Dep. Oceanogr., Tech. 

Rep. 58, 64 p. [Available at http://hdl.handle.net/1773/15990.]

15Aron, W. 1960. The distribution of animals in the eastern North 

Pacific and its relationship to physical and chemical conditions. 

Univ. Wash. Dep. Oceanogr., Tech. Rep. 63, 156 p. [Available at 

http://hdl.handle.net/1773/15997.] 

Stenobrachius leucopsarus Northern lampfish

(Eigenmann and Eigenmann, 1890)

The northern lampfish is widely distributed at epi- and 

mesopelagic depths in the Bering Sea; throughout the 

Gulf of Alaska and south to Baja California in the east; 

and across the North Pacific to Kamchatka, the Kuril Archipelago, Sea of Okhotsk, and Japan in the west. Published and vouchered records in the Salish Sea include 

specimens from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands, off Point Jefferson in Central 

Puget Sound, and off Point Defiance near Tacoma. The 

partially digested remains of 16 specimens, 10–25 mm 

standard length, were recovered from the stomach of a 

Chinook salmon caught by hook and line at Point Defiance on 11 February 1948. Much more recently, on 8 

July 2015, a pink salmon was caught in about 30 m of 

water off Cyprus Island in the San Juan Archipelago with 

its stomach full of undigested individuals of the northern 

lampfish; five of these specimens (38–64 mm standard 

length) are now preserved in the UW Burke Museum 

Fish Collection. Early records of Myctophum californiense [equals Symbolophorus californiensis (Eigenmann 

and Eigenmann, 1889)] in Puget Sound, published by 

Jordan and Starks and later by Kincaid, are most probably based on specimens collected off the outer coast of 

Vancouver Island. (Jordan and Starks, 1895; Kincaid, 

1919; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Shimada, 1948; Peden, 

1974; Wisner, 1976; Miller and Borton, 1980; Willis et 

al., 1988; Shinohara et al., 1994; Brodeur et al., 1999; 

Sinclair et al., 1999; Abookire et al., 2002)

Tarletonbeania crenularis Blue lanternfish

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1880j)

The blue lanternfish is widely distributed at epi- and mesopelagic depths throughout subarctic North Pacific waters, ranging from the Aleutian Islands to Japan in the 

west and to the Gulf of Alaska and south to Mexico in the 

east. In our region, it has been commonly caught in Queen 

Charlotte Sound and off the outer coasts of Vancouver 

Island, Washington, and Oregon, but records in the Salish 

Sea are doubtful. Trevor Kincaid, in his 1919 “annotated 

list of Puget Sound fishes,” did not state explicitly that the 

blue lanternfish is found in Puget Sound but only (in passing, while comparing it to another species of lanternfish) 

that it is “known from a few examples taken at widely 

separated points.” Schultz and DeLacy were unable to 

confirm its presence in our waters. Chapman’s 1940 claim 

of a specimen taken in the Strait of Juan de Fuca (accepted by Clemens and Wilby and later by Hart) was 

clearly collected far out to sea off the Washington coast 

and cannot be considered from the Salish Sea. The only 

known occurrences in the Salish Sea are two specimens 

from San Juan Island, both caught while nightlighting at 

the University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories 
26 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

on 15 June 1953 and 13 August 1965; the latter specimen 

is archived at Tulane University. (Bean, 1881a; Kincaid, 

1919; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; Chapman, 1940; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; DeLacy et al., 1972; Hart, 1973; 

Miller and Borton, 1980)

LAMPRIFORMES OPAHS

Lampridae Opahs

Lampris guttatus (Brünnich, 1788) Opah

The opah occurs worldwide in temperate and tropical seas. In the North Pacific it ranges from the Gulf of 

Alaska and Aleutian Islands, to Cape San Lucas, Baja 

California, and the Gulf of California in the east and to 

Japan in the west. An oceanic, pelagic species, it occupies 

a rather broad vertical distribution, found near the surface to depths of about 500 m. Common in open water 

off the coasts of Vancouver Island, Washington, and Oregon, it is very seldom seen in the Salish Sea. There are 

only two known records: a specimen collected on 1 January 1935, at Neah Bay, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and 

another found on 8 January 1995, washed up at Eglon 

Beach, about 4.8 km north of Kingston on Bainbridge Island. (Bell and Kask, 1936; Cowan, 1938; Herald, 1939; 

Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Larkins, 1964; Grinols, 1965)

Trachipteridae Ribbonfishes

Trachipterus altivelis Kner, 1859 King-of-the-salmon

The king-of-the-salmon is found in offshore waters from 

the surface to a depth of about 640 m; primarily a mesopelagic species, it ranges from the southeastern Bering Sea to 

the Gulf of Alaska and south to at least Valparaiso, Chile. 

It is commonly observed off British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. Salish Sea records include several in 

the Strait of Juan de Fuca, including off Neah Bay, Sherringham Point, Sooke Harbour, and Morse Creek near 

Port Angeles; in the San Juan Islands, including in Haro 

Strait and on the beach at Mud Bay (Lopez Island) and 

San Juan Park (San Juan Island); in the Strait of Georgia, 

washed up on the beach at Pender Island and off the mouth 

of the Fraser River; and in Puget Sound off Titlow Park 

in the Tacoma Narrows. (Kincaid, 1919; Fowler, 1923; 

Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; 

Walker, 1953; Fitch, 1964; Miller and Borton, 1980)

GADIFORMES CODS

Merlucciidae Merlucciid hakes

Merluccius productus (Ayres, 1855b) Pacific hake

The Pacific hake is a pelagic, oceanic and coastal species, with a broad vertical distribution, ranging from the 

surface to depths exceeding 900 m. It ranges from the 

eastern Bering Sea and the Aleutians at Attu Island to the 

Gulf of Alaska and south to southern Baja California. 

Exceedingly common off the coasts of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, it was once abundant as 

well throughout the Salish Sea—drastic declines in recent 

years, however, have resulted in its listing as a species 

of concern in Puget Sound under the provisions of the 

Endangered Species Act. (Grinols, 1965; Nelson and Larkins, 1970; Quast and Hall, 1972; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Inada, 1981; Carlson et al.16; Allen and Smith, 

1988; Cohen et al., 1990; Gaydos and Brown, 2009; 

Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Gadidae Cods

Gadus chalcogrammus Pallas, 1814 Walleye pollock

The walleye pollock is widely distributed in the boreal and 

temperate North Pacific Ocean, ranging from the eastern 

Bering Sea and along the Aleutian arc, around Kamchatka 

and the Sea of Okhotsk, to the southern Sea of Japan in 

the west and from the Gulf of Alaska to central California 

off Carmel in the east. Typically benthopelagic, it generally occupies depths between 30 and 400 m (recorded to 

950 m) but often appears near the surface. It is currently 

common everywhere off British Columbia, Washington, 

and Oregon, as well as throughout the Salish Sea (but 

listed as a candidate for concern in Washington State by 

the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission). We follow the generic reallocation of this species, from Theragra

to Gadus, as recommended in the latest edition of the 

Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United 

States, Canada, and Mexico. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1893; 

Schultz and Welander, 1935; Smith, 1936; Greenwood, 

1957; Miller and Borton, 1980; Cohen et al., 1990; Coulson et al., 2006; Carr and Marshall, 2008; Gaydos and 

Brown, 2009; Page et al., 2013)

Gadus macrocephalus Tilesius, 1810 Pacific cod

The Pacific cod, a benthopelagic species found in nearsurface waters to depths of 875 m, ranges around the 

Pacific Rim, from the eastern Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait, 

and Aleutian Islands to the Russian Far East and the 

Yellow Sea, off Manchuria, China, in the west, and to 

Southern California off Santa Monica in the east. Like 

the Pacific hake, it was once extremely abundant nearly 

everywhere in our region, often collected and observed 

in large numbers throughout the Salish Sea, but recent 

declines have resulted in its listing as a species of concern 

in Puget Sound by the Endangered Species Act. (Swan, 

1887; Schultz and Welander, 1935; Miller and Borton, 

16Carlson, H. R., R. E. Haight, and K. J. Krieger. 1982. Species 

composition and relative abundance of demersal marine life in 

waters of southeastern Alaska, 1969–81. Northwest Alaska Fish. 

Cent., NWAFC Processed Rep. 82-16, 106 p. [Available at http://

www.afsc.noaa.gov/Publications/ProcRpt/PR1982-16.pdf.]
27

1980; Allen and Smith, 1988; Cohen et al., 1990; Barber 

et al., 1997; Gaydos and Brown, 2009)

Microgadus proximus (Girard, 1854b) Pacific tomcod

Generally restricted to coastal waters, over sandy bottoms at depths of 25–260 m, the Pacific tomcod extends 

from the southeastern Bering Sea and eastern Aleutians 

at Unalaska, through the Gulf of Alaska, and south to 

central California off Point Sal. It is common everywhere 

off British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, as well 

as throughout the Salish Sea. (Schultz and Welander, 

1935; Smith, 1936; Wilimovsky, 1964; Isaacson, 1965; 

Anderson and Chew, 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Cohen et al., 1990)

OPHIDIIFORMES CUSK-EELS

Bythitidae Viviparous brotulas

Brosmophycis marginata Red brotula

(Ayres, 1854) (Fig. 4A)

The red brotula, a secretive benthic species generally 

found on rocky bottoms, and in caves and crevices at 

depths of 3–256 m, is primarily confined to the coastal 

margins, ranging from southeast Alaska off Petersburg 

to northern Baja California at Ensenada. Previously 

known only from the vicinity of San Francisco, it was 

first recorded in the Salish Sea by Gilbert and Thompson 

in 1905, on the basis of a single, 177-mm-long specimen 

collected at some unknown locality in Puget Sound. The 

earliest British Columbia record is based on a specimen 

collected in October 1941 in English Bay, near Vancouver. Since then, it has been recorded at several additional 

localities in the southern part of the Strait of Georgia, 

from off Bellingham, and throughout most of Puget 

Sound, from off Everett to Commencement Bay, the 

southern end of Case Inlet off Taylor Bay, and including Hood Canal. (Gilbert and Thompson, 1905; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Grinols, 

1965; Miller and Lea, 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Nielsen et al., 1999)

Ophidiidae Cusk-eels

Chilara taylori (Girard, 1858b) Spotted cusk-eel

The spotted cusk-eel ranges from the Strait of Georgia to 

southern Baja California and Ecuador, but it is relatively 

uncommon north of Mendocino, California. Although 

usually found in the intertidal zone on sandy bottoms at 

depths between 30 and 190 m, it has been recorded to a 

depth of 731 m. The previous northernmost occurrence 

was Willapa Bay, Washington, but two specimens have 

been collected recently in the southern Strait of Georgia: one in May 2004, in a prawn trap set at a depth of 

about 109 m, in Silva Bay on the east end of Gabriola 

Island, and another as part of a shrimp-trawl survey, on 

28 June 2007, at a depth of 78 m, from the northwest 

side of Bowen Island in Howe Sound. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Fitch and Lavenberg, 1968; Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Balart et al., 1995; Ambrose, 

1996; Lea and Béarez, 1999; Nielsen et al., 1999; Love 

et al., 2005; Bradburn et al., 2011; Love, 2011)

BATRACHOIDIFORMES TOADFISHES

Batrachoididae Toadfishes

Porichthys notatus Plainfin midshipman

Girard, 1854b

Distributed from southern British Columbia at Smith 

Sound to southern Baja California at Magdalena Bay, 

the plainfin midshipman resides on sand or mud bottoms, sometimes partially buried, from the intertidal 

zone to depths of at least 366 m, but it is more commonly taken at depths of less than 250 m. Described by 

Jordan and Gilbert in 1881 as “exceedingly abundant” 

along the entire length of the Pacific coast, the plainfin 

midshipman is one of the more common species in the 

Salish Sea, represented by numerous records throughout 

the straits of Juan de Fuca and Georgia, the San Juan 

Archipelago, Bellingham Bay, and the full length and 

breadth of Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. (Jordan 

and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Starks and Morris, 1907; 

Hubbs and Schultz, 1939; Quast and Hall, 1972; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Walker and Rosenblatt, 1988)

BELONIFORMES NEEDLEFISHES

Scomberesocidae Sauries

Cololabis saira (Brevoort, 1856) Pacific saury

The Pacific saury is a surface-living species, generally 

found in large schools offshore throughout the southern 

Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean from Japan to the 

Gulf of Alaska and south to the Revillagigedo Islands. It 

is common off the coasts of British Columbia (the earliest record was published in 1915 by Gilbert, on the 

basis of a specimen taken off the west coast of Vancouver Island), Washington, and Oregon, but extremely rare 

within the restricted waters of the Salish Sea. Only three 

records are known: two from the east end of the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca (mid-channel southwest of Sooke Habour, 

and off Ediz Hook, Port Angeles) and one specimen collected in November 1940 in Saratoga Pass off Everett. 

(Gilbert, 1915; Schultz et al., 1932; Wilimovsky, 1954; 

Grinols, 1965; Hubbs and Wisner, 1980; Miller and Borton, 1980; Brodeur, 1988)
28 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Figure 4

Fishes of the Salish Sea: (A) red brotula (Brosmophycis marginata), (B) brown rockfish (Sebastes auriculatus), and (C) tiger rockfish (Sebastes nigrocinctus). © Joseph R. Tomelleri.
29

CYPRINODONTIFORMES KILLIFISHES

Cyprinodontidae Pupfishes

Cyprinodon variegatus Sheepshead minnow

Lacepède, 1803

Killifishes are found in most tropical and warm-temperate freshwaters, but all can tolerate some salinity and 

many of them live in marine habitats—typically bays, 

estuaries, and salt marshes near shore, at depths of no 

more than 3 or 4 m—or move back and forth between 

fresh and salt water. The sheepshead minnow is a western Atlantic species, ranging from Cape Cod to south 

Florida, the Bahamas, and the northern Gulf of Mexico 

south to Cuba, Jamaica, Yucatan, and Venezuela. Its 

presence would, therefore, not be expected in the Pacific 

Northwest; nevertheless, 28 individuals (23 of which are 

preserved in the UW Burke Museum Fish Collection; the 

remaining five were sent to the University of Michigan), 

19–33 mm standard length, were collected in summer 

1949 in an estuary near the mouth of the Dungeness 

River, near Sequim, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Despite a concerted effort following this initial discovery, 

no additional specimens of this species or any other cyprinodontid have ever been taken in the Salish Sea. It 

can only be concluded that its presence in the Salish Sea 

was the result of an introduction that failed to produce 

a breeding population. (Greenfield and Grinols, 1965; 

Miller and Borton, 1980; Carlton, 1985; Robins et al., 

1986; Wonham et al., 2000)

GASTEROSTEIFORMES STICKLEBACKS

Aulorhynchidae Tubesnouts

Aulorhynchus flavidus Gill, 1861a Tubesnout

The tubesnout has a typical eastern North Pacific distribution—usually forming schools in eelgrass, kelp forests, 

rocky areas, and over sand, near or on the surface to a 

depth of 30 m—everywhere abundant from the Alaska 

Peninsula at Pavlof Bay to Kodiak Island, the Gulf of 

Alaska, and south to Clipperton Island, off the southwest 

coast of Mexico. It is common throughout the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca, the Strait of Georgia (especially in Burrard Inlet during winter months), the San Juan Islands, 

Bellingham Bay, and nearly everywhere in Puget Sound, 

including Hood Canal. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 

1881d; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; Wilimovsky, 1954; 

Limbaugh, 1962; Miller and Borton, 1980; Blackburn 

and Jackson17; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010)

17Blackburn, J. E., and P. B. Jackson. 1982. Seasonal composition 

and abundance of juvenile and adult marine finfish and crab 

species in the nearshore zone of Kodiak Island’s eastside during 

April 1978 through March 1979. NOAA, OCSEAP Final Rep. 

54(1987):377–570. [Available at http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/

OCSEAP2/authorindex.html.]

Gasterosteidae Sticklebacks

Gasterosteus aculeatus Threespine stickleback

Linnaeus, 1758

The threespine stickleback is a large complex of highly 

differentiated populations, many of which are adapted 

morphologically and behaviorally to local environmental 

conditions. It has a broad circumpolar distribution in the 

Northern Hemisphere, extending from Baffin Island and 

Hudson Bay to North Carolina in the western Atlantic; 

from the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering seas to Korea and 

to Monterey Bay, central California, in the Pacific (but in 

freshwater, considerably farther south to northern Baja 

California); and from Arctic Europe and Asia to Syria. It 

is commonly found in marine, brackish, and freshwaters 

(anadromous and resident freshwater forms), with both 

benthic and pelagic populations in shallow vegetated areas of lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and marshes, usually 

over mud or sand, to a depth of 27 m. Often taken near 

the surface far from land, it has been recorded to about 

800 km offshore. It is extremely common in the Pacific 

Northwest, found in great numbers in coastal regions of 

British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon and throughout the Salish Sea basin. (Girard, 1856; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Wilimovsky, 1954, 1964; McPhail 

and Lindsey, 1970; Coad, 1981; Bell and Foster, 1994; 

Taylor and McPhail, 2000; Foster et al., 2008)

Syngnathidae Pipefishes and seahorses

Syngnathus leptorhynchus Bay pipefish

Girard, 1854c

The bay pipefish is found close to shore, on or near the 

surface to depths of about 3 m, most often in eelgrass, in 

quiet, protected bays and sloughs (but also around docks 

and pilings), from the northern Gulf of Alaska at Prince 

William Sound to southern Baja California at Santa Maria 

Bay. It is abundant everywhere along the coasts of Vancouver Island, Washington, and Oregon, as well as within 

the restricted waters of the Salish Sea. This species is often 

confused with the kelp pipefish, Syngnathus californiensis

Storer, 1845 (Bodega Bay to southern Baja California); 

Syngnathus griseolineatus Ayres, 1854, is a junior synonym. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Swain, 1883; 

Starks, 1896, 1911; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; Kendall, 

1966; Anderson and Chew, 1972; Fritzsche, 1980; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Dawson, 1985)

SCORPAENIFORMES MAIL-CHEEKED FISHES

Scorpaenidae Scorpionfishes

Sebastes aleutianus Rougheye rockfish

(Jordan and Evermann, 1898a)

Ranging from the Bering Sea and Aleutians to the Commander Islands and northern Hokkaido, Japan, in the 
30 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

west and to Southern California at San Diego in the 

east, the rougheye rockfish is a deepwater species, typically found on the outer continental shelf at depths of 

45–439 m. It is uncommon in the Salish Sea, found only 

in deeper waters of the western Strait of Juan de Fuca, 

the Whidbey Basin, and north of Elliott Bay. A closely 

related species, the blackspotted rockfish, Sebastes melanostictus, was recently recognized as distinct from S. 

aleutianus and earlier records of rougheye rockfish may 

refer to either species. Although S. melanostictus is common in deep waters off the coast, only S. aleutianus has 

been documented in the Salish Sea. It has been listed as 

a species of special concern in British Columbia by Canada’s Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife 

and Species at Risk Public Registry. (Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; Alverson and Welander, 1952; Clemens and 

Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; 

Love et al., 2002, 2005; Orr and Hawkins, 2008; Palsson et al.18)

Sebastes alutus (Gilbert, 1890) Pacific ocean perch

The Pacific ocean perch is an abundant and commercially 

fished species found on the outer continental shelf near 

the surface to a depth of 825 m, most typically from 100 

to 400 m. It is common throughout the Bering Sea and 

Aleutians, with a range that extends to the Commander 

Islands, Sea of Okhotsk, and southern Japan in the west, 

and to central Baja California at Punta Blanca in the 

east. In the Salish Sea, it is confined to scattered records 

in deeper waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca (especially 

the western end near the outer coast) and the southern 

Strait of Georgia. (Gilbert, 1896c; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller and 

Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; 

Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastes auriculatus Brown rockfish

Girard, 1854a (Fig. 4B)

An inshore, sedentary species, the brown rockfish is 

one of the most common rockfishes in the Salish Sea. 

It is found nearly everywhere in appropriate habitat—

especially in central and southern Puget Sound, as well 

as in Saanich Inlet, Maple Bay, Stuart Channel, and 

Burrard Inlet in the southern Strait of Georgia. Recent studies indicate that populations south of Port 

Townsend are genetically distinct from those of the 

northern Sound. It is highly associated with rocky habitats and found to depths of at least 146 m, from the 

northern Gulf of Alaska at Prince William Sound to 

18Palsson, W. A., T.-S. Tsou, G. G. Bargmann, R. M. Buckley, J. E. 

West, M. L. Mills, Y. W. Cheng, and R. E. Pacunski. 2009. The 

biology and assessment of rockfishes in Puget Sound. Wash. Dep. 

Fish Wildl. Rep. FPT 09-04, 208 p. [Available at http://wdfw.

wa.gov/publications/00926/wdfw00926.pdf.]

central Baja California at San Hipolito Bay. Concerns 

about population stability have resulted in its listing as 

a species of special concern in Washington State. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Eigenmann and Beeson, 1895; Kincaid, 1919; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; 

Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Stout et al., 

2001; Love et al., 2002; Buonaccorsi et al., 2005; Palsson et al.19; Love, 2011)

Sebastes babcocki Redbanded rockfish

 (Thompson, 1915)

Named for British Columbia fisheries biologist John 

Pease Babcock, the redbanded rockfish is a distinctive, 

deep-dwelling species that ranges from the Bering Sea 

and Amchitka Island in the Aleutians to Southern California at San Diego at depths from 49 m to at least 1145 

m. In the Salish Sea it is known from only four localities: 

mid-channel between Sekiu and the mouth of the Jordan 

River in the Strait of Juan de Fuca; at Friday Harbor on 

San Juan Island; off Waldron Island, in the San Juan Archipelago; and off Hoodsport in southern Hood Canal. 

(Alverson and Welander, 1952; Rosenblatt and Chen, 

1963; Miller and Borton, 1980; Allen and Smith, 1988; 

Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.19; 

Love, 2011)

Sebastes brevispinis (Bean, 1884a) Silvergray rockfish

A pelagic species found more commonly off the outer 

coast, ranging from the southeastern Bering Sea to central Baja California at Sebastian Vizcaino Bay, at depths 

from 25 m to at least 580 m (most typically between 100 

and 300 m), the silvergray rockfish is very rarely seen in 

the Salish Sea—only four localities are known: off Friday 

Harbor and Lime Kiln Light on San Juan Island, off Reid 

Rock in San Juan Channel, and in Carr Inlet in southern 

Puget Sound. (Alverson and Welander, 1952; Snytko and 

Fedorov, 1974; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; 

Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastes caurinus Richardson, 1844 Copper rockfish

An inshore, sedentary species strongly associated with 

rocky habitats and found in the intertidal zone at high 

tide to a depth of at least 185 m, the copper rockfish 

ranges from the western Gulf of Alaska, east of Kodiak Island, to central Baja California at the San Benito Islands. 

It is one of the most common rockfishes in the Salish 

Sea, found in abundance throughout our inland waters, 

especially in and around the San Juan Islands, the Strait 

of Georgia (at least as far north as Denman Island), and 

central and southern Puget Sound. Recent unpublished 

studies indicate that populations south of Port Townsend 

are genetically distinct from those of more northern waters. It is listed in Washington State as a species of spe-
31

cial concern. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Cramer, 

1895; Gilbert, 1896c; Starks, 1896, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; 

Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 

2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastes crameri Darkblotched rockfish

(Jordan, in Gilbert, 1897)

A coastal species, common at depths of 100–350 m (but 

reported to 915 m), the darkblotched rockfish ranges 

from the eastern Bering Sea southeast of Zemchug Canyon, and the Aleutians off Tanaga Island, to Southern 

California at Santa Catalina Island and Laguna Beach. 

It is extremely rare in the Salish Sea, represented by only 

a few scattered records in deeper waters of the straits of 

Juan de Fuca (at Waadah Island, west of Protection Island, and off MacArthur Bank) and Georgia (Saanich Inlet) and in Whidbey Basin in Puget Sound (off Mukilteo). 

Because of recent declines, it has been listed as a species of special concern in British Columbia by Canada’s 

Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife. (Alverson and Welander, 1952; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; Kramer and 

O’Connell, 2003; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011) 

Sebastes diploproa (Gilbert, 1890) Splitnose rockfish

The splitnose rockfish is a small, deep-dwelling, pelagic 

species, often associated as juveniles with drift mats of 

vegetation and, when larger, with muddy and rocky bottoms. Its range extends from the Sanak Islands in the 

western Gulf of Alaska to central Baja California at 

Cedros Island, at depths of 45–924 m, most commonly between 150 and 450 m. Relatively uncommon in 

the Salish Sea, it has been collected (almost always as 

young of the year, often found in floating kelp) in the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca, off Cape Flattery and between 

Sekiu and Tongue Point; in the San Juan Archipelago, 

between Upright Head (Lopez Island) and Foster Point 

(Orcas Island); in the southern Strait of Georgia, near 

Nanaimo and in English Bay; in central Puget Sound off 

Port Madison, Elliot Bay, and Seahurst; and in Hood 

Canal off Dabob Bay, Ayock Point, Hoodsport, and the 

Skokomish River delta, and near Union. (Evermann and 

Goldsborough, 1907; Hubbs, 1928; Clemens and Wilby, 

1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love et 

al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011; Maslenikov 

et al., 2013)

Sebastes elongatus Ayres, 1859 Greenstriped rockfish

Ranging from the western Gulf of Alaska off Chirikof 

Island to central Baja California at Cedros Island, the 

greenstriped rockfish is found primarily over sandy or 

silty bottoms, inshore and offshore, at depths of 12–495 

m, most commonly between 100 and 250 m. It is one of 

the more common rockfishes in the Salish Sea and along 

the outer coasts of Vancouver Island and Washington. It 

has been collected in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off Ediz 

Hook near Port Angeles and in mid-channel northwest 

of Dungeness Spit; in San Juan Channel west of Neck 

Point; in the Strait of Georgia from Saanich Inlet, off 

Nanaimo, and Gabriola Island to Burrard Inlet, Pender 

Harbour, and Baynes Sound; and in Puget Sound from 

Saratoga Passage, Holmes Harbor, and Possession Sound 

to Alki Point, with a single isolated record farther south 

in Case Inlet between Stretch and Herron islands. There 

are numerous records as well throughout the length of 

Hood Canal, from Quilcene and Dabob bays to Union 

and Sister Point inside the entrance to The Great Bend. 

It has been listed in Washington State as a species of 

special concern. (Rathbun, 1894; Hubbs, 1928; Smith, 

1936, 1937; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastes emphaeus Puget Sound rockfish

(Starks, 1911)

First described by Edwin Chapin Starks from specimens 

collected in the San Juan Islands, the Puget Sound rockfish is a small schooling species, ranging from the northern Gulf of Alaska, along the outer coast of the Kenai 

Peninsula and Prince William Sound, to central California off Point Sur. It is usually associated with rocky and 

kelp habitats, particularly at steep drop-offs, at depths of 

3–455 m. Common in the Salish Sea, but not often collected because of its small size, it has been recorded from 

off Victoria in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, at scattered localities throughout the San Juan Islands, and in northern 

and central Puget Sound from off Keystone Jetty at the 

entrance to Admiralty Inlet to Port Madison and Elliot 

Bay. It is also known from numerous records in Hood 

Canal and at least one locality in southern Puget Sound. 

(Kincaid, 1919; DeLacy et al., 1972; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Beckmann et al., 

1998; Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson 

et al.18; Love, 2011).

Sebastes entomelas Widow rockfish

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1880e)

Ranging from the western Gulf of Alaska at Albatross 

Bank to northern Baja California off Todos Santos Bay, 

at depths of 120–375 m (but said to extend down to 800 

m), the widow rockfish is a pelagic schooling species, 

common off the outer coasts of Vancouver Island, Washington, and Oregon where it is targeted by large-scale 

commercial fisheries. It is very rarely seen, however, inside the restricted waters of the Salish Sea. Only three 

widely separated localities have been reported: off Port 

Renfrew in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, along the southern 
32 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

margin of San Juan Island (where some 20 specimens 

were caught by hook and line at Eagle Point in August 

1974—apparently a one-time occurrence), and off Marrowstone Island in Admiralty Inlet. It has been listed as 

a species of special concern in Washington State. (McAllister and Westrheim, 1965; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Wilkins, 1986; Ralston and Pearson, 1997; Orr et al., 

2000; Stanley et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastes flavidus (Ayres, 1862) Yellowtail rockfish

Another pelagic schooling species common off our coasts 

and targeted by large-scale commercial fisheries, the yellowtail rockfish is often associated with rocky and kelp 

habitats, particularly at steep drop-offs at depths of 

50–549 m. It ranges from the Gulf of Alaska and the 

eastern Aleutians south of Unalaska Island to northern 

Baja California at San Martin Island. In the Salish Sea it 

has been collected (but almost exclusively as juveniles) at 

scattered localities along the length of the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca, from off Cape Flattery, Sooke, and Port Angeles to Discovery Bay and West Beach off the northwest 

shore of Whidbey Island; off San Juan Island and the 

north end of Lopez Island as well as to the east off Allan 

Island, Williamson Rocks, Lummi Island and in Samish 

Bay. In the Strait of Georgia it has been taken from Saanich Inlet, off Cowichan, Departure Bay, Nanoose Bay, 

and Baynes Sound. In Puget Sound, it has been collected 

from Useless Bay and Saratoga Passage to Golden Gardens, Elliot Bay, and Alki Point, with a sport catch of 

some 50 individuals in the Tacoma Narrows reported 

by Haw and Buckley in 1971. There are also a few reports of catches in Hood Canal, from Dabob Bay and off 

Seabeck to near Union at the mouth of The Great Bend. 

In Washington State it is listed as a species of special 

concern. (Eigenmann and Beeson, 1895; Hubbs, 1928; 

Hubbs and Schultz, 1933; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; 

Haw and Buckley, 1971; Miller and Borton, 1980; Stanley et al., 1999; Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; 

Palsson et al.18; Williams et al., 2010; Love, 2011)

Sebastes helvomaculatus Rosethorn rockfish

Ayres, 1859

The rosethorn rockfish is a solitary deepwater species, 

known from the western Gulf of Alaska east of Sitkinak 

Island to central Baja California at Banco Ranger where it 

occupies the upper continental slope at depths of 59–1145 

m. Extremely rare in the Salish Sea, it is known only from 

two collections, both recorded in 1975: one off the west 

side of Henry Island in the San Juan Archipelago and the 

other from off Point Monroe, Bainbridge Island, in central 

Puget Sound. (Miller and Borton, 1980; Rocha-Olivares 

and Vetter, 1999; Kendall, 2000; Orr et al., 2000; Love et 

al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastes maliger Quillback rockfish

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1880m)

An inshore, sedentary species, the quillback rockfish 

ranges from the Shumagin Islands in the western Gulf of 

Alaska to Southern California at Anacapa Passage, and 

is found at depths of 5–274 m. It is one of the most common rockfishes in the Salish Sea, abundant almost everywhere, especially in the Strait of Georgia, in and around 

the San Juan Islands, and throughout Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. Three distinct population segments 

have been found in Washington waters: one south of 

Admiralty Inlet and east of Deception Pass, another in 

the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, and another west of 

Cape Flattery off the coast. It is listed as threatened in 

Canada and a species of special concern in Washington 

State. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Kincaid, 1919; 

Fowler, 1923; Hubbs and Schultz, 1933; Schultz and 

DeLacy, 1936a; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Miller and 

Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; 

Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Sebastes melanops Girard, 1856 Black rockfish

The black rockfish is a pelagic schooling species ranging from a single record off Japan, to the southern Bering Sea and Aleutians at Amchitka Island and south to 

northern Baja California. It is most often associated with 

rocky and kelp habitats, particularly at steep drop-offs, 

recorded from the surface to a maximum depth of 549 

m. One of the more common rockfishes in shallow waters of the Salish Sea, it is abundant almost everywhere 

in appropriate habitat, especially in and around the San 

Juan Islands, in Bellingham Bay, and in northern and 

central Puget Sound, as far south as the Tacoma Narrows where a sport catch of more than 50 individuals 

was reported by Haw and Buckley in 1971. In Hood Canal, it has been recorded from Dabob Bay to the mouth 

of The Great Bend. In Washington State it is considered 

a species of special concern. (Suckley, 1860; Jordan and 

Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Fannin, 1898; Hubbs and Schultz, 1933; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; Haw and Buckley, 

1971; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love 

et al., 2002, 2005; Orr and Blackburn, 2004; Palsson et 

al.18; Williams et al., 2010; Love, 2011; Kai et al., 2013)

Sebastes miniatus Vermilion rockfish

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1880b)

Ranging from Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska to central Baja California off the San Benito Islands, 

the vermilion rockfish prefers rocky habitats at depths 

of 183–274 m. Rarely seen in the Salish Sea, there are 

only six known localities: Discovery Bay in the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca, off Friday Harbor and in Upright Channel 

in the San Juan Archipelago, near Deep Bay in the Strait 

of Georgia, and in Port Susan and Elliot Bay in Puget 
33

Sound (as well as underwater observations in Hood Canal). (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Rathbun, 1894; 

Smith, 1936; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; 

Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastes mystinus* Blue rockfish

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1881e)

Extending from Chatham Strait and Kruzof Island off 

southeast Alaska to Santo Tomas in northern Baja California, the blue rockfish is found on the surface to a 

maximum depth of 300 m. It is rather common along 

the outer coast of British Columbia, Washington, and 

Oregon but known from only a very few localities in the 

Salish Sea: collections from off Tatoosh Island and underwater observations in Neah Bay in the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca; in the San Juan Channel; and in English Bay 

in the southern Strait of Georgia, including underwater 

observations off Whytecliffe Park just north of Burrard 

Inlet. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 1884; 

Cramer, 1895; Eigenmann and Beeson, 1895; Kincaid, 

1919; Fowler, 1923; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 

2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastes nebulosus Ayres, 1854 China rockfish

The distinctive and beautiful China rockfish is a sedentary species, preferring rocky reefs and rocky inshore 

areas along exposed coasts at depths of 9–247 m, ranging from the western Gulf of Alaska at Kodiak Island to 

Southern California at Redondo Beach and San Nicholas Island. Uncommon in the Salish Sea, there are only 

a few known localities: off Seal Rock, Waadah Island, 

and Third Beach Pinnacle near Neah Bay; the northwest 

end of Whidbey Island; and the west side of San Juan 

Island. It is listed in Washington State as a species of special concern. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan 

1884; Kincaid, 1919; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et 

al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 

2011; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Sebastes nigrocinctus Tiger rockfish

Ayres, 1859 (Fig. 4C)

The tiger rockfish is a solitary species, typically dwelling in sheltering holes in shallow rocky reefs at depths 

as great as 274 m; its range extendes from the northern Gulf of Alaska to Southern California at Tanner and 

Cortes banks. In the Salish Sea it has been taken near 

Skagway and Seal rocks off Neah Bay in the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca; from numerous localities along the east 

side of San Juan Island and throughout the southern 

Strait of Georgia (including Saanich Inlet, Saltspring 

and Saturna islands, English Bay, Howe Sound, Pender Harbour, and Pearson and Martin islands in Malaspina Strait); and in mid-channel off West Point in central Puget Sound. It is listed in Washington State as a 

species of special concern. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 

1881d; Jordan and Jouy, 1881; Kincaid, 1919; Clemens 

and Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Murie et al., 

1994; Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson 

et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastes paucispinis Ayres, 1854 Bocaccio

Once the target of commercial fisheries in the Straits of 

Juan de Fuca and Georgia, the bocaccio is now considered endangered, threatened, and a species of special 

concern by the United States, Canada, and Washington 

State, respectively, because of overfishing and other environmental stresses. Ranging from the western Gulf of 

Alaska to central Baja California at Punta Blanca, at 

depths of 50–475 m, it is uncommon in the Salish Sea 

but known from scattered records in the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca (Swiftsure Bank at Neah Bay, off Port Renfrew, 

Port Angeles, Protection Island, and Sequim and Discovery bays); in Bellingham Bay; in the southern Strait of 

Georgia in Howe Sound; and in Puget Sound from lower Port Susan and off Everett to Port Orchard and Alki 

Point, with several unspecified localities and two survey 

events in Hood Canal, the latter in Appletree Cove near 

Kingston in 1972 and in the Tacoma Narrows in 1971, 

each yielding some 50 individuals. Salish Sea populations 

are thought to be genetically distinct from coastal populations. (Rathbun, 1894; Eigenmann and Beeson, 1895; 

Schmitt et al., 1915; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Haw 

and Buckley, 1971; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 

2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Williams 

et al., 2010; Love, 2011)

Sebastes pinniger (Gill, 1864a) Canary rockfish

The canary rockfish ranges from the Pribilof Islands in 

the Bering Sea to northern Baja California at Punta Colnett; it is found at depths of 50–425 m. One of the more 

common rockfishes in the Salish Sea, it was first recorded 

in Puget Sound in 1881 by Jordan and Gilbert and later, 

in 1891, in the vicinity of Victoria by Ashdown Green. 

Since then it has been collected in Neah Bay, off Port 

Angeles, and in Discovery Bay in the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca; off San Juan, Brown, Shaw, and Orcas islands in 

*Note added in proof: Frable et al. (2015) described a new species, 

Sebastes diaconus (the deacon rockfish), on the basis of specimens previously identified as Sebastes mystinus from off southern Vancouver Island to Morro Bay, California, including a few records in the Salish Sea. Sebastes mystinus, as currently recognized, is apparently unknown in the Salish Sea, the northernmost 

confirmed records being from off Oregon.
34 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

the San Juan Archipelago; throughout Bellingham Bay; 

off Bowen Island in the Strait of Georgia; and at scattered localities throughout Puget Sound from Skagit Bay 

to Golden Gardens and Blakely Harbor on the east side 

of Bainbridge Island, with a record from off Holly in 

Hood Canal and a large sport catch of more than 50 

individuals from the Tacoma Narrows reported by Haw 

and Buckley in 1971. Salish Sea populations of the canary rockfish are thought to be genetically distinct from 

coastal populations. Because of overfishing and other environmental factors, it is considered threatened by both 

the United States and Canada and a species of special 

concern in the state of Washington. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Green, 1891, 1893; Evermann and 

Goldsborough, 1907; Kincaid, 1919; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Haw and Buckley, 

1971; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love et 

al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011; Maslenikov 

et al., 2013)

Sebastes proriger Redstripe rockfish

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1880n)

Ranging from the southeastern Bering Sea and the Aleutians at Amchitka Island to southern Baja California at 

depths of 100–425 m, the redstripe rockfish has been 

reported from numerous scattered localities nearly everywhere in the Salish Sea: from west of McArthur 

Bank in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca; off Lopez 

and Orcas islands in the San Juan Archipelago; near Alden Bank and Post Point off Bellingham; in Departure 

Bay, off the mouth of the Fraser River, and off Whytecliffe Park in the Strait of Georgia; and in Puget Sound 

from off Camano Head and Gedney Island to the Tacoma Narrows and Drayton Passage. In Hood Canal, 

it has been collected off Ayock Point and off Brinnon 

at the mouth of Dabob Bay. In Washington State, the 

redstripe rockfish is listed as a species of special concern. (Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; Schultz and DeLacy, 

1936a; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson 

et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastes rosaceus Girard, 1854c Rosy rockfish

The rosy rockfish is primarily a southern offshore species with a narrow distribution extending from the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca to southern Baja California at Tortugas Bay, found at depths of 7–263 m. This species is extremely rare in the Salish Sea; there are only two known 

localities: off Third Beach Pinnacle in Neah Bay (on the 

basis of underwater photographs), and in Puget Sound 

just inside Admiralty Inlet at Marrowstone Point on the 

basis of two specimens reported in 1907 by Evermann 

and Goldsborough. In 1855, William Ayres reported Sebastes rosaceus, along with a number of other species, 

from “at or near Cape Flattery,” but his conclusion was 

based on misidentified material of Sebastes pinniger. 

(Ayres, 1855c; Rathbun, 1894; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks and Morris, 1907; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; 

Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastes ruberrimus Yelloweye rockfish

(Cramer, 1895)

Extending from the eastern Aleutians, south of Umnak 

Island, to northern Baja California at Ensenada, the 

yelloweye rockfish occupies deep, rocky reef habitat at 

depths of 50–475 m. In the Salish Sea it has been collected off Cape Flattery, off Victoria, in Discovery Bay, and 

off West Beach along the northwest margin of Whidbey 

Island; off San Juan and Orcas islands, with a large sport 

catch of some 50 individuals taken off Sucia Island in 

1972; and at numerous scattered localities in and around 

Bellingham Bay. In the Strait of Georgia it is known from 

Porlier Pass, Deep Bay, English Bay north to Pender Harbour, and Pearson Island in Malaspina Strait. In Puget 

Sound, records indicate a range from the south end of 

Saratoga Passage and off Everett to Golden Gardens and 

Elliot Bay, with additional isolated records off Minter 

Point in Henderson Bay and numerous localities from 

central Hood Canal to The Great Bend. Once a target of 

commercial and recreational fisheries in the Salish Sea, 

the yelloweye rockfish is now listed as threatened under 

United States federal regulations and as a species of special concern in Canada and Washington State. (Jordan, 

1884; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Kincaid, 1919; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936a; Smith, 1936; Clemens and Wilby, 

1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love 

et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Williams et al., 2010; 

Love, 2011)

Sebastes saxicola (Gilbert, 1890) Stripetail rockfish

The stripetail rockfish, usually found well offshore over 

soft bottoms at depths of 25–547 m (most commonly 

between 100 and 350 m), ranges from the eastern Gulf 

of Alaska at Yakutat Bay to southern Baja California at 

Punta Rompiente. Uncommon in the Salish Sea, it is represented by only a few scattered collections: in the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca west of Smith Island, and mid-channel 

about halfway between Clallam and Crescent bays; in 

the southern Strait of Georgia at Porlier Pass and Indian 

Arm; and in Puget Sound off the southern end of Camano Island, off Gedney Island, Carkeek Park, and Alki 

Point, and in Hale Passage north of Fox Island. There 

are also records from Hood Canal near Carlson Point, 

off Holly, and at Hoodsport. (Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks and Morris, 1907; Smith, 1936, 

1937; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love et 

al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)
35

Figure 5

Fishes of the Salish Sea: (A) halfbanded rockfish (Sebastes semicinctus), (B) kelp greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus), and (C) 

painted greenling (Oxylebius pictus). © Joseph R. Tomelleri.
36 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Sebastes semicinctus Halfbanded rockfish

(Gilbert, 1897) (Fig. 5A)

The halfbanded rockfish is a small coastal species, with a 

narrow geographic distribution, extending from the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca to southern Baja California at Asuncion 

Bay. It is found at depths of 15–402 m. Much more common to the south (especially between central and Southern 

California), it has only recently been documented in the 

Salish Sea: two specimens were collected in May 2003 off 

the mouth of the Sekiu River in the western Strait of Juan 

de Fuca at a depth of 88 m. (Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 

2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011).

Sebastes zacentrus (Gilbert, 1890) Sharpchin rockfish

The sharpchin rockfish is a common, widespread rockfish 

known from the eastern Bering Sea and the Aleutians 

at Attu Island, to Southern California at San Diego, at 

depths of 25–660 m. Rarely observed in the Salish Sea, 

it has been recorded from only a few scattered localities: 

in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, mid-channel about halfway 

between Clallam and Crescent bays; in Upright Channel 

between Shaw and Lopez islands; in the southern Strait 

of Georgia off Nanaimo and in Burrard Inlet; and in 

Puget Sound from the south end of Port Susan, off Gedney Island, from Meadow Point and Golden Gardens to 

Carkeek Park, from Duwamish Head to Alki Point, and 

off Seahurst. (Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; Clemens and 

Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; 

Love et al., 2002, 2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)

Sebastolobus alascanus Shortspine thornyhead

Bean, 1890b

Typically a deepwater species found at depths of 300–

2000 m, the shortspine thornyhead ranges from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to Kamchatka and the seas 

of Okhotsk and Japan in the west and to southern Baja 

California at Boca de Santo Domingo in the east. Rare 

in the Salish Sea, it is more or less restricted to a few localities at depths greater than 152 m: off Cape Flattery, 

mid-channel between Clallam and Crescent bays, and off 

the mouth of the Jordan River in the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca; in President Channel between Orcas and Waldron 

islands; in English Bay in the southern Strait of Georgia; 

and in Puget Sound off Possession Point, mid-channel 

between Skiff and West points, in Nisqually Reach, and 

at least one record from central Hood Canal. (Gilbert, 

1896c; Hubbs, 1926c; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Orr et al., 2000; Love et al., 2002, 

2005; Palsson et al.18; Love, 2011)

Anoplopomatidae Sablefishes

Anoplopoma fimbria (Pallas, 1814) Sablefish

The sablefish is broadly distributed in the North Pacific, 

extending from the Bering Sea, south of St. Lawrence 

Island, and the Aleutians to the Commander Islands and 

Japan in the west and from the Gulf of Alaska to central Baja California off Cedros Island in the east. Wideranging and often migratory, adults are generally found 

near or on muddy bottoms at depths of 300 to 900 m, 

but much deeper captures are on record to at least 1800 

m. Juveniles are typically found in shallower waters and 

often nearshore. In our region, the species is abundant 

almost everywhere (and almost exclusively taken as juveniles); it is found in large numbers off the coasts of 

Vancouver Island, Washington, and Oregon, as well as 

throughout the Salish Sea. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 

1881d; Swan, 1885; Smith, 1936; Greenwood, 1957; 

Haw and Buckley, 1971; DeLacy et al., 1972; Miller and 

Borton, 1980; Allen and Smith, 1988)

Hexagrammidae Greenlings

Hexagrammos decagrammus Kelp greenling

(Pallas, 1810) (Fig. 5B)

Ranging from the Bering Sea and the Aleutians at Attu 

Island to Southern California off La Jolla, the kelp 

greenling typically inhabits rocky reefs and kelp beds to 

depths of about 50 m. It is common in British Columbia 

waters, especially off the west coast of Vancouver Island. 

First reported from the Strait of Georgia in 1860 and 

from Puget Sound in 1881, it is now known to occur 

throughout the Strait of Juan de Fuca, from Cape Flattery to Dungeness Bay, with numerous records from off 

Cape Flattery, the mouth of the Jordan River, off Sooke 

and Saxe Point near Victoria, and off Port Angeles; in 

the Strait of Georgia at least as far north as Malaspina Strait off Martin, Pearson, and Texada islands, with 

occurrences at Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, 

Howe Sound near Keats and Bowyer islands, Departure 

Bay, and Saturna and Pender islands; throughout the San 

Juan Islands; off Bellingham; and in Puget Sound from 

Admiralty Inlet south to at least Port Orchard, off Alki 

Point, and the south end of Bainbridge Island. (Günther, 

1860; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan and 

Jouy, 1881; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Haw 

and Buckley, 1971; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kendall 

and Vinter, 1984; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Hexagrammos lagocephalus Rock greenling

(Pallas, 1810)

From the Bering Sea and throughout the Aleutians to 

the Commander Islands, the Sea of Okhotsk, Japan, and 

the Yellow Sea in the west and to central California off 

Point Conception in the east, the rock greenling is found 

primarily in shallow rocky areas, especially along exposed coasts, to depths of about 80 m (most often found 

in less than 20 m). Relatively uncommon in the Salish 

Sea, there are isolated records from off Cape Flattery 
37

and Neah Bay, Port Renfrew, Sooke, and Pillar Point 

and in Sequim Bay in the Strait of Juan de Fuca; from 

Departure and English bays in the southern Strait of 

Georgia; off Bellingham and San Juan and Lopez islands; 

and in Puget Sound, from Similk and Skagit bays, off 

Port Townsend, Port Madison, and Port Orchard, and 

Duwamish Head and Alki Point near Seattle. (Jordan 

and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Bean, 1884b; Schultz and 

DeLacy, 1936a; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Wilimovsky, 

1964; Quast, 1965; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kendall 

and Vinter, 1984)

Hexagrammos stelleri Whitespotted greenling

Tilesius, 1810

The whitespotted greenling ranges from the Beaufort, 

southern Chukchi, and Bering seas and the Aleutians to 

the Commander Islands and Sea of Japan in the west, 

and to the Gulf of Alaska, off the Washington coast, 

and Puget Sound in the east. Reports from off Oregon 

and northern California remain unsupported by voucher specimens. It is abundant throughout the Salish Sea, 

with numerous records from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 

the Strait of Georgia at least as far north as Departure 

Bay and Burrard Inlet, the San Juan Islands, and the full 

length of Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. It typically inhabits rocky areas and kelp beds from the intertidal 

zone to depths of 175 m, but it is most often found in 

less than 100 m. (Girard, 1858b; Suckley, 1860; Jordan 

and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Roedel, 1953; Wilimovsky, 

1964; Quast and Hall, 1972; Allen and Smith, 1988)

Ophiodon elongatus Girard, 1854a Lingcod

Distributed throughout the western Gulf of Alaska from 

off the Shumagin Islands to northern Baja California off 

Punta San Carlos, the lingcod is found near or on the 

bottom in rocky areas and kelp beds, especially in areas of strong tidal currents. Juveniles are often found in 

eelgrass. First recorded in the Salish Sea in 1877, on the 

basis of a specimen from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and 

subsequently from an observation made at Victoria in 

1881, it has since been found in great abundance almost 

everywhere in our inland waters. (Hallock, 1877; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Rathbun, 1894; Starks, 

1896; Fowler, 1923; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; Lamb 

and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Allen and Smith, 1988)

Oxylebius pictus Painted greenling

Gill, 1862b (Fig. 5C)

The painted greenling extends from Prince William 

Sound (a record farther west off Kodiak Island is apparently in error) to central Baja California at San Benito 

Island. It typically occupies rocky reefs from the intertidal zone to a depth of about 50 m. It is occasionally 

also found around pilings and under wharves. Uncommon in the Salish Sea relative to other greenlings, it is 

known from scattered records off Victoria and Saanich 

Arm, from Friday Harbor and Limestone Point on San 

Juan Island, and in the Strait of Georgia, from Departure 

Bay, off the mouth of the Fraser River, and north at least 

to the northern tip of Texada Island. In Puget Sound it 

has been collected in Penn Cove, in Saratoga Passage 

between Whidbey and Camano islands; off Everett; at 

Port Madison and in Port Orchard Bay; in Elliot Bay, 

off Shilshole and Alki; and south to Point Defiance and 

in Case Inlet off Taylor Bay and Whiteman Cove, with 

a few widely separated captures in Hood Canal. (Starks 

and Morris, 1907; Fowler, 1923; Schultz and DeLacy, 

1936a; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Peden and Wilson, 

1976; Miller and Borton, 1980; Orsi et al., 1991; Humann, 1996)

Zaniolepis latipinnis Longspine combfish

Girard, 1858a

Ranging from Vancouver Island to southern Baja California, the longspine combfish is especially abundant 

from San Francisco Bay to central Baja California at Sebastian Vizcaino Bay. Primarily a benthic species, it is 

usually found on soft muddy bottoms at depths of 35–

200 m. It was first collected in the Strait of Georgia in 

1889 and later, in 1890, near Victoria, but it was known 

in Puget Sound, from Port Steilacoom, at least as early as 

1858. In 1895, Jordan and Starks noted that “two specimens obtained by Prof. O. B. Johnson are in the Museum of the Young Naturalists’ Society.” Subsequent collections of this species have been made in Discovery Bay 

at the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and along 

the east coast of Vancouver Island as far north as Fanny 

Bay and extending south to Nanoose Bay, off Nanaimo, 

and in Saanich Inlet. There are no known records from 

the San Juan Islands and only one in Bellingham Bay. In 

Puget Sound it has been taken from widely scattered localities: from Saratoga Passage and Holmes Harbor, off 

Everett and Port Madison, in Elliot Bay, along the west 

side of Bainbridge Island, and south to Carr and Case inlets. Several collections have also been made at both ends 

of Hood Canal as well as at the northern extremity of 

The Great Bend. (Girard, 1858a, 1858b; Suckley, 1860; 

Jordan and Starks, 1895; Fannin, 1898; Evermann and 

Goldsborough, 1907; Johnson and Adams, 1970; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Coleman19; Essington et al., 2013)

19Coleman, B. A. 1988. The 1986 Pacific west coast bottom trawl 

survey of groundfish resources: estimates of distribution, abundance, length, and age composition, NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS 

F/NWC-152, 136 p. [Available at http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/

tm/nwc/nwc152.pdf.]
38 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Rhamphocottidae Grunt sculpins

Rhamphocottus richardsonii Grunt sculpin

Günther, 1874

The bizarre looking grunt sculpin is named for its habit 

of emitting a surprisingly loud, half-grunt, half-hissing 

sound when removed from the water. It ranges from 

the eastern Aleutians at Unalaska Island to the Gulf of 

Alaska and Southern California at Santa Monica Bay 

and Tanner Bank, but it is also found in Japan. It typically inhabits rocky bottoms and sandy areas mixed with 

rubble, from the intertidal zone to a depth of at least 

250 m. It is well known also for seeking shelter within rocky cracks and crevices as well as empty barnacle 

shells. This species is relatively common along the entire 

outer coast of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, and there are numerous records in the Salish Sea 

as well: in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off Sooke, Port 

Angeles, and Victoria; throughout the San Juan Islands; 

in Burrows Bay and Chuckanut Bay off Bellingham; in 

the Strait of Georgia at its northernmost extent in Bute 

Inlet as well as south to Howe Sound and Departure 

Bay near Nanaimo, English Bay and Burrard Inlet, off 

Saturna Island, and south of Cherry Point; and in Puget 

Sound from Admiralty Inlet to Case Inlet and to Hood 

Canal at the mouth of The Great Bend. (Eigenmann and 

Eigenmann, 1892; Johnson, 1918; Fowler, 1923; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936b; Wilimovsky, 1954; Miller and Borton, 1980; Masuda et al., 1984; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 

2010; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Cottidae Sculpins

Artedius fenestralis Padded sculpin

Jordan and Gilbert, 1883a

Members of the genus Artedius are among the most 

common tidepool inhabitants along the Pacific coast of 

North America. Ranging from the Aleutian Islands, as 

far west as Unalaska, to Southern California at Diablo Cove, the padded sculpin occupies the intertidal to 

a depth of 55 m, but it is more often found in depths 

less than 20 m. It generally prefers rocky coastal regions, 

but can be found as well on sandy bottoms, especially in 

eelgrass, and often within tidepools. It was first recorded 

in British Columbia waters in 1881 (as Artedius notospilosus) on the basis of a single specimen collected in Drew 

Harbour, Quadra Island, at the northernmost end of the 

Strait of Georgia, but it is now known to occur in appropriate habitat throughout the Salish Sea. (Bean, 1882b; 

Starks, 1911; Bean and Weed, 1920; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; DeLacy et al., 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Norton, 1991; Monaco et al., 1992; Love, 2011)

Artedius harringtoni (Starks, 1896) Scalyhead sculpin

The scalyhead sculpin is usually found in tidepools and 

rocky inter- and subtidal areas, but also around pilings 

and under wharves, to a depth of about 20 m. It ranges 

from the Aleutian Islands as far west as Unalaska to the 

Gulf of Alaska (including Kodiak Island), and south to 

Southern California at San Miguel Island. Abundant everywhere off coastal British Columbia and Washington, 

it is common as well throughout the Salish Sea. This species has been confused with the closely related, but more 

southerly distributed, coralline sculpin, Artedius corallinus (see “Comments,” p. 72). (Starks, 1911; Bean and 

Weed, 1920; Hubbs, 1926a; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; 

Bolin, 1937; Miller and Lea, 1972; Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Ragland and Fischer, 1987; Gilbert and Williams, 2002; Love, 2011)

Artedius lateralis (Girard, 1854c) Smoothhead sculpin

The smoothhead sculpin has very similar habitat requirements and almost the same geographic range as do other 

members of the genus Artedius, occurring in tidepools 

and the intertidal zone to a depth of about 14 m, from 

the western Gulf of Alaska at Sanak Island to northern 

Baja California at San Quintin Bay. It is also abundant 

in appropriate habitat throughout the Salish Sea. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan and Jouy, 1881; 

Starks, 1911; Bean and Weed, 1920; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love, 2011)

Artedius notospilotus Girard, 1856 Bonyhead sculpin

The bonyhead sculpin is another sculpin typically found 

in the intertidal zone and in rocky reef areas, to a depth 

of about 52 m, but its geographic range is considerably 

restricted compared to its congeners described previously. With no Alaskan nor verifiable Canadian records, its 

northernmost limit appears to be Puget Sound where it is 

nevertheless extremely rare. It was first recorded in the 

Salish Sea in 1858 by Girard, on the basis of a specimen 

collected at Port Townsend by Captain Murden in July 

1856. The identification of an additional Puget Sound 

specimen, recorded in 1881 by Jordan and Gilbert, was 

verified by Carl Hubbs. The southernmost limit of this 

species is Punta Rocosa, central Baja California. (Girard, 

1857, 1858b; Suckley, 1860; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 

1881d; Hubbs, 1926a; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Miller and Borton, 1980; McAllister, 1990; Love, 2011)

Ascelichthys rhodorus Rosylip sculpin

Jordan and Gilbert, 1880i

Easily distinguished from all other eastern Pacific sculpins by lacking pelvic fins, the rosylip sculpin is distributed from Prince William Sound at the head of Olsen 

Bay, and from southeastern Alaska at Sitka, to central 
39

California at Pillar Point Harbor. It occurs most often 

in tidepools, along rocky shores and gravel beaches, 

and in eel grass, but it is also common from subtidal 

depths to a maximum of 15 m. It is occasionally found 

under rocks at low tide. In the Salish Sea it has been 

collected at numerous localities in the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca—from Waadah Island and Neah Bay to Victoria 

and Sequim and Discovery bays; off Lopez, San Juan, 

and Stuart islands in the San Juan Archipelago; and as 

far north as Comox in the Strait of Georgia, with additional records from Departure Bay and off Saturna Island. In Puget Sound it is known from a few scattered localities including Deception Pass, Skagit and Similk bays, 

off Port Ludlow, Scatchet Head at the southern tip of 

Whidbey Island, off Richmond Beach, and the Tacoma 

Narrows. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan 

and Jouy, 1881; Bean, 1882a; Jordan and Starks, 1895; 

Starks, 1896, 1911; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Miller 

and Borton, 1980)

Asemichthys taylori Gilbert, 1912 Spinynose sculpin

The secretive, rarely seen spinynose sculpin has a relatively narrow geographic distribution, ranging from 

southeastern Alaska off Fillmore Island to the Salish Sea. 

It is usually found on sandy or shelly bottoms near rocky 

outcroppings at depths ranging from 5 to 18 m, although 

it has been reported as deep as 50 m. It was initially 

collected sometime prior to 1910 in Departure Bay by 

George W. Taylor, the first director of the Pacific Biological Station at Nanaimo, for whom this species was later 

named by Gilbert. Subsequent collections in the Salish 

Sea have been made off Sooke and Saxe Point near Victoria in the Strait of Juan de Fuca; off San Juan, Shaw, 

and Bell islands in the San Juan Archipelago; and in Burrard Inlet and off Keats, Bowen, and Boyer islands in 

the southern Strait of Georgia. There are no known records in Puget Sound. (Wilby, 1936; Clemens and Wilby, 

1946; Peden and Wilson, 1976; Eschmeyer and Herald, 

1983; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Norton, 1991; Coffie, 1998; Marliave et al., 2010)

Chitonotus pugetensis Roughback sculpin

(Steindachner, 1876)

The roughback sculpin ranges from northern British Columbia at Brundige Inlet to southern Baja California. It 

is found on sandy, silty, and muddy bottoms from the 

intertidal zone to a depth of 142 m but more commonly 

observed at depths of 8–73 m. Initially described from 

a specimen collected off Fox Island near Steilacoom in 

southern Puget Sound, this species has subsequently been 

collected nearly everywhere in Puget Sound including 

Hood Canal, but is apparently unknown in the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca west of Sekiu, with records as well in Sequim 

and Discovery bays. It is relatively abundant throughout 

the San Juan Islands, as well as in the southern Strait of 

Georgia in and around Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet, and 

Departure Bay, but less common farther north, where 

there is one verifiable record from Sechelt Inlet and several from Bute Inlet at the extreme northern end of this 

strait. (Bean and Weed, 1920; Fowler, 1923; Bolin, 1944; 

DeLacy et al., 1972; Peden and Wilson, 1976; Miller and 

Borton, 1980; Norton, 1991; Humann, 1996)

Clinocottus acuticeps Sharpnose sculpin

(Gilbert, 1896a)

Extending from the Aleutian Islands to central California 

at Big Sur River, the small, scaleless sharpnose sculpin 

inhabits the intertidal zone to a depth of about 20 m, 

but it also has been observed in sheltered tidepools in 

the upper intertidal zone, on rocky and sandy bottoms 

or in eelgrass and seaweed. It is often found in waters of 

low salinity and rarely seen in freshwater. The earliest 

record in the Salish Sea is a specimen collected in Departure Bay by the United States Fish Commission steamer 

Albatross in 1890, but this species is now known from 

scattered localities in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the San 

Juan Islands, the Strait of Georgia (at least as far north 

as Qualicum Beach and the entrance to Jervis Inlet), and 

throughout Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. (Gilbert 

and Burke, 1912; Hubbs, 1926b; Schultz and DeLacy, 

1936b; Green, 1971; Miller and Borton, 1980; Morrow, 

1980; Alofs, 2004)

Clinocottus embryum Calico sculpin

(Jordan and Starks, 1895)

The calico sculpin is distributed throughout the Aleutian 

Islands and south to northern Baja California at Punta 

Banda. Like many other sculpins, it is found on sandy, 

gravelly, and rocky bottoms in tidepools, and in intertidal and shallow subtidal zones, often among algae and 

shell fragments. Rarely encountered in the Salish Sea, 

most of the known localities are from San Juan, Lopez, 

and Orcas islands in the San Juan Archipelago. The remaining records, no more than a half dozen, are from 

Clallam Bay near Sekui and off Victoria, in the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca; Departure Bay in the Strait of Georgia; and off Port Ludlow, West Point near Seattle, and 

Manchester Rocks off the southern end of Bainbridge 

Island in Puget Sound. (Starks, 1896, 1911; Bean and 

Weed, 1920; Hubbs, 1926b; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; 

Wilimovsky, 1964; Green, 1971; DeLacy et al., 1972; 

Yoshiyama, 1981; Pfister, 2006) 

Clinocottus globiceps Mosshead sculpin

(Girard, 1858b)

Extending from the western Gulf of Alaska at Chernabura and Kodiak islands to Southern California at Gaviota, 
40 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

the mosshead sculpin is commonly found in tidepools 

and sandy or rocky intertidal areas, often in strong surf. 

It is sometimes seen resting on rocks out of water, but it 

usually remains hidden under rocks or among seaweed. 

Like its close relative, the calico sculpin (described previously), it is rarely observed in our region; only about a 

half-dozen localities in the Salish Sea are known: off Victoria and in Sequim Bay at the eastern end of the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca; San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez islands; 

and off Golden Gardens near Seattle. (Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; Hubbs, 1926b; Morris, 1960, 1961; Green, 

1973; Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Lamb and Edgell, 

1986, 2010; Pfister, 2006)

Cottus aleuticus Coastrange sculpin

Gilbert, 1896a

Usually thought of as a freshwater fish, the coastrange sculpin most commonly occurs in coastal rivers

and streams, and sometimes in lakes, but is occasionally found in brackish waters of estuaries, as well as in 

nearshore coastal waters, ranging from Bristol Bay, the 

Alaska Peninsula, and Aleutian island drainages from 

Attu to Southern California at Oso Flaco Creek, San 

Luis Obispo County. It has been collected all along the 

outer coast of Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula, as well as in and around the mouths of rivers and 

streams throughout the Salish Sea. (Crawford, 1927a; 

Bond, 1963; Carl et al., 1967; McPhail and Lindsey, 

1970; Ikusemiju, 1975; Lee et al., 1980; Markle et al.20; 

Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 2003)

Cottus asper Richardson, 1836 Prickly sculpin

Primarily a freshwater resident and relatively common in 

coastal and inland rivers and lakes from Seward, Alaska, 

to the Ventura River, Southern California, the prickly 

sculpin also occupies estuaries and nearshore marine waters near the mouths of rivers and streams. Like its close 

relative, the coastrange sculpin (described previously), it 

has been collected all along the outer coast of Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula, as well as in and 

around the mouths of rivers and streams throughout the 

Salish Sea. (Bond, 1963; Carl et al., 1967; McPhail and 

Lindsey, 1970; Lee et al., 1980; Morrow, 1980; Markle 

et al.21; Moyle, 2002; Wydoski and Whitney, 2003)

Enophrys bison (Girard, 1854a) Buffalo sculpin

The buffalo sculpin ranges from the western Gulf of 

Alaska at Uyak Bay, Kodiak Island, to central California at Monterey Bay. It is primarily confined to inshore 

rocky and sandy bottoms at a depth of 45 m (but re20Markle, D. F., D. L. Hill, and C. E. Bond. 1996. Sculpin identification workshop and working guide to freshwater sculpins of 

Oregon and adjacent areas, 50 p. Dep. Fish. Wildl., Oregon State 

Univ., Corvallis, OR.

ported down to 137 m) and only occasionally found in 

tidepools. First recorded in the Salish Sea by Girard in 

1858 and by Suckley in 1860, it is now well represented 

at numerous localities throughout the San Juan Islands 

and Puget Sound, including Hood Canal, with a few 

scattered records from the Strait of Juan de Fuca (including Cape Flattery, Sooke, Victoria, and Port Angeles), 

and the southern Strait of Georgia at least as far north 

as Departure Bay and Howe Sound. (Girard, 1858b; 

Suckley, 1860; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Bean, 

1884a; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Sandercock and Wilimovsky, 1968; Green, 1971; Miller and Borton, 1980). 

Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus Red Irish lord

(Tilesius, 1811)

Ranging from the western and southeastern Bering Sea 

and throughout the Aleutian Islands to the Commander 

Islands and southeastern Kamchatka in the west and to 

Monterey Bay, California, in the east, the red Irish lord 

prefers tidepools and rocky intertidal and subtidal bottoms to a depth of at least 88 m, on protected as well 

as exposed coasts. It is often associated with coralline 

algae. Abundant along the outer coast of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, it is common as well in 

appropriate habitat throughout the San Juan Islands (including Sucia Island), in Bellingham Bay, and in Puget 

Sound, extending from Admiralty Inlet and Skagit and 

Similk bays to Golden Gardens, Shilshole and Elliot 

bays, off Alki, and farther south to Carr Inlet and the 

Tacoma Narrows, and in Hood Canal. There are also 

scattered localities along the length of the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca, from Cape Flattery, Neah Bay, off the mouth of 

the Jordan River, Sooke, and Port Angeles. In the Strait 

of Georgia it has been collected off Saturna Island, in 

Departure Bay, Burrard Inlet, Howe Sound, Jervis Inlet, 

and off Texada Island and in Bute Inlet. (Ayres, 1855d; 

Starks, 1896, 1911; Meek, 1899; Schultz and Welander, 

1934; Wismer and Swanson, 1935; Schultz and DeLacy, 

1936b; Green, 1971; Peden, 1978; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Allen and Smith, 1988)

Hemilepidotus spinosus Ayres, 1854 Brown Irish lord

The brown Irish lord extends from the northern Gulf of 

Alaska at Kachemak Bay, Cook Inlet, to Southern California at Ventura and Santa Barbara Island. It is found 

most often along rocky, wave-swept coasts, in rocky intertidal areas, and occasionally in tidepools to a depth 

of at least 130 m. In contrast to its close relative, the 

red Irish lord, this species is rarely taken in the Salish 

Sea. There are only eight known localities. Six of them 

are in the Strait of Juan de Fuca—in Neah and Clallam 

bays, Agate Beach near Sooke, at Port Angeles, and in 

mid-channel off Port Angeles and Dungeness. Two localities are in Puget Sound, off Port Madison and Golden 
41

Gardens. This species is often misidentified as the red 

Irish lord. (Ayres, 1855d; Eigenmann and Eigenmann, 

1892; Starks and Morris, 1907; Hubbs, 1928; Schultz 

and Welander, 1934; Peden, 1978; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Love, 2011; Essington et al., 2013)

Icelinus borealis Gilbert, 1896a Northern sculpin

The northern sculpin ranges from Bristol Bay and the 

Aleutian Islands off Attu to Vancouver Island and 

southern Puget Sound. It prefers muddy, sandy, and 

gravelly bottoms at depths between 4 and 250 m. It is 

extremely abundant throughout the San Juan Islands, 

and there are several records in the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca—west of the Jordan River, off Victoria, and in 

mid-channel off Port Angeles. It has also been collected in the southern Strait of Georgia, especially in 

and around Departure Bay, Burrard Inlet, and Howe 

Sound, and at least as far north as Pender Harbour. It 

is represented as well at scattered localities throughout 

the full length of Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. 

(Starks, 1896, 1911; Gilbert and Thompson, 1905; 

Miles, 1918; Bolin, 1936; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; 

Miller and Borton, 1980; Norton, 1991)

Icelinus burchami Evermann Dusky sculpin

and Goldsborough, 1907

A deep-dwelling sculpin, the dusky sculpin is known 

from southeastern Alaska to Southern California at La 

Jolla. It is usually found on gravelly and rocky bottoms 

at depths ranging from 60 to 570 m. Seldom collected 

in the Salish Sea, the species is represented at several 

localities in the southern Strait of Georgia, including 

Burrard Inlet, Howe Sound, and off Five Finger Island 

at the mouth of Departure Bay, but it is apparently unknown in the San Juan Archipelago and represented by 

only a single occurrence in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. 

The single known Puget Sound record is a specimen reported in 1928 by Carl Hubbs from off Holly in central 

Hood Canal. (Hubbs, 1928; Bolin, 1936, 1944; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936a; Wilimovsky, 1954; Barraclough and 

Butler, 1965; Peden, 1981a; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 

2010; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Icelinus filamentosus Gilbert, 1890 Threadfin sculpin

Extending from the Gulf of Alaska near Chirikof Island 

and south of the Kenai Peninsula, to Southern California 

at Point Loma and Cortes Bank, the threadfin sculpin is 

found on muddy, sandy, or gravelly bottoms at depths of 

18–420 m. The earliest British Columbia record is based 

on a specimen collected in 1903 off Bowen Island in 

the Strait of Georgia. Since then a number of additional 

specimens have been taken in the same general area—in 

Burrard Inlet and Malaspina Strait—but also to the west 

near Porlier Pass and south to Active Pass. There are numerous records throughout the Strait of Juan de Fuca 

but only a single locality in the San Juan Archipelago, off 

the east end of Orcas Island. There are a number of collections from scattered localities in Puget Sound—from 

Possession Sound and Saratoga Passage to Point Monroe 

on Bainbridge Island, Golden Gardens, Duwamish Head, 

and Alki Point, as well as in Hood Canal. (Gilbert and 

Thompson, 1905; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; 

Hubbs, 1928; Bolin, 1936; Smith, 1937; Clemens and 

Wilby, 1946; Day, 1967; Pearcy et al., 1989)

Icelinus fimbriatus Gilbert, 1890 Fringed sculpin

Another deepwater sculpin, the fringed sculpin is narrowly distributed between Vancouver Island, at least 

as far north as Bamfield, to southern Baja California at 

Tortugas Bay. It prefers soft muddy or sandy bottoms 

at depths of 50–265 m. Records in the Salish Sea are 

rare and, as far as we know, restricted to the Strait of 

Georgia. Collections have been made off Patricia Bay in 

Saanich Inlet, in Satellite Channel, in Departure and Nanoose bays near Nanaimo, off Snake Island, in Pendrell 

Sound, and off Gifford Island in Desolation Sound. (Bolin, 1936, 1944; McPhail, 1969; Horn and Allen, 1978; 

Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Peden, 1984; RodriguezRomero et al., 2008)

Icelinus tenuis Gilbert, 1890 Spotfin sculpin

The spotfin sculpin ranges from Ketchikan and west of 

Noyes Island (southeastern Alaska) to central Baja California off the San Benito Islands. It is found most often 

on sandy and silty bottoms, but sometimes in rocky areas as well, at depths of 7–375 m but more commonly 

between 60 and 100 m. There are apparently no records 

from the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands, 

but its presence is well documented throughout the Strait 

of Georgia from off the north side of Tumbo Island to 

Baker Passage and Bute Inlet, including Departure Bay 

and Burrard Inlet. It is also found at scattered localities in Puget Sound—from off Port Susan, in Saratoga 

Pass and Possession Sound, off Port Madison, in Fletcher Bay, at Shilshole Bay and Golden Gardens, off Duwamish Head to Alki Point, and south to Tramp Harbor 

and Colvos Passage. There are records also from Hood 

Canal—off Holly, Anderson Cove, and Hoodsport. (Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Hubbs, 1928; Bolin, 

1936; Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Lamb and Edgell, 

1986, 2010; Humann, 1996; Love, 2011)

Jordania zonope Longfin sculpin

Starks, 1895 (Fig. 6A)

The longfin sculpin ranges from Prince William Sound at 

Danger Island and southeastern Alaska at Baranof Island 
42 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Figure 6

Fishes of the Salish Sea: (A) longfin sculpin (Jordania zonope), (B) fluffy sculpin (Oligocottus snyderi), and (C) silverspotted sculpin (Blepsias cirrhosis). © Joseph R. Tomelleri.
43

to central California at Diablo Canyon. It prefers rocky 

bottoms where it is often associated with kelp, but sometimes is observed as well clinging vertically to the sides 

of rock faces, at intertidal depths to about 40 m. Originally described from three specimens—“taken in channel rocks at Point Orchard, near Seattle, by Miss Maud 

Parker and Mr. Adam Hubbert, members of the Young 

Naturalists’ Society”—it is relatively common in our 

waters, especially in rocky habitats. Most of the known 

records in the Salish Sea are from the San Juan Archipelago off San Juan, Brown, Orcas, Lopez, and Shaw 

islands. There are a few records in the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca off Sooke, Saxe Point near Victoria, and Tongue 

Point in the Salt Creek Recreation area on the eastern 

margin of Crescent Bay. In the Strait of Georgia, it has 

been collected at Burrard Inlet, at several localities in 

and around Howe Sound, off Pearson Island, in Pender 

Harbour, in Jervis Inlet, and at the north end of Texada 

Island near Sturt Bay. In Puget Sound there are only four 

known localities: off Washington Park in Anacortes, off 

Langley Point at the south end of Langley Bay, in Admiralty Inlet off Port Townsend (underwater observations 

have been recorded off Keystone Jetty as well), and at 

Orchard Point near Manchester, Washington. (Jordan 

and Starks, 1895; Bean and Weed, 1920; Schultz, 1930; 

Bolin, 1937; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Wilkie, 1963; 

Peden and Wilson, 1976; Miller and Borton, 1980)

Leptocottus armatus Pacific staghorn sculpin

Girard, 1854a

The Pacific staghorn sculpin, a scaleless sculpin noted 

for its long antler-like preopercular spine, ranges from 

the southeastern Bering Sea at Port Moller to northern 

Baja California at Punta Bay. It is commonly found in 

tidepools and in intertidal and subtidal regions of bays 

and estuaries, to a maximum depth of at least 188 m. It 

generally prefers muddy, sandy, and broken-shell bottoms 

and is often associated with eelgrass. Unusually tolerant of freshwater, it sometimes enters lower reaches of 

coastal rivers and streams. Perhaps our most widespread 

and commonly collected cottid, it is found in abundance 

along the entire outer coast and throughout the Salish 

Sea. (Suckley, 1860; Gilbert 1896c; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Hubbs, 1921; Smith, 1936, 1937; Jones, 

1962; Miller and Borton, 1980; Armstrong et al., 1995)

Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus Great sculpin

(Pallas, 1814)

The great sculpin is distributed from the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands to the Sea of Okhotsk and eastern Sea of 

Japan in the west and to Vancouver Island and southern 

Puget Sound in the east. It is found primarily on sandy 

and muddy bottoms from the intertidal zone to a depth of 

200 m, but it is common as well between 200 and 300 m 

and reported to a maximum known depth of 775 m. It is 

abundant along the entire outer coast of British Columbia 

and throughout the Salish Sea. (Lord, 1866; Jordan and 

Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Gilbert, 1896c; Evermann and 

Goldsborough, 1907; Fowler, 1923; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Love, 2011)

Oligocottus maculosus Girard, 1856 Tidepool sculpin

Another scaleless sculpin, the tidepool sculpin ranges 

from the southeastern Bering Sea at the Pribilof Islands 

to Southern California at Palos Verdes Peninsula. It is 

exceedingly abundant, especially in the northern part of 

its distribution (from the Gulf of Alaska to San Francisco Bay) in sheltered intertidal and shallow subtidal 

areas, including tidepools, but it has also been observed at depths as great as 9 m. It is abundant along 

the outer coast of British Columbia, including Vancouver Island, and almost everywhere in appropriate habitat 

throughout the Salish Sea. (Günther, 1860; Evermann 

and Goldsborough, 1907; Bean and Weed, 1920; Green, 

1971; Howe and Richardson21; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Cross, 1981; Pfister, 2006; Love 2011)

Oligocottus rimensis Saddleback sculpin

(Greeley, 1899)

Ranging from southeastern Alaska at Kakul Narrows 

to northern Baja California, the saddleback sculpin prefers tidepools and shallow, rocky, and gravelly intertidal 

areas often associated with kelp, to a depth of 6 m. It 

is relatively uncommon in the Salish Sea, but it is best 

known from the San Juan Archipelago, where collections 

have been made off San Juan, Stuart, Shaw, and Lopez 

islands. There are a few records in the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca—in tidepools west and south of Slip Point Light in 

Clallam Bay, at Tongue Point on the eastern margin of 

Crescent Bay, off the mouth of the Jordan River, and off 

Sooke and Victoria—but only two known localities in 

the Strait of Georgia, at Saturna and Gabriola islands, 

and three localities in Puget Sound, off Admiralty Head, 

Carkeek Park, and Golden Gardens. (Evermann and 

Goldsborough, 1907; Hubbs, 1928; Schultz, 1930; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Peden and Wilson, 1976; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Love, 2011)

Oligocottus snyderi Greeley, in Fluffy sculpin

Jordan and Evermann, 1898b (Fig. 6B)

The fluffy sculpin ranges from the western Gulf of Alaska at Chernabura Island, and southeastern Alaska at 

21Howe, K. M., and S. L. Richardson. 1978. Taxonomic review and 

meristic variation in marine sculpins (Osteichthyes:Cottidae) of 

the northeast Pacific Ocean, 142 p. Final report, NOAA-NMFS 

contract 03-78-MO2-120, 1 January 1978 to 30 September 1978. 

Northwest Alaska Fish. Cent., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Seattle, WA.
44 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Samsing Cove, near Sitka, to northern Baja California 

at Punta Cono. It prefers sheltered tidepools and shallow rocky areas, often closely associated with algae, to 

a depth of 6 m or more. It is relatively common along 

the outer coast of British Columbia (in and around the 

Queen Charlotte Islands and off Vancouver Island), 

Washington, and Oregon but rarely observed in the Salish Sea. It has been collected in Neah, Clallam, Crescent, 

and Sequim bays along the southern margin of the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca and off San Juan Island and the southern end of Lopez Island. There are no known records 

from the Strait of Georgia or Puget Sound. (Bean and 

Weed, 1920; Hubbs, 1926b, 1928; Quast, 1968; DeLacy 

et al., 1972; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Gilbert and 

Williams, 2002; Love, 2011)

Paricelinus hopliticus Eigenmann Thornback sculpin

and Eigenmann, 1889

The thornback sculpin is distributed from the Gulf of 

Alaska to Southern California at Cortes Bank off San Diego. It generally prefers rocky bottoms, from near shore 

to a depth of at least 183 m. Uncommon throughout its 

range, it is extremely rare in the Salish Sea. With the 

exception of four unvouchered captures in the western 

Strait of Juan de Fuca, it is known in the Salish Sea from 

fewer than a half dozen specimens, all collected from the 

southern Strait of Georgia in Saanich Inlet, off Porteau 

in Howe Sound, and the south side of Pearson Island 

in Malaspina Strait. (Eigenmann and Eigenmann, 1892; 

Starks and Morris, 1907; Bolin, 1937, 1944; Barraclough 

and Ketchen, 1963; Day, 1967; Eschmeyer and Herald, 

1983; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Maslenikov et al., 

2013)

Radulinus asprellus Gilbert, 1890 Slim sculpin

The slim sculpin extends from the Bering Sea near the 

Pribilof Islands, the Aleutians as far west as Unalaska 

Island, and the western Gulf of Alaska off Kodiak Island, to northern Baja California off the Coronado Islands. It is usually found on soft, muddy bottoms at 

depths of 18–283 m. The earliest British Columbia record dates from 1903, on the basis of a specimen collected near Nanaimo by the Albatross. It is now well 

known throughout coastal British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, and numerous collections have been 

made throughout the San Juan Islands, the Strait of 

Georgia at least as far north as Comox, and nearly everywhere in Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. It is 

represented as well along the full length of the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca, including 24 specimens collected in May 

1992 in Discovery Bay. (Evermann and Goldborough, 

1907; Smith, 1937; Hubbs and Schultz, 1941; Bolin, 

1944; Grinols, 1965; Quast and Hall, 1972; Simenstad 

et al.22; Miller and Borton, 1980; Blackburn and Jackson17; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Radulinus boleoides Gilbert, Darter sculpin

 in Jordan and Evermann, 1898a

The darter sculpin, uncommon throughout its range, extends from east of Kodiak Island to Southern California at Santa Catalina Island and Tanner Bank. Little is 

known about its ecology, but it is generally collected in 

rather deep water; the few available collections indicate 

depths between 15 and 146 m. Extremely rare in the 

Salish Sea, there are apparently only seven specimens in 

collections around the world: five from San Juan, Shaw, 

and O’Neal islands in the San Juan Archipelago and two 

from Elliott Bay, near Seattle, in Puget Sound. (Starks, 

1911; Kincaid, 1919; Hubbs, 1928; Schultz and DeLacy, 

1936b; Bolin, 1944; McPhail, 1969; Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Brodeur and Rugen, 1994)

Ruscarius meanyi Puget Sound sculpin

Jordan and Starks, 1895

Another uncommon cottid, the Puget Sound sculpin

extends from Unimak Pass and southeastern Alaska at 

Fillmore Island to northern California at Cordell Bank, 

although larvae have been collected from the eastern 

Aleutian Islands and western Gulf of Alaska, suggesting a much wider distribution than indicated by known 

adults. It generally inhabits intertidal and subtidal areas, 

often associated with large rocks or vertical rock faces, to 

a maximum depth of 82 m, but it is more often confined 

to depths of 1–20 m. Originally described on the basis of 

two specimens collected in Puget Sound (presumably at or 

near Orchard Point on Bainbridge Island) and “named for 

Mr. Edmond Meany, Secretary of the University of Washington, in recognition of his work in the Young Naturalists’ Society,” this species has since rarely been collected 

in the Salish Sea. In addition to the type specimens from 

Puget Sound, records are limited to off Sooke in the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca; Shaw and Turn islands in the San Juan 

Archipelago; and Saanich Peninsula, Howe Sound, and 

off the south side of Pearson Island in the southern Strait 

of Georgia. This species was earlier known as Artedius

meanyi. (Kincaid, 1919; Rosenblatt and Wilkie, 1963; 

Peden, 1972; Lea, 1974; Begle, 1989; Love et al., 2005; 

Love, 2011; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Scorpaenichthys marmoratus (Ayres, 1854) Cabezon

One of the few eastern Pacific sculpins of commercial importance, the cabezon ranges from southeastern Alaska 

22Simenstad, C. A, J. S. Isakson, and R. E. Nakatani. 1977. Marine fish communities. In The environment of Amchitka Island, 

Alaska (M. L. Merritt and R. G. Fuller, eds.), p. 451−492. TID26712. Natl. Tech. Inf. Serv., Springfield, VA.
45

near Sitka to central Baja California at Point Abreojos. 

It prefers hard rocky bottoms from the intertidal zone 

to a depth of 76 m, although smaller individuals are 

sometimes found in tidepools. The adults move inshore 

at high tide to feed, primarily on crustaceans and mollusks. First recorded in British Columbia waters in 1881 

by Jordan and Gilbert, who reported seeing specimens 

at Victoria, it is very abundant along the outer coasts 

of Vancouver Island, Washington, and Oregon. There 

are numerous records as well along the full length of the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca; throughout the San Juan Islands; 

the southern Strait of Georgia at least as far north as 

Frolander Bay in Malapsina Strait; and in Puget Sound, 

including Hood Canal. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 

1881d; Collins, 1892; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Peden and Wilson, 1976, Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Cope and Key23)

Synchirus gilli Bean, 1890a Manacled sculpin

Named for having the pectoral fins fused across the 

breast, a character that readily distinguishes it from all 

other eastern Pacific cottids, the manacled sculpin ranges 

from Unalaska Island in the Aleutians and the western 

Gulf of Alaska to Southern California at San Miguel Island. It is commonly observed in tidepools and shallow 

inter- and subtidal waters, often associated with kelp, 

and sometimes seen clinging to pilings, rocks, and other objects. Although apparently common in parts of its 

range, it is seldom collected in the Salish Sea. There are 

a few records off Sooke and Saxe Point in the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca; near San Juan, Brown, Shaw, and Stuart 

islands in the San Juan Archipelago; from scattered localities in the southern Strait of Georgia, including Departure Bay, Howe Sound, and Saturna, Gabriola, Popham, 

and Texada islands; and in Puget Sound, including Port 

Townsend, North Beach, Alki Point, West Seattle, Point 

Defiance, and off Bangor in Hood Canal. (Evermann 

and Goldsborough, 1907; Schultz, 1930; Chapman and 

DeLacy, 1933; Miller and Erdman, 1948; Walker, 1953; 

Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Orsi et al., 1991)

Triglops macellus (Bean, 1884a) Roughspine sculpin

The roughspine sculpin ranges from the eastern Bering 

Sea, from just north of St. Matthew and Nunivak islands, to the Aleutians as far west as the Near Islands, 

and extending southeast to the Gulf of Alaska, British 

Columbia, and Washington at Grays Harbor. It is generally found on flat, soft bottoms in middle-shelf regions at 

23Cope, J. M., and M. Key. 2009. Status of cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus) in California and Oregon waters as assessed 

in 2009, 418 p. Fish. Res. Analysis Mon. Div., Northwest Fish. 

Sci. Cent., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Seattle, WA. [Available at http://

www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/Cabezon09_FINAL.pdf.]

depths ranging from 18–350 m. Uncommon in the Salish 

Sea, it has been recorded at widely scattered localities in 

the Strait of Juan de Fuca (off Clallam Bay and Port Angeles), in the San Juan Archipelago (San Juan, Orcas, and 

Lopez islands), off Bellingham, in the southern Strait of 

Georgia (Burrard Inlet, English Bay, and Howe Sound), 

and in Puget Sound (Saratoga Passage, Possession Sound, 

Agate Pass, Port Madison, Golden Gardens, Duwamish 

Head to Alki Point, and Colvos Passage at Camp Sealth), 

including Hood Canal at Big Beef Harbor. (Starks, 1911; 

Chapman and DeLacy, 1933; DeLacy et al., 1972; Quast 

and Hall, 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980; Allen and 

Smith, 1988; Pietsch, 1993; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Triglops pingelii Reinhardt, 1837 Ribbed sculpin

The ribbed sculpin is a wide-ranging circumpolar species, known throughout the coastal shelf regions of the 

Arctic and north Atlantic and Pacific oceans. On the 

Pacific side it ranges from the Beaufort, Chukchi, and 

Bering seas, and throughout the Aleutian Islands as far 

west as Stalemate Bank, to the Sea of Japan off Hokkaido in the west and to the Gulf of Alaska, British Columbia, and Puget Sound in the east. A benthic species 

preferring flat soft bottoms, it occupies a wide vertical 

distribution, ranging from 4–482 m but more commonly taken at depths of 20–150 m. The earliest records 

in the Salish Sea are based on at least two specimens 

collected in 1891 by the Albatross near Victoria. Since 

then, additional individuals have been taken off Victoria and other nearby localities at the eastern end of 

the Strait of Juan de Fuca, including Sooke, Esquimalt, 

and Port Angeles. It is known as well from scattered 

localities throughout the San Juan Archipelago and at 

nearby James and Mandarte islands, as well as in Hale 

Passage and Bellingham Bay. In Puget Sound, localities 

include in Deception Pass, off Admiralty Head, near 

Marrowstone Island, in Mutiny Bay, off Gedney Island, 

at Port Ludlow, between Point No Point and Possession Point, in Agate Pass, in Port Orchard Bay, and 

off Golden Gardens. There are no known records in 

the Strait of Georgia north of Birch Bay, Washington. 

(Gilbert, 1896c; Starks, 1896; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Fowler, 1923; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; 

Quast and Hall, 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980; Allen 

and Smith, 1988; Pietsch, 1993)

Hemitripteridae Spiny sculpins

Blepsias cirrhosus Silverspotted sculpin

(Pallas, 1814) (Fig. 6C)

Perhaps the most beautiful of all the cottids, the silverspotted sculpin ranges from the southeastern Bering 

Sea, and the Aleutians at Attu Island, to the Kuril Islands and the seas of Okhotsk and Japan in the west 
46 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

and to British Columbia and central California off San 

Simeon in the east. Found on rocky bottoms and often 

associated with algae, it occupies intertidal and subtidal 

depths to a maximum of about 37 m. It is relatively common along the outer coast of Vancouver Island and wide 

spread in the Salish Sea—ranging from Cape Flattery to 

Clallam Bay, Tongue Point, Sooke, Victoria, Port Angeles, and Sequim Bay in the Strait of Juan de Fuca; almost 

everywhere in and around the San Juan Islands; in the 

southern Strait of Georgia as far north as Burrard Inlet 

at the mouth of Beaver Creek; and in Puget Sound as far 

south as the Tacoma Narrows, with a single known record from off Hood Head in Hood Canal. (Steindachner, 

1876; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan and 

Jouy, 1881; Starks, 1896; Evermann and Goldsborough, 

1907; Wilimovsky, 1964; Isakson et al.24)

Nautichthys oculofasciatus Sailfin sculpin

(Girard, 1858a) (Fig. 7A)

Another beautiful sculpin, the sailfin sculpin extends 

from the Shumagin Islands in the eastern Aleutians to 

Southern California at San Miguel Island. It is found 

on rocky bottoms, often associated with algae, in tidepools and the intertidal zone to a depth of 110 m. It is 

common along the outer coast of Vancouver Island and 

abundant almost everywhere in the Salish Sea, including 

the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the San Juan Archipelago, the 

Strait of Georgia at least as far north as Jervis Inlet, and 

the full length of Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. 

(Suckley, 1860; Steindachner, 1876; Jordan and Gilbert, 

1881c, 1881d; Starks, 1896; Fowler, 1923; Bolin, 1944; 

Peden and Wilson, 1976; Miller and Borton, 1980; Yabe 

et al., 1983; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Agonidae Poachers

Agonopsis vulsa (Jordan Northern spearnose poacher

and Gilbert, 1880o)

The northern spearnose poacher ranges from the northern Gulf of Alaska at Kachemak Bay to Southern California off Point Loma. It usually inhabits soft and muddy 

or sandy bottoms at depths of 5–393 m (more commonly 

between 10 and 180 m). The species is sometimes found 

as well in the intertidal zone and less often in tidepools. 

It is very abundant throughout the San Juan Archipelago 

but less so in other parts of the Salish Sea. In the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca, it has been collected off Esquimalt and 

Victoria and in Sequim Bay. In the Strait of Georgia, 

it has been found off Saturna and Mayne islands and 

in Burrard Inlet, English Bay, and Howe Sound. It has 

also been taken at scattered localities throughout most 

24Isakson, J. S., J. P. Houghton, D. E. Rogers, and S. S. Parker. 

1986. Fish use of inshore habitats north of the Alaska Peninsula: 

June–September 1984 and June–July 1985. NOAA, OCSEAP Final Rep. 55(1988):1–380.

of Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. This species was 

previously known as Agonopsis emmelane (Jordan and 

Starks, 1895). (Jordan and Starks, 1895; Starks, 1896, 

1911; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Bean and 

Weed, 1920; Fowler, 1923; Smith, 1936, 1937; DeLacy 

et al., 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980)

Anoplagonus inermis Smooth alligatorfish

(Günther, 1860)

The smooth alligatorfish is distributed from the Aleutian 

Islands at Petrel Bank to northern California off Point 

Arena. It is usually found on sandy, gravelly, or rocky 

bottoms, often near rock outcropping, at depths from 2 

m to at least 114 m. Common throughout the San Juan 

Archipelago and in and around Burrard Inlet and Howe 

Sound in the southern Strait of Georgia, with a few more 

northern records in Nanoose Bay and off the south side 

of Pearson Island in the Malaspina Strait, it is relatively 

rare almost everywhere else in the Salish Sea. Known localities in the Strait of Juan de Fuca include off Sooke, 

Victoria, Saxe Point, Port Angeles, and Dungeness Bay 

and in Puget Sound, off Port Ludlow, the mouth of 

Hood Canal, Point No Point, and near Seattle off the 

entrance to the Ballard Locks. (Gilbert, 1896c; Starks, 

1896, 1911; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kanayama, 1991; Love, 2011)

Bathyagonus alascanus Gray starsnout

(Gilbert, 1896a)

One of several members of the genus Bathyagonus named 

for the conspicuous cluster of spines at the extreme tip of 

the snout, the gray starsnout ranges from the southeastern Bering Sea west of the Pribilofs and the Andreanof 

Islands in the central Aleutians to northern California. It 

is usually found on sandy or muddy bottoms at depths 

of 18–252 m. This species is relatively common in and 

around Burrard Inlet, in English Bay, and Howe Sound 

in the southern Strait of Georgia—with a single record 

farther north off Maude Island in Skidgate Inlet and another to the south off Saturna Island—but there have 

been fewer than a dozen captures in the San Juan Islands, 

and it is rare almost everywhere else in the Salish Sea. 

There are only three known localities in the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca—off Cape Flattery, west of Race Rocks, and in 

Discovery Bay. Only eight localities are known in Puget 

Sound—off Useless Bay at the southern end of Whidbey 

Island, Port Madison, Fletcher Bay on the west side of 

Bainbridge Island, off Golden Gardens, West Point, Alki 

Point, Seahurst, and Des Moines. This species was known 

earlier as Asterotheca alascana. (Miles, 1918; Kincaid, 

1919; Shelford et al., 1935; Wilimovsky, 1954; Grinols, 

1965; Delacy et al., 1972; Fitch, 1973; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Kanayama, 1991; Maslenikov et al., 2013)
47

Figure 7

Fishes of the Salish Sea: (A) sailfin sculpin (Nautichthys oculofasciatus) and (B) fourhorn poacher (Hypsagonus quadricornis). © 

Joseph R. Tomelleri.
48 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Bathyagonus infraspinatus Spinycheek starsnout

(Gilbert, 1904)

The spinycheek starsnout is another relatively rare 

poacher in the Salish Sea. It ranges from the southeastern Bering Sea near the Pribilofs and Islands of Four 

Mountains to northern California near Eureka, and it 

inhabits sandy and muddy bottoms at depths of 6–183 

m. The earliest British Columbia record is based on 

a specimen collected in 1913 at Nanoose Bay in the 

Strait of Georgia. Additional Canadian collections have 

since been made south of Cherry Point, in and around 

Departure Bay, Burrard Inlet, and English Bay, and 

the northernmost locality is apparently Baynes Sound 

northwest of Denman Island. In the San Juan Archipelago most of the known material is from East Sound 

and off the east side of Lopez Island, with only a few 

individuals taken near Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. In Puget Sound it has been taken in Skagit Bay, 

off Penn Cove, in Saratoga Pass, and in Point Gardner 

Bay; off Port Madison near Agate Pass; Carkeek Park, 

Golden Gardens, and Meadow Point; and off Thorndike and Dabob bays in Hood Canal. With the exception of a few specimens collected off Cape Flattery, 

there are no known localities in the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca. This species was previously known as Asterotheca infraspinata. (Gilbert and Thompson, 1905; Starks, 

1911; Kincaid, 1919; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Fitch, 1973; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Kanayama, 1991)

Bathyagonus nigripinnis Blackfin poacher

Gilbert, 1890

The blackfin poacher is widely distributed, ranging from 

the Bering Sea and Aleutians to the Commander Islands, 

southeastern Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands, and central 

Honshu, Japan, in the west and to northern California off Eureka in the east. One of the few deepwater 

poachers, it generally occupies soft and sandy or muddy 

bottoms, most often on outer shelf and upper slopes, 

at depths from 18 m to at least 1250 m, and most often found between 50 and 800 m. The vast majority of 

records in the Salish Sea are from northeastern Puget 

Sound, concentrated in waters between the mainland and 

Camano Island and the southern end of Whidbey Island, 

in Port Susan, Tulalip Bay, off Gedney Island, and Possession Sound and south to Mukilteo. Significant numbers have also been taken in Saratoga Passage, from off 

Penn Cove and Point Demock, and south to Langley and 

Camano Head, but it is surprisingly rare everywhere else. 

There are a few records farther south in Puget Sound, 

one near Point Jefferson and three in Dabob Bay and 

off Holly in Hood Canal, and there are several known 

localities in the southern Strait of Georgia, including in 

Nanaimo Harbour, Burrard Inlet, and English Bay. The 

single recorded capture in the San Juan Islands is a specimen taken in Deadman Bay on the west side of San Juan 

Island in spring 1977. There are no known localities in 

the Strait of Juan de Fuca. (Gilbert, 1896a; Schultz and 

DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Kendall, 

1966; Quast and Hall, 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Kanayama, 1991)

Bathyagonus pentacanthus Bigeye poacher

(Gilbert, 1890)

Another deep-dwelling poacher, the bigeye poacher extends from the Near Islands in the western Aleutians 

and the western Gulf of Alaska near Chirikof Island to 

Cortes Bank near San Diego, California. It usually occupies muddy or sandy bottoms at depths of 100–375 

m, but it has been reported to a depth of 910 m. Rare 

in the Salish Sea, there are only a few, widely scattered 

records—off the mouth of the Jordan River and northeast of Dungeness Spit in the Strait of Juan de Fuca; in 

Eagle Cove and Friday Harbor on the west side of San 

Juan Island; off Galiano Island in the southern Strait of 

Georgia; and in Puget Sound at the mouth of Hood Canal, off Meadow Point on the east side of Bainbridge 

Island, near Golden Gardens, between Duwamish Head 

and Alki Point, and off Seahurst. This species was previously known as Asterotheca pentacantha. (Evermann 

and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks and Morris, 1907; 

Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; 

Quast and Hall, 1972; Fitch, 1973; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Kanayama, 1991; 

Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Bothragonus swanii (Steindachner, 1876) Rockhead

Another rare poacher in the Salish Sea, the rockhead 

ranges from the western Gulf of Alaska at Kodiak Island to central California at Lion Rock, San Luis Obispo 

County. It is usually found along exposed coasts in the 

intertidal zone to a depth of about 18 m, but often in 

rocky or pebbly tidepools, and associated with algae, 

sponges, and various other small organisms. Known localities in the Salish Sea are limited to Tongue Point and 

off Victoria in the Strait of Juan de Fuca; various collecting sites on the west side of San Juan Island and off 

Iceberg Point on Lopez Island; and off Port Townsend 

in Puget Sound. (Eigenmann and Eigenmann, 1892; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Kincaid, 1919; Bean and Weed, 

1920; Hubbs, 1928; Schultz, 1930; Schultz and DeLacy, 

1936b; Walker, 1953; Leipertz, 1988)

Chesnonia verrucosa Warty poacher

(Lockington, 1880c)

The warty poacher is an extremely rare resident of 

the Salish Sea, extending from the southeastern Bering 
49

Sea at Bristol Bay, the eastern Gulf of Alaska at Shelikof Bay, and southern British Columbia off Vancouver Island to central California off Point Montara. It 

is found on soft, muddy bottoms at depths of 18–274 

m. Only three localities in the Salish Sea have been 

recorded: one from off Rosario Beach near Deception 

Pass (on the basis of an underwater photograph), another from off Port Madison, and a third from off the 

northern tip of West Point near Seattle. This species 

was known earlier as Ocella verrucosa. (Jordan and 

Evermann, 1898a; Barraclough, 1947; Dryfoos, 1961; 

Gruchy, 1969; Bailey and Gruchy, 1970; Quast and 

Hall, 1972; Allen and Smith, 1988)

Hypsagonus quadricornis Fourhorn poacher

(Valenciennes, 1829) (Fig. 7B)

One of the most ornate of the North Pacific poachers, perhaps eclipsed only by the extraordinary dragon 

poacher, Percis japonica, of the western North Pacific, the fourhorn poacher ranges from the northeastern 

Chukchi Sea, Bering Sea, and the western Aleutians at 

Attu Island to the Commander Islands and the Sea of 

Okhotsk and northern Sea of Japan in the west and to 

British Columbia and Puget Sound in the east. It prefers 

sandy, gravelly, or rocky bottoms at depths of 15–452 

m but is more commonly found at shallower depths of 

200 m or less. In the Salish Sea, it is common throughout 

the San Juan Islands but rare everywhere else. There are 

a few records at the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca off Victoria, Port Angeles, and Admiralty Head, 

and in Puget Sound at the east end of Deception Pass 

and off the northern tip of Marrowstone Island. There 

are no known localities in the Strait of Georgia. (Gilbert, 1896a; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Heath, 

1910; Starks, 1911; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kanayama, 1991; Jensen, 2005; Love, 2011; Maslenikov et al., 

2013)

Odontopyxis trispinosa Pygmy poacher

Lockington, 1880b

The pygmy poacher ranges from the southeastern Bering 

Sea and the Gulf of Alaska at Prince William Sound to 

Baja California off Cedros Island. It inhabits muddy or 

sandy bottoms at depths of 5–373 m. In the Salish Sea, 

this species has been collected off Ediz Hook, near Port 

Angeles; at numerous localities throughout the San Juan 

Archipelago; in the southern Strait of Georgia in Pylades 

Channel between Gabriola and Link islands, Departure 

Bay near Nanaimo, Burrard Inlet, and off Bowen Island; 

and throughout Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. It 

is especially abundant off Port Madison, the west side 

of Bainbridge Island, between Duwamish Head and Alki 

Point, and in Case and Eld inlets. (Jordan and Starks, 

1895; Gilbert, 1896b; Starks, 1896, 1911; Shelford et 

al., 1935; Wismer and Swanson, 1935; Kendall, 1966; 

Peden and Wilson, 1976; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Kanayama, 1991; Busby and Ambrose, 1993)

Pallasina barbata Tubenose poacher

(Steindachner, 1876)

Extending from the eastern Chukchi and Bering seas, St. 

Lawrence Island, and the Aleutians to the Commander 

Islands and southern Kamchatka through the Kuril Islands and Okhotsk and Japan seas to Wonsan, South 

Korea, in the west and to northern California at Bodega 

Bay in the east, the tubenose poacher is usually found 

in inter- and subtidal regions to a depth of 128 m and 

is often associated with algae and eelgrass over sandy 

or gravelly bottoms. One of the few poachers that consistently and actively swims well off the bottom, it is 

relatively uncommon in the Salish Sea. There are a few 

records from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, from off the 

mouth of the Jordan River to Port Angeles, Victoria, and 

Sequim and Dungeness bays; in the southern Strait of 

Georgia, just south of Cherry Point; in the Bellingham 

area off Lummi Bay, Wildcat Cove, and Padilla Bay; 

and from Puget Sound, in Kilisut Harbor and off Port 

Ludlow and Edwards Point. The vast majority of known 

records in the Salish Sea, however, come from the San 

Juan Archipelago where numerous collections have been 

made off San Juan, Lopez, Shaw, and St. Johns islands. 

(Starks, 1896, 1911; Powers, 1921; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Miller and Borton, 1980; Lamb and Edgell, 

1986, 2010; Kanayama, 1991; Love, 2011)

Podothecus accipenserinus Sturgeon poacher

(Tilesius, 1813)

One of the more common and widely distributed North 

Pacific poachers, the sturgeon poacher ranges from the 

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands at Attu to the Commander Islands, the Sea of Okhotsk, southwestern Kamchatka, and the Kuril Islands in the west and to northern California at Point Reyes in the east. It typically 

occupies soft bottoms at depths of 2–300 m. Common 

along the coast of British Columbia, Washington, and 

Oregon, it has been collected at both ends of the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca, especially in Port Angeles Harbor, Sequim Bay, west and southwest of Protection Island, in 

open water west of McArthur Bank, and off West Beach 

on the northern end of Whidbey Island. It is abundant 

in and around the San Juan Islands, in Bellingham and 

Padilla bays, in the southern Strait of Georgia at least as 

far north as Departure Bay and Burrard Inlet, and nearly everywhere in Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. 

This species was previously called Agonus acipenserinus.

(Günther, 1860; Gill, 1861b; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 

1881d; Gilbert, 1896a; Fowler, 1923; Miller and Borton, 
50 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

1980; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Kanayama, 1991; 

Love, 2011)

Stellerina xyosterna Pricklebreast poacher

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1880f)

The pricklebreast poacher extends from Icy Bay, Alaska, 

and off Fife Point on the northeast coast of the Queen 

Charlotte Islands to central Baja California at San Carlos 

Bay. It is usually found on muddy or sandy bottoms at 

depths of 5–75 m. Its presence in the Salish Sea is based 

on a single 83-mm standard-length specimen collected on 

2 February 1965 by William E. Barraclough at a depth 

of 91 m off Sheringham Point Lighthouse on the southern coast of Vancouver Island in the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca. (Jordan et al., 1930; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; 

Freeman, 1951; Bond, 1959; Gruchy, 1970; Miller and 

Lea, 1972; Barraclough and Peden, 1977; Peden and Jamieson, 1988)

Xeneretmus latifrons (Gilbert, 1890) Blacktip poacher

The blacktip poacher extends from the northern Queen 

Charlotte Islands at Rennell Sound and Skidegate Channel to northern Baja California off Cape Colnett. It prefers sandy and muddy bottoms at depths of 18–400 m. It 

is extremely abundant in appropriate habitat throughout 

Puget Sound, including Hood Canal, but rare almost everywhere else in the Salish Sea. In the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca it has apparently been collected only in Discovery 

Bay, and there is only a single record in the San Juan 

Archipelago—three specimens said to have been collected off the dock at the University of Washington Friday 

Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island. In the southern 

Strait of Georgia it has been collected off Gabriola Island, 

in Burrard Inlet, off Bowen Island, in Pendrell Sound, 

in Narrows Inlet, and off Popham and Denman islands. 

(Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks and Morris, 

1907; Starks, 1911; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Smith, 

1937, Pearcy, 1978; Miller and Borton, 1980; Leipertz, 

1985; Kanayama, 1991; Busby and Ambrose, 1993)

Xeneretmus leiops Gilbert, 1915 Smootheye poacher

Rarely encountered throughout its range, the smootheye poacher extends from the northern Gulf of Alaska 

to Southern California off Santa Catalina Island. It is 

usually found on soft bottoms at depths of 37–400 m. 

Although represented at several localities off the outer 

coasts of Vancouver Island, Washington, and Oregon, its 

presence in the Salish Sea is based on a single specimen 

reported by Barraclough and Peden from the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca. A record of a specimen said to have been 

taken off Stanley Park near Vancouver in May 1963 was 

based on a cataloging error. Another individual cited by 

Leipertz from Neah Bay was actually collected far out to 

sea, southwest of La Pérouse Bank, and cannot be considered part of the ichthyofauna of the Salish Sea. (Bolin, 

1937; Fitch, 1966, 1973; Miller and Lea, 1972; Ginn 

and Bond, 1973; Barraclough and Peden, 1977; Leipertz, 

1985; Peden and Jamieson, 1988; Pearcy et al., 1989; 

Kanayama, 1991; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Xeneretmus triacanthus Bluespotted poacher

 (Gilbert, 1890)

Ranging from northern British Columbia at Kwatna Inlet 

to northern Baja California at Punta Baja, this poacher 

inhabits sandy and muddy bottoms at depths of 73–373 

m. It is fairly common in Puget Sound, known from scattered localities that extend from Saratoga Passage to the 

southern end of Case Inlet, with a single record in Hood 

Canal off Brinnon, but extremely rare or absent everywhere else in the Salish Sea. There is a single recorded capture in the San Juan Channel off Friday Harbor 

and another in Bellingham Bay, but there are no known 

occurrences in the straits of Juan de Fuca or Georgia. 

(Jordan and Starks, 1895; Wismer and Swanson, 1935; 

Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Freeman, 1951; Peden and 

Gruchy, 1971; Miller and Borton, 1980; Leipertz, 1985; 

Kanayama, 1991)

Psychrolutidae Fathead sculpins

Dasycottus setiger Bean, 1890b Spinyhead sculpin

The spinyhead sculpin is a widely distributed North 

Pacific species, ranging from the Bering Sea (at Navarin Canyon) and Aleutians to the Commander Islands, 

the Okhotsk Sea, Sea of Japan, and the Pacific coast of 

northern Honshu in the west and to Washington State 

in the east. It prefers soft silty bottoms at depths of 15–

850 m but is more often concentrated on mid- to upper 

shelf regions at depths of 50–300 m. There are numerous vouchered localities throughout the San Juan Archipelago (especially in East and West sounds off Orcas Island); in Bellingham Bay; throughout the Strait of Georgia, from Cowichan Bay in the west and Cherry Point 

in the east to Comox and Bute Inlet in the far north; 

and in Puget Sound from Skagit Bay to Case Inlet, including several scattered records in Hood Canal. In the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca it has been taken off Green Point, 

in Sequim and Discovery bays, and off the west end of 

Protection Island. (Jordan and Starks, 1895; Evermann 

and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks, 1911; Wismer and 

Swanson, 1935; Smith, 1936, 1937; Clemens and Wilby, 

1946; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Love, 2011)

Malacocottus kincaidi Blackfin sculpin

Gilbert and Thompson, 1905

The blackfin sculpin has a remarkably narrow geographic distribution, extending only from British Columbia to 
51

Puget Sound. Although it has been reported several times 

from Alaska, all relevant material has since been reallocated to the closely related darkfin sculpin, Malacocottus zonurus. Not much is known about the ecology of 

the blackfin sculpin, but it is most often trawled off flat 

muddy bottoms at depths of 18–468 m. This species was 

originally described in 1905 from specimens collected by 

Trevor Kincaid off Brinnon in central Hood Canal, and 

that part of Puget Sound, from Dabob Bay to the mouth 

of The Big Bend, has been the major source of collections of this species since then. Additional Puget Sound 

localities are few and far between: Skagit Bay, Saratoga 

Passage, Port Gamble, and Carr Inlet. In the San Juan 

Archipelago there are only two known records: from San 

Juan Island off Friday Harbor and in San Juan Channel 

west of Jones Island. In the Strait of Georgia it has been 

taken off Entrance Island near Nanaimo and at numerous points in and around Burrard Inlet, English Bay, and 

Howe Sound. There are apparently no known occurrences in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. (Gilbert and Thompson, 

1905; Hubbs, 1928; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Smith, 

1936, 1937; Clemens and Wilby 1946; Lamb and Edgell, 

1986, 2010; Vogt, 1987; Stevenson, 2015)

Psychrolutes paradoxus Günther, 1861 Tadpole sculpin

The tadpole sculpin ranges from the Bering Sea at Norton Sound, and the western Aleutian Islands, to Cape 

Olyutorskiy, the Commander Islands, the Okhotsk Sea, 

and Sea of Japan in the west, and to Puget Sound in the 

east. It inhabits soft or rocky bottoms at depths of 9–240 

m. The species is rather common throughout the Salish 

Sea, known from numerous collection sites throughout 

the San Juan Archipelago; in Bellingham, Samish, and 

Padilla bays; and in Puget Sound from Admiralty Inlet 

and Similk and Skagit bays south to Carr Inlet, including Hood Canal at least as far south as Lilliwaup. In the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca it has been taken in Neah Bay, off 

the mouth of the Jordan River, at Port Angeles, off West 

Beach, and on the northwest side of Whidbey Island just 

south of the entrance to Deception Pass; and in the Strait 

of Georgia, near Cherry Point, off Pender and Saturna 

islands, and in Burrard and Skidegate inlets. (Jordan and 

Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Bean, 1882a, 1890b; Gilbert, 

1896c; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 

1946; Stein and Bond, 1978; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Psychrolutes sigalutes Soft sculpin

(Jordan and Starks, 1895)

The soft sculpin extends from the Aleutians off Adak to 

the Commander Islands in the west and southern Puget 

Sound in the east. It prefers rocky bottoms, from near 

shore to depths of at least 225 m, where it is often associated with sponges and algae. Uncommon in the Salish 

Sea, it has been collected off Port Angeles in the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca; at scattered localities throughout the 

San Juan Islands; in Bellingham Bay; in English Bay and 

Howe Sound in the southern Strait of Georgia; and in 

Puget Sound, at scattered localities from Saratoga Passage and Port Susan south to Case Inlet, with a single 

record in Hood Canal off Chinom Point. This species 

was previously known as Gilbertidia sigalutes. (Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks, 1911; Hubbs, 

1928; Shelford et al., 1935; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; 

Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Wilimovsky, 1964; Peden and 

Wilson, 1976; Miller and Borton, 1980)

Cyclopteridae Lumpfishes

Eumicrotremus orbis Pacific spiny lumpsucker

(Günther, 1861)

Extending from the northern Bering Sea at the Gulf of 

Anadyr to the Sea of Okhotsk and Hokkaido, Japan, 

in the west, and to Puget Sound in the east, the Pacific 

spiny lumpsucker is found most often on sandy or pebbly bottoms, usually at a depth of 200 m or less but reported to a depth of 575 m. In the Salish Sea, it is most 

abundant in and around the San Juan Archipelago, and 

in the southern Strait of Georgia where localities include 

James and Saturna islands, Porlier Pass, Departure Bay, 

Burrard Inlet, and English Bay. There are numerous records in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca, as well as off 

Sooke and Esquimalt and in Sequim Bay and in Puget 

Sound, from widely scattered localities that include Similk and Skagit bays, Admiralty Inlet at Mutiny Bay and 

the mouth of Hood Canal, Colvos Passage near Tacoma, 

Carr Inlet east of Cutts Island, off Stretch Island, Devils Head, and in Cormorant Passage near Ketron Island. 

(Jordan, 1884; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Evermann and 

Goldsborough, 1907; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Allen 

and Smith, 1988)

Liparidae Snailfishes

Careproctus melanurus Blacktail snailfish

Gilbert, 1892 (Fig. 8A)

A common snailfish typically found in waters deeper 

than 400 m on the upper continental slope, the blacktail snailfish extends from the Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands to northern Honshu, Japan, in the west, and to 

Baja California in the east, at depths of 61 to 2286 m. It 

is relatively abundant off the coasts of British Columbia, 

Washington, and Oregon but known from only a very 

few scattered records in the Salish Sea: off Cape Flattery 

and Neah and Makah bays; in Bellingham Bay; and off 

Three Tree Point (Point Pully) in central Puget Sound. 

(Burke, 1930; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)
52 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Figure 8

Fishes of the Salish Sea: (A) blacktail snailfish (Careproctus melanurus), (B) striped seaperch (Embiotoca lateralis), and (C) northern ronquil (Ronquilus jordani). © Joseph R. Tomelleri.
53

 (Pallas, 1814) Spotted snailfish

The spotted snailfish ranges from the northern Bering Sea 

and the Aleutians to the Commander and Kuril islands in 

the west, and to Oregon in the east. It is typically found 

on rocky shores in tidepools and the intertidal zone to a 

maximum depth of 20 m. In the Salish Sea it is abundant 

in the San Juan Archipelago, especially around San Juan 

Island and the southern tip of Lopez Island, but rarely 

encountered elsewhere. There are scattered records in the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca off Sooke, Victoria, and Port Angeles; in the Strait of Georgia between Satellite and Stuart islands and in the far north at Discovery Passage and 

Bute Inlet; and in Puget Sound off Port Townsend and 

in Deception Pass. (Jordan and Starks, 1895; Evermann 

and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks, 1911; Bean and Weed, 

1920; Burke, 1930; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love et 

al., 2005)

Liparis cyclopus Ribbon snailfish

Günther, 1861

Extending from the southeastern Bering Sea and 

throughout the Aleutian Islands to the Commander Islands and Kamchatka at Petropavlovsk in the west, and 

to Oregon in the east, the ribbon snailfish is found in 

tidepools and the intertidal to a depth of 183 m. Like 

its close relative, the spotted snailfish, it has been collected at numerous localities throughout the San Juan 

Archipelago and in Puget Sound (from Port Townsend 

and the entrance to Hood Canal to Point Defiance and 

Eld Inlet) but found less frequently in other parts of the 

Salish Sea. In the Strait of Juan de Fuca there are records off Sooke, Esquimalt Harbour, Victoria, Port Angeles, Discovery Bay, and Smith Island; and in the Strait 

of Georgia off Saturna Island and Stanley Park. (Eigenmann and Eigenmann, 1892; Gilbert, 1896c; Jordan 

and Starks, 1895; Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; Burke, 

1930; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Love et al., 2005)

Liparis dennyi Marbled snailfish

Jordan and Starks, 1895

The marbled snailfish was described by Jordan and 

Starks from a specimen collected in Admiralty Inlet by 

members of the Young Naturalists’ Society and named 

for Charles Latimer Denny, “in recognition of his active 

and intelligent interest in the natural history of Washington.” Extending from the eastern Aleutian Islands to the 

southern end of its range in the Salish Sea, it is found on 

sandy and silty bottoms throughout our region, recorded 

from the intertidal to a depth of 225 m. It is most abundant in and around the San Juan Islands, with scattered 

records in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, off Race Rocks, 

Port Angeles, and Smith Island, and in Bellingham Bay. 

In the southern Strait of Georgia, it is known from off 

Saturna Island, Active Pass, Burrard Inlet, English Bay, 

Denman Island, and Nanoose Bay. In Puget Sound, 

known localities include off Ebeys Landing at the entrance to Admiralty Inlet, Saratoga Passage, off Gedney 

Island, in and around Port Ludlow, Port Madison, Golden Gardens and Shilshole Bay, Colvos Passage, and Case 

Inlet. (Gilbert, 1896c; Starks, 1896, 1911; Gilbert and 

Thompson, 1905; Kincaid, 1919; Burke, 1930; Clemens 

and Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love et al., 

2005; Lamb and Edgell, 2010)

Liparis florae Tidepool snailfish

(Jordan and Starks, 1895)

Originally described by Jordan and Starks from a specimen collected at Waadah Island in Neah Bay, the tidepole snailfish is common along exposed coasts in rocky 

tidepools and the intertidal to a depth of 15 m, ranging 

from the Gulf of Alaska at Kodiak Island to Southern 

California at King Harbor. It is extremely abundant in 

the San Juan Archipelago, especially around San Juan 

Island and the southern end of Lopez Island, and in the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca, where it extends in appropriate 

habitat from Cape Flattery and Tatoosh Island to Sooke, 

Victoria, and Port Angeles. However, it is very rarely 

seen in other parts of the Salish Sea. In the Strait of Georgia it has been collected off Saanich, in False Narrows, 

Discovery Bay, Burrard Inlet, and off Texada Island. In 

Puget Sound, it has been collected in Deception Pass and 

off Richmond Beach, Golden Gardens, West Point, and 

Manchester. (Kincaid, 1919; Burke, 1930; Hubbs and 

Schultz, 1934; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Wilimovsky, 

1964; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love et al., 2005; Love, 

2011)

Liparis fucensis Slipskin snailfish

Gilbert, 1896a

Originally described by Gilbert from “numerous specimens dredged by the Albatross in the Straits of Fuca” at 

depths of 183–276 m, but since recorded on rocky bottoms at depths of 4–388 m, the slipskin snailfish ranges 

from the southeastern Bering Sea, and the eastern Aleutian Islands at Unimak Pass, to central California at San 

Simeon. It is relatively common in the Salish Sea, known 

from widely scattered localities along the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca, from Tatoosh Island and Makah and Clallam 

bays to Sooke, Saxe Point, Port Angeles, and Green 

Point. It is found as well in and around the San Juan 

Islands and in the southern Strait of Georgia from off 

the mouth of the Fraser River and in Burrard Inlet and 

English Bay. In Puget Sound it has been collected in Deception Pass, off Marrowstone and Gedney islands, and 

off Everett, Port Ludlow and Foulweather Bluff near the 
54 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

entrance to Hood Canal, Edmonds, Richmond Beach, 

Golden Gardens, West Point, Manchester, and Blake Island. (Jordan and Starks, 1895; Starks, 1896; Evermann 

and Goldsborough, 1907; Kincaid, 1919; Powers, 1921; 

Hubbs and Schultz, 1934; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Liparis greeni Lobefin snailfish

(Jordan and Starks, 1895)

The holotype of the lobefin snailfish was collected in Victoria Harbour by the president of the Victoria Natural 

History Society, Ashdown H. Green, for whom the species was named. Ranging from the Pribilof Islands in the 

southeastern Bering Sea and the Aleutians to the Commander Islands in the west, and to Washington State in 

the east, it is found in tidepools and the intertidal zone 

(where it is often associated with kelp) to a depth of 21 

m. Relatively rare in the Salish Sea, it has been taken in 

the Strait of Juan de Fuca off Sooke, Esquimalt, Victoria, and Port Angeles; in Bellingham Bay; off San Juan 

Island; in Porlier Pass in the southern Strait of Georgia; 

and off Port Townsend in Puget Sound. This species was 

previously known as Polypera greeni. Liparis beringianus (Gilbert and Burke) of earlier published checklists is 

considered a junior synonym. (Gilbert and Burke, 1912; 

Kincaid, 1919; Burke, 1930; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; 

Wilimovsky, 1954; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Chernova et al., 2004; Love et al., 

2005; Lamb and Edgell, 2010)

Liparis mucosus Ayres, 1855a Slimy snailfish

The slimy snailfish ranges from southeastern Alaska at 

Samsing Cove to central Baja California at San Carlos 

Bay and is typically found in the intertidal zone at depths 

of 15 m or less. Although apparently common off the 

outer coast of Vancouver Island and Washington, where, 

among other places, it has been collected at Ucluelet and 

off Cape Johnson, respectively, it is extremely rare within 

the restricted waters of the Salish Sea. The only known 

localities are at Agate Beach, west of Sooke, in the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca, and at Friday Harbor in the San Juan 

Islands. (Burke, 1930; Hubbs and Schultz, 1934; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936b; Peden, 1966a; Love et al., 2005)

Liparis pulchellus Ayres, 1855a Showy snailfish

Extending from the southeastern Bering Sea through 

the Aleutian Islands to central California at Monterey 

Bay, the showy snailfish prefers soft bottoms in the intertidal zone to a depth of 183 m. In contrast to many 

of its close relatives, it is abundant throughout the Salish Sea, where it is well represented throughout the San 

Juan Archipelago (especially around Lopez Island and 

in East and West sounds off Orcas Island); and to the 

east in Bellingham Bay, off Anacortes, and Fidalgo Island in Burrows Bay. In the Strait of Juan de Fuca it 

has been collected off Hein Bank. It has been recorded 

as well throughout the Strait of Georgia as far north as 

Comox, and in Puget Sound from Penn Cove on Whidbey Island to Eld Inlet. In Hood Canal, it has been taken 

off Thorndyke Bay, Brinnon, and at the mouth of The 

Great Bend. (Whiteaves, 1887; Jordan and Starks, 1895; 

Starks, 1896, 1911; Burke, 1930; Shelford et al., 1935; 

Smith, 1936; Kendall, 1966; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Love et al., 2005)

Liparis rutteri (Gilbert and Snyder, Ringtail snailfish

in Jordan and Evermann, 1898a)

The ringtail snailfish, found primarily in the intertidal 

zone to a maximum depth of about 73 m, ranges from 

the Aleutians at Attu Island to the Salish Sea. Rarely 

encountered in the Salish Sea, it is only known from 

Tongue Point and Sooke in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, off 

Deadman Bay and South Beach on San Juan Island, the 

northwest end of Lummi Island, and Burrard Inlet and 

English Bay in the southern Strait of Georgia. Records of 

this species on the outer coast of Washington and farther 

south are misidentifications of the recently described and 

morphologically similar Liparis adiastolus, which ranges 

south to northern California. (Hubbs and Schultz, 1934; 

Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Wilimovsky, 1954; Stein et 

al., 2003; Love et al., 2005)

Lipariscus nanus Gilbert, 1915 Pygmy snailfish

A small pelagic species, found at depths of 58 to 910 

m, the pygmy snailfish ranges from the Bering Sea and 

the Aleutians, to the Commander Islands and the southern Sea of Okhotsk, off Hokkaido, in the west, and to 

Monterey Bay, central California, in the east. Although 

recorded by Peden from deep water in the southern 

Strait of Georgia, it is unknown elsewhere in our waters; 

its small size, “allowing it to slip through coarse mesh 

nets,” and deepwater habitat probably account for its 

rarity in collections. (Stein, 1978; Peden, 1981b; Love et 

al., 2005)

Nectoliparis pelagicus Tadpole snailfish

Gilbert and Burke, 1912

Like the pygmy snailfish, the tadpole snailfish is a small 

pelagic species known from the Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands and extends to the Sea of Okhotsk in the west, 

and to Southern California at San Diego in the east. 

Uncommon in the Salish Sea, it has been recorded only 

from the southern Strait of Georgia, off Cowichan, Point 

Roberts, English Bay, Sechelt Inlet, and Pender Harbour, 

and in Puget Sound, from Saratoga Passage and Gedney Island to Golden Gardens and off West Point, with 
55

isolated records near Port Orchard and in Carr Inlet. It 

has also been recorded from Dabob Bay in Hood Canal. 

(Burke, 1930; Wilimovsky, 1954; Grinols, 1965; Barraclough and Fulton25; Miller and Borton, 1980; Peden, 

1981b; Love et al., 2005)

PERCIFORMES PERCHES

Moronidae Temperate basses

Morone saxatilis Striped bass

(Walbaum, 1792)

Native to the western North Atlantic Ocean, where it 

ranges from the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and St. 

Lawrence River to northern Florida at St. Johns River 

and the northern Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Louisiana, the striped bass was introduced from New Jersey 

to the northern part of San Francisco Bay in 1879. A second introduction in 1882 and several more in subsequent 

years led to a thriving fishery by 1889. It is now widely 

distributed in the eastern North Pacific, extending from 

Barkley Sound on the outer coast of Vancouver Island to 

northern Baja California. Relatively uncommon north of 

the Umpqua River near Coos Bay, Oregon, it has been 

taken in the Columbia River estuary, Grays Harbor, and 

the lower Willamette River near Portland. It is extremely 

rare in the Salish Sea, with only three verifiable records, 

one in the Strait of Juan de Fuca at Port San Juan and 

two in Puget Sound—in Holmes Harbor on Whidbey Island and in Colvos Passage between Vashon Island and 

the Kitsap Peninsula. A pelagic coastal species, usually 

found in shallow bays and estuaries and migrating into 

rivers in the spring to spawn in freshwater, it is seldom 

caught more than a few kilometers from shore. There 

is no evidence, however, that this species spawns in the 

Salish Sea. (Scofield, 1934; Roedel, 1953; DeLacy et al., 

1972; Forrester et al., 1972; Moyle, 1976, 2002; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Robins et al., 1986; Wydoski and 

Whitney, 2003)

Carangidae Jacks

Trachurus symmetricus Jack mackerel

(Ayres, 1855b)

The jack mackerel ranges from the Gulf of Alaska and 

open ocean south of the Aleutian Islands to southern 

Baja California at Magdalena Bay and across the eastern 

tropical Pacific. An epipelagic schooling species, it can 

be found anywhere between the surface and 183 m and, 

rarely, down to at least 400 m. The young frequently 

25Barraclough, W. E., and J. D. Fulton. 1968. Data record: food of 

larval and juvenile fish caught with a surface trawl in Saanich 

Inlet during June and July 1966. Fish. Res. Board Can. Manuscr. 

Rep. Ser. 1003, 82 p. [Available at http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/32842.pdf.]

school near kelp and under piers. There are numerous 

records off British Columbia, especially off the west 

coast of Vancouver Island, but it is extremely rare within 

the restricted waters of the Salish Sea. There are only 

two known occurrences: a specimen taken on 28 January 

1965 at Finlayson Arm, Saanich Inlet, and another collected on 23 October 1975, with hook and line off Lyle 

Point, Anderson Island, in southern Puget Sound. (Roedel, 1953; Wilimovsky, 1954; Ahlstrom and Ball, 1957; 

Neave and Hanavan, 1960; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; 

Grinols, 1965; Miller and Borton, 1980)

Bramidae Pomfrets

Brama japonica Hilgendorf, 1878 Pacific pomfret

Ranging from the southern Bering Sea and open ocean 

south of the Aleutians to the Commander Islands and 

Japan in the west, and to the Gulf of Alaska and as far 

south as Peru in the east, the Pacific pomfret is an epiand mesopelagic schooling species found on the surface down to at least 620 m. It is only rarely taken in 

nearshore waters. The earliest record in the Salish Sea is 

based on material collected off Port Townsend in 1882 

by James G. Swan who described it as “not uncommon off Vancouver Island, and esteemed for its edible 

qualities” (as quoted by Tarleton Bean). Since then, the 

only additional indication of its presence in our waters 

is a record from off Mukilteo in central Puget Sound. 

All known records labeled “Strait of Juan de Fuca” or 

“Cape Flattery” are based on specimens collected far out 

to sea, well outside of the Salish Sea. (Bean, 1884b; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Kincaid, 1919; Crawford, 1927b; 

Mead and Haedrich, 1965; Mead, 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980)

Sciaenidae Drums and croakers

Atractoscion nobilis (Ayres, 1860b) White seabass

Ranging from southeastern Alaska at Juneau to southern Baja California at Magdalena Bay and the Gulf of 

California, the white seabass is a schooling species found 

over rocky bottoms and in kelp beds, and occasionally in 

surf zones, anywhere between the surface and a depth of 

122 m. Rare off the coasts of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon—and only taken during El Niño 

events, when warm waters bring populations north—it 

was first recorded in the Salish Sea by David Starr Jordan in 1893, on the basis of a specimen from Sooke Harbour in the Strait of Juan de Fuca “found on top of the 

water in distress, its pectoral and caudal fins having been 

bitten by the dog-fish sharks.” Since then, very few additional occurrences in the Salish Sea have been reported: 

a specimen collected from off Sherringham Point in the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca, another in Toba Inlet at the extreme northern end of the Strait of Georgia, and a third 
56 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

in Puget Sound taken off the mouth of the Stillaguamish 

River in Port Susan, between Camano Island and the 

mainland. (Jordan, 1893; Kincaid, 1919; Fowler, 1923; 

Jordan et al., 1930; Wilimovsky, 1954; Bonham and Olson, 1956; Radovich, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Love, 2011)

Genyonemus lineatus (Ayres, 1855a) White croaker

Ranging from Barkley Sound on the outer coast of Vancouver Island to southern Baja California at Magdalena Bay, the white croaker is a schooling species generally found inshore in relatively shallow water, usually 

at depths less than 30 m, but it has been recorded at 

a depth of 238 m. It is extremely rare in the Pacific 

Northwest—the Barkley Sound record, based on a single 

specimen collected on 8 September 1945, is the earliest 

evidence of its presence in Canadian waters. Since that 

time, three collections have been made at widely separated localities in the Salish Sea: one in Swanson Channel, 

west of Pender Island, in the southern Strait of Georgia, 

and two in Puget Sound, in Elliot Bay near Seattle and in 

Case Inlet near Shelton. (Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Roedel, 1948, 1953; Hart, 1973; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Schlotterbeck and Connally, 1982; Peden and Hughes, 

1986; Love, 2011)

Seriphus politus Ayres, 1860b Queenfish

Another rare croaker in the Pacific Northwest, the 

queenfish extends from Burrard Inlet in the southern 

Strait of Georgia to southern Baja California at Tortugas Bay and the southern Gulf of California. An inshore 

schooling species, it is generally found over sandy bottoms, in bays and tidal sloughs, and around pilings to a 

depth of about 20 m. The Burrard Inlet record, reported 

in 1986 by Peden and Hughes, appears to be the earliest and only known Canadian occurrence. Since that 

time, two additional specimens from the Salish Sea have 

been collected—in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, between 

the East and West Twin Rivers, in Clallam County, and 

in Puget Sound off Port Orchard. (Miller and Lea, 1972; 

Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Schlotterbeck and Connally, 1982; Peden and Hughes, 1986; DeMartini, 1991; 

Love, 2011)

Embiotocidae Surfperches

Brachyistius frenatus Gill, 1862b Kelp perch

The kelp perch extends from southeastern Alaska near 

Sitka at Sandy Cove to central Baja California at Turtle 

Bay, including Guadalupe Island. It is most often found 

in kelp forests, usually in the upper canopy, to a depth of 

about 76 m. This species is relatively uncommon in the 

Salish Sea but recorded from off Sooke and Esquimalt in 

the Strait of Juan de Fuca; San Juan and Satellite islands 

in the San Juan Archipelago; Departure Bay, Newcastle 

Island, Burrard Inlet, and English Bay in the southern 

Strait of Georgia; and scattered localities in Puget Sound, 

including off Port Townsend, Langley in Saratoga Passage, the Wyckoff-Eagle Harbor Superfund site on the 

east side of Bainbridge Island, Shilshole, Elliott Bay near 

the ferry terminal in downtown Seattle, the Tacoma Narrows, off Point Defiance, and in Hood Canal. (Jordan 

and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Eigenmann and Ulrey, 1894; 

Kincaid, 1919; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and 

Wilby, 1946; Hubbs and Hubbs, 1954; Miller and Borton, 1980; Csepp and Wing, 2000)

Cymatogaster aggregata Shiner perch

Gibbons, 1854a

The shiner perch is distributed from southeastern Alaska 

at Sitka to northern Baja California at Punta Bay. It tolerates a wide range of habitats but is most often found 

in quiet bays along protected coasts, in shallow eelgrass 

beds (where it is easily seined), among pilings and along 

rocky reefs, in tidepools, and in inter- and subtidal 

zones to a depth of 146 m, and has been reported to a 

depth of 303 m. One of the most common inshore species throughout its geographic range, it is exceedingly 

abundant nearly everywhere in appropriate habitat along 

the outer coasts of Vancouver Island, Washington, and 

Oregon and throughout the Salish Sea. (Girard, 1855b, 

1858b; Günther, 1862; Lord, 1866; Jordan and Gilbert, 

1881c, 1881d; Eigenmann and Ulrey, 1894; Gilbert, 

1896c; Hubbs, 1918; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Miller and Borton, 1980; Monaco 

et al., 1992)

Damalichthys vacca Girard, 1855b Pile perch

There is an unconfirmed record of the pile perch from 

southeastern Alaska near Wrangell, but it is well documented from southern British Columbia, at least as far 

north as Barkley Sound on the outer coast of Vancouver 

Island, to central Baja California at San Carlos Bay and 

Guadalupe Island. It is usually found along rocky and 

sandy shores, often around pilings and in kelp beds, from 

the intertidal zone to a depth of 90 m, but it has been reported to 210 m. It is extremely abundant in appropriate 

habitat almost everywhere in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 

in the San Juan Archipelago, in and around Bellingham 

Bay, and in Puget Sound (including Hood Canal), but 

in the Strait of Georgia it is apparently restricted to the 

southern part, south of Jervis Inlet. (Günther, 1862; Eigenmann and Ulrey, 1894; Gilbert, 1896c; Starks, 1911; 

Hubbs, 1918; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Smith 1936, 

1937; Haw and Buckley; 1971; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Love, 2011)
57

Embiotoca lateralis Striped seaperch

Agassiz, 1854 (Fig. 8B)

Ranging from southeastern Alaska at Klakas Inlet to 

northern Baja California at Punta Cabras, the striped 

seaperch inhabits rocky areas and kelp beds, and is often found around piers and beneath docks, in shallow 

water to a depth of 50 m and perhaps to 96 m. Almost 

as common in the Pacific Northwest as its close relative, 

the shiner perch, this species is abundant everywhere in 

appropriate habitat along the outer coasts of Vancouver Island, Washington, and Oregon and throughout 

the Salish Sea. (Girard, 1855b, 1858b; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Eigenmann and Ulrey, 1894; Starks, 

1911; Hubbs, 1918; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Miller and Borton, 1980; Hueckel and Stayton, 1982; Schmitt and Coyer, 1982; Love 

2011)

Hyperprosopon ellipticum Silver surfperch

(Gibbons, 1854b)

The silver surfperch ranges from southern British Columbia at Brooks Peninsula to northern Baja California at 

Rio San Vicente. It is found in the intertidal zone down 

to a depth of at least 110 m, but is more often found in 

shallow water in depths of less than 4 m. It is uncommon in the northern part of its range, and records inside 

the restricted waters of the Salish Sea are extremely rare. 

There are only three verifiable localities: two in the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca near Port Renfrew and off Port Angeles, 

and one in Puget Sound off West Point near Seattle. The 

closely related walleye surfperch, Hyperprosopon argenteum Gibbons, 1854a, has been removed from the Salish 

Sea ichthyofauna (see “Comments,” p. 72). (Eigenmann 

and Ulrey, 1894; Gilbert, 1896c; Kincaid, 1919; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946, 1961; 

Peden, 1966b; Miller and Lea, 1972; Eschmeyer and 

Herald, 1983; Peden and Hughes, 1986; Love, 2011)

Phanerodon furcatus White seaperch

Girard, 1854c

The white seaperch ranges from British Columbia at 

Goose Island to central Baja California at San Carlos 

Bay. It prefers quiet offshore waters in bays and sandy 

areas, or near rocks, piers, and docks, in depths from 

1 to 43 m. It is abundant off the California coast, but 

rare in the northern part of its range. There are a few 

records from off Oregon (e.g., Coos and Yaquina bays) 

and Washington (Willapa Bay) but fewer still inside the 

restricted waters of the Salish Sea, where it has only been 

recorded in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Dungeness Bay, 

off San Juan Island and in East Sound off Orcas Island, 

in Bellingham Bay, off Nanaimo, and several localities 

in Puget Sound including Golden Gardens, Fletcher Bay, 

and upper Dabob Bay and off Hood Head in Hood Canal. (Eigenmann and Ulrey, 1894; Jordan and Evermann, 

1898a; Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Roedel, 1953; 

Turner et al., 1969; Love, 2011)

Bathymasteridae Ronquils

Ronquilus jordani Northern ronquil

(Gilbert, 1889) (Fig. 8C)

The northern ronquil ranges from the Bering Sea north 

to Pribilof Canyon, west along the Aleutians to Amchitka Island, and south to Southern California at La Jolla. 

It generally inhabits rocky bottoms at depths of 3–275 

m, but it is more commonly found at depths less than 

150 m. Abundant off the coasts of Vancouver Island, 

Washington, and Oregon, it is common in the Salish Sea 

as well. First recorded in 1883 by Jordan and Gilbert (as 

Bathymaster signatus) from Puget Sound, it is now represented by numerous records from throughout the San 

Juan Islands and the full length of Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. There are additional records from Neah 

Bay, off Port Angeles, and near Victoria in the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca, and from Cowichan, English Bay, Burrard Inlet, and Bowen Island in the southern Strait of 

Georgia. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1883b; Jordan and Starks, 

1895; Gilbert, 1896c; Evermann and Goldborough, 

1907; Starks, 1911; Shelford et al., 1935; Schultz and 

DeLacy, 1936b; Smith, 1937; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Stevenson and Matarese, 2005)

Zoarcidae Eelpouts

Lycodapus mandibularis Pallid eelpout

Gilbert, 1915

Extending from the Gulf of Alaska at Prince William 

Sound to Southern California at La Jolla Canyon, the 

pallid eelpout is a mesopelagic, mid-water species typically found at depths of 100–800 m, but it has been recorded to a depth of 1237 m. At least some adults appear to migrate vertically into shallower waters at night. 

It is surprisingly common in open water between Camano Island and the mainland and in mid-channel in 

the central Sound, extending from Richmond Beach to 

Blakely Rocks, but it is represented at only a few scattered localities elsewhere in the Salish Sea, including Possession Sound, off Everett, and off the Kitsap Peninsula, 

as well as Dabob Bay and Chinom Point in Hood Canal. There are a few localities from the southern Strait 

of Georgia, including Burrard Inlet and Howe Sound, 

but no known records from the San Juan Archipelago 

and Strait of Juan de Fuca. (Chapman, 1940; Hubbs and 

Schultz, 1941; Bayliff, 1959; Grinols, 1965; Peden and 

Anderson, 1978, 1981; Peden, 1979, 1981b; Anderson, 

1980; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)
58 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Lycodapus parviceps Smallhead eelpout

Gilbert, 1896a

The smallhead eelpout ranges from the eastern Bering 

Sea off Unalaska Island to southern Oregon off Coos 

Bay. It is usually captured by bottom trawls, or nonclosing mid-water trawls fishing on or near the bottom, 

at depths of 80–470 m. Relatively rare throughout its 

range, it is represented in the Salish Sea by specimens 

collected off Sheringham Light and Owen and Sombrio 

points in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and in Howe Sound 

in the southern Strait of Georgia. There are apparently 

no records of this species in the San Juan Archipelago 

and Puget Sound. (Jordan and Evermann, 1896, 1898b; 

Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Gilbert, 1915; Wilimovsky, 1954; Quast and Hall, 1972; Anderson, 1977; 

Peden and Anderson, 1978, 1981; Love et al., 2005; 

Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Lycodes beringi Andriashev, 1935 Bering eelpout

Although the western limit of the Bering eelpout is unclear, it appears to range from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to at least the Kamchatka Peninsula at Kronotskiy Bay and perhaps farther south to the Sea of Okhotsk and Kuril Islands. In the east, its southern limit is 

the Salish Sea. It is most often trawled off muddy bottoms in relatively deep water, at depths ranging from 

76 to 760 m, with the vast majority of collections made 

at depths of 200 m or more. Relatively rare in the Salish Sea, it has been reported from Burrard Inlet, Howe 

Sound, and Bute Inlet in the Strait of Georgia and from 

Bellingham Bay. In Puget Sound, localities include off 

Port Madison, Meadow Point, northwest of Carkeek 

Park, Golden Gardens, Richmond Beach, and Quilcene 

Bay in Hood Canal. There is a single known record from 

off Smith Island in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, but 

there are no known occurrences in the San Juan Islands. 

In the past, this species has been confused with Lycodes 

diapterus Gilbert, 1892 (see “Comments,” p. 72). (Chapman and DeLacy, 1933; Bayliff, 1959; Peden and Wilson, 1976; Allen and Smith, 1988; Anderson, 1994; Stevenson and Sheiko, 2009)

Lycodes brevipes Bean, 1890b Shortfin eelpout

The shortfin eelpout extends from the Bering Sea and the 

Aleutian Islands east of Unalaska to the Sea of Okhotsk 

in the west, and to Southern California off Lompoc in 

the east. A benthic species, it is found on sandy or muddy bottoms at depths of 2 m or less to a known maximum of 973 m. In the Salish Sea, it is most abundant 

in East and West sounds off Orcas Island, and to the 

east in Bellingham Bay. It has also been taken at widely 

scattered localities throughout Puget Sound from Skagit 

Bay and Admiralty Inlet to Elliot Bay, with a number 

of collections made between Whiteman Cove and Taylor Bay in Case Inlet, and at other nearby localities in 

the southern Sound. It is apparently common as well in 

the southern Strait of Georgia, with localities extending 

from south of Cherry Point to Burrard Inlet and English 

Bay. Clemens and Wilby reported a specimen from the 

stomach of a lingcod caught near Victoria, but no other 

collections of this species from the Strait of Juan de Fuca 

have been reported. (Gilbert and Thompson, 1905; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks, 1911; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Allen 

and Smith, 1988)

Lycodes cortezianus (Gilbert, 1890) Bigfin eelpout

Extending from southeastern Alaska to Queen Charlotte 

Sound and Southern California off San Diego, the bigfin eelpout is another deep-dwelling eelpout that prefers 

muddy, sandy, and gravelly bottoms at depths of 60–

1190 m, but it is most often taken at depths between 

70 and 400 m. Although common off Oregon and California, it is extremely rare in the Salish Sea, where its 

presence is indicated by only seven records: single specimens collected near Victoria, in Bellingham Bay, off Orcas Island, and at an unspecified locality in Puget Sound, 

plus three specimens taken by trawl off Port Madison in 

2004. This species was previously known as Aprodon 

cortezianus. (Brock, 1943; Carl and Wilby, 1945; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Palmen, 1954; Bali and Bond, 

1959; Grinols, 1965; Allen and Smith, 1988; Love, 2011; 

Essington et al., 2013; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Lycodes pacificus Collett, 1879 Blackbelly eelpout

The blackbelly eelpout species ranges from the Aleutian 

Islands and Gulf of Alaska to Baja California. It is usually found on muddy bottoms at depths of 9–400 m. In 

stark contrast to most other Pacific Northwest eelpouts, 

it is extremely abundant in the Salish Sea, with numerous 

records from the San Juan Archipelago, Bellingham Bay, 

and throughout the full length of Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. It is common as well in the Strait of 

Georgia, especially in and around Burrard Inlet and English Bay, as far north as Comox. Records in the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca, however, are very few and restricted to 

the eastern end, in Discovery Bay and west of McArthur 

Bank. This species was previously known as Lycodopsis 

pacificus. (Bayliff, 1959; Grinols, 1965; Levings, 1969; 

Miller and Borton, 1980; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; 

Stein et al., 1992; Love, 2011)

Lycodes palearis Gilbert, 1896a Wattled eelpout

The wattled eelpout extends from the Chukchi and Bering seas and off the Aleutians to the Sea of Okhotsk in 
59

the west, and to Oregon in the east. It prefers muddy 

or sandy bottoms at depths of 2–925 m, but it is nearly 

always captured at depths less than 200 m. The earliest 

record in the Salish Sea was reported in 1911 by Starks 

from Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Since then it has 

been collected at numerous but widely scattered localities throughout the San Juan Archipelago and in Bellingham Bay; from Satellite Channel, Cowichan, Active Pass, 

Boundary Bay, and Burrard Inlet in the southern Strait 

of Georgia; and from Point Jefferson to mid-channel 

between West and Skiff points in central Puget Sound, 

with two known captures in Hood Canal, off Bangor 

and Thorndike Bay. There are also a few known reports 

of this species taken at both ends of the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca. (Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; Halstead, 1950; 

Slipp and DeLacy, 1952; Bayliff, 1959; Allen and Smith, 

1988; Love et al., 2005; Love 2011)

Stichaeidae Pricklebacks

Anoplarchus insignis Slender cockscomb

Gilbert and Burke, 1912 (Fig. 9A)

From the southeastern Bering Sea and Aleutians at Attu 

Island to northern California at Arena Cove, the slender cockscomb is found among rocks and algae from 

the inter- and subtidal zones to a depth of about 30 m. 

Relatively rare throughout its range, there are only a few 

records from the Salish Sea—from off Sooke in the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca; in Harris Strait off Mandarte Island; off 

San Juan Island; and off Cowichan, in Pender Harbour, 

off New Westminster, in Burrard Inlet, Howe Sound, 

and Malaspina Strait off the south side of Pearson Island in the southern Strait of Georgia. This species is 

scarce as well in Puget Sound, where there are less than 

a half-dozen known individuals, collected in Deception 

Pass, off Point Defiance, and off Point Fosdick and Dougall Point in the South Sound (as well as an underwater 

photograph taken at Lagoon Point on Whidbey Island). 

(Hubbs, 1927; Peppar, 1965; Peden, 1966c; Peden and 

Wilson, 1976; Horn and Allen, 1978; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010)

Anoplarchus purpurescens High cockscomb

Gill, 1861c

Ranging from the Pribilof Islands and the Aleutians at 

Attu, to Southern California at Santa Rosa Island, the 

high cockscomb is a stichaeid found among rocks and 

algae in tidepools, but more often collected in the intertidal zone to a depth of 30 m. It is represented by 

widely scattered records throughout the Salish Sea, from 

Neah and Clallam bays to Tongue Point and off the Jordan River, Sooke, and Esquimalt in the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca; off all the major islands of the San Juan Archipelago; and along the full length of the Strait of Georgia 

from Saanich to Bute Inlet. In Puget Sound, it extends 

from Deception Pass and Admiralty Inlet to Alki, Point 

Defiance, and Carr Inlet, with several localities at both 

ends of Hood Canal. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; 

Hubbs, 1927; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Wilimovsky, 

1964; Peppar, 1965; Peden, 1966c; Quast and Hall, 

1972; Love, 2011)

Chirolophis decoratus Decorated warbonnet

(Jordan and Snyder, 1902) (Fig. 9B)

The fantastic decorated warbonnet extends from the 

eastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to northern California at Humboldt Bay. It is usually found associated 

with seaweed and sponges on rocky bottoms, often with 

its head projecting from holes, at subtidal depths to 232 

m. Relatively uncommon throughout its range, records 

in the Salish Sea are few and far between; it has been 

collected off Admiralty Head in the eastern Strait of Juan 

de Fuca; off San Juan Island, in East Sound off Orcas, 

and north of Skipjack Island; and in Bellingham Bay. 

Puget Sound localities include Saratoga Passage and Port 

Susan, off Gedney Island in Possession Sound, and off 

Meadow Point, Carkeek Park, Orchard Point, and Fox 

Island (as well as underwater photographs taken off Tacoma). Clemens and Wilby cite captures in English Bay, 

in Burrard Inlet, and off Stuart Island in the Strait of 

Georgia. This species was previously known as Chirolophis polyactocephalus (Pallas, 1814). (Jordan and Starks, 

1895; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Shelford et 

al., 1935; Clemens and Wilby, 1946, 1961; Quast and 

Hall, 1972; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love, 2011)

Chirolophis nugator Mosshead warbonnet

(Jordan and Williams,

in Jordan and Starks, 1895)

The mosshead warbonnet ranges from the western Aleutians at Agattu Island to Southern California at San 

Miguel Island. It is found primarily in rocky inter- and 

subtidal zones, often seeking protection in holes or empty shells, to a depth of 80 m. Like its close relative, the 

decorated warbonnet, this species is rarely encountered 

throughout its range. Localities in the Salish Sea include 

off Waadah Island, Tongue Point, and Sooke in the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca; off San Juan, Lopez, Bell, and Blakely 

islands in the San Juan Archipelago; off Cowichan, in 

False Bay south of Nanaimo, in Departure Bay, in Howe 

Sound, and off Texada and Pearson islands in the Strait 

of Georgia; and off Port Ludlow, Carkeek Park, West 

Point, Orchard Point, Point Defiance, and Colvos Passage in Puget Sound. (Jordan and Starks, 1895; Starks, 

1911; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Hubbard and Reeder, 

1965; Quast, 1968; Peden and Wilson, 1976; Miller and 

Borton, 1980; Love, 2011)
60 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Figure 9

Fishes of the Salish Sea: (A) slender cockscomb (Anoplarchus insignis), (B) decorated warbonnet (Chirolophis decoratus), (C) 

bluebarred prickleback (Plectobranchus evides), and (D) blackeye goby (Rhinogobiops nicholsii). © Joseph R. Tomelleri.
61

Leptoclinus maculatus Daubed shanny

(Fries, 1838)

The daubed shanny is widespread in Arctic waters, ranging widely across the North Atlantic and Beaufort and 

Bering seas, into the Aleutians as far west as Unalaska 

Island, to the Sea of Okhotsk and Japan in the west, and 

to the Salish Sea in the east. It prefers soft, low-relief 

bottoms at depths ranging from 2 to 491 m, but it is 

found most often at depths less than 170 m. This species 

is only rarely encountered in the Salish Sea, where collections have been made near Port Renfrew, Sheringham 

Point, Port Angeles, Sequim, and West Point in the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca; off San Juan, Lopez, Orcas, Stuart, and 

Vendovi islands in the San Juan Archipelago; in Bellingham Bay; and off Port Madison, Carkeek Park, and 

Golden Gardens in Puget Sound. There are no known 

records in the Strait of Georgia, except for a single specimen trawled in open water about halfway between Sucia 

Island and Cherry Point, Washington. This species was 

previously known as Lumpenus maculatus. (Chapman 

and DeLacy, 1933; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Smith, 

1936; Wilimovsky, 1964; Peden, 1966b; Quast and Hall, 

1972; Miller and Borton, 1980; Allen and Smith, 1988; 

McAllister, 1990)

Lumpenella longirostris Longsnout prickleback

(Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907)

The longsnout prickleback is widespread, present in the 

North Atlantic, from the coastal waters of Cape Cod 

and Greenland to Norway and Sweden, and in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to the Sea of Okhotsk and 

northern Japan in the west, and to southern British Columbia at Burrard Inlet in the east. It is usually found 

on soft bottoms at depths of 25–1195 m, but it is more 

commonly taken at depths between 100 and 200 m. 

Well represented at Burrard Inlet, Howe Sound, and off 

New Westminster in the southern Strait of Georgia, it 

is unknown everywhere else in the Salish Sea. (Clemens 

and Wilby, 1946; Wilimovsky, 1954; Lamb and Edgell, 

1986, 2010; Allen and Smith, 1988; Love et al., 2005; 

Love, 2011)

Lumpenopsis hypochroma Y-prickleback

(Hubbs and Schultz, 1932)

The Y-prickleback is an extremely rare species, known 

with certainty only from southern British Columbia. It 

was originally described from a single specimen collected 

in 1927 off Newcastle Island, in Departure Bay just north 

of Nanaimo, at a depth of 37 m. Only a few specimens 

have been discovered since—two from outside the Salish 

Sea, from Fairfax Inlet in the Queen Charlotte Islands 

and off Malcolm Island at the mouth of Johnstone Strait, 

a third from Baker Passage at the extreme northern end 

of the Strait of Georgia, and a fourth, perhaps misidentified, larval or juvenile specimen from Saanich Inlet off 

the southeast end of Vancouver Island. References to its 

occurrence off Southern California are apparently based 

on Lumpenopsis clitella. The Y-prickleback was previously known as Allolumpenus hypochromus. (Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936c; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Barraclough et al.26; McAllister et al., 1985; McAllister, 1990; 

Hastings and Walker, 2003; Love et al., 2005)

Lumpenus sagitta Snake prickleback

Wilimovsky, 1956

The snake prickleback ranges from the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands to northern California at Humboldt Bay 

and to the seas of Okhotsk and Japan. It prefers muddy, sandy, and pebbly bottoms from shore to a depth of 

425 m. The species is common off the coasts of Vancouver Island, Washington, and Oregon, and is abundant 

throughout the Salish Sea, especially in and around the 

islands of the San Juan Archipelago, Bellingham Bay, the 

Strait of Georgia as far north as Comox, and the full 

length and breadth of Puget Sound, including Hood Canal. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Gilbert, 1896c; 

Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Smith, 1936; Clemens and 

Wilby, 1961; Wilimovsky, 1964; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Allen and Smith, 1988; Love, 2011)

Phytichthys chirus Ribbon prickleback

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1880d)

The ribbon prickleback ranges from the Aleutian Islands 

and Gulf of Alaska to Southern California, and is usually 

found beneath rocks (often associated with algae) in the 

intertidal zone to a depth of about 12 m. First recorded 

in the Salish Sea in 1881 by Jordan and Gilbert, it is 

now well represented by collections made off San Juan 

Island, with additional scattered localities off nearby 

Lopez and Orcas islands, but it is much less common 

elsewhere in our region. Captures have been made off 

Waadah Island, Port Renfrew, Sooke, Bentinck Island, 

Victoria, and Smith Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca; 

off Cowichan, Departure Bay, Nanaimo, and Texada Island in the Strait of Georgia; and off Port Ludlow, Orchard Point, and Elliot Bay near Seattle in Puget Sound. 

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan and Starks, 

1895; Starks, 1896, 1911; Miles, 1918; Kincaid, 1919; 

Bean and Weed, 1920; Hubbs, 1927; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love, 2011)

26Barraclough, W. E., D. G. Robinson, and J. D. Fulton. 1968. Data 

record: number, size composition, weight, and food of larval and 

juvenile fish caught with a two-boat surface trawl in Saanich 

Inlet, April 23−July 21, 1968. Fish. Res. Board Can. Manuscr. 

Rep. Ser. 1004, 305 p. [Available at http://www.dfo-po.gc.ca/Library/32843.pdf.]
62 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Plectobranchus evides Bluebarred prickleback

Gilbert, 1890 (Fig. 9C)

Ranging from central British Columbia to San Diego, 

California, the bluebarred prickleback is found on muddy and sandy bottoms at depths of 57–368 m. It was first 

reported in the Salish Sea by Gilbert and Thompson in 

1905, on the basis of a specimen collected in Hood Canal, and later described by Kincaid in 1919 from unspecified localities in Puget Sound as “one of our rare and 

beautiful fish forms.” Since then it has been collected 

occasionally in the northeastern part of Puget Sound—

especially in Saratoga Passage, Port Susan, and Possession Sound and off Port Madison and Meadow Point 

to Duwamish Head and Alki Point—but unreported almost everywhere else in the Salish Sea. In the remaining 

parts of Puget Sound, there are single records in Carr 

Inlet and the entrance to Eld Inlet, as well as off Holly 

in Hood Canal, and a cluster of captures at the mouth 

of The Great Bend. But there are no known occurrences 

in the Strait of Juan de Fuca or in the San Juan Archipelago, and there is only a single collection in the Strait 

of Georgia, where three specimens were taken in November 1951 from Ladysmith Harbour south of Nanaimo. 

(Gilbert and Thompson, 1905; Gilbert, 1915; Kincaid, 

1919; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Smith, 1937; Barraclough, 1959; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love at al., 2005)

Poroclinus rothrocki Whitebarred prickleback

Bean, 1890b

The whitebarred prickleback ranges from the southeastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to Southern California at San Diego. It is found on rocky bottoms at 

depths of 35–160 m. In the Salish Sea it is most common in the northeastern part of Puget Sound, where numerous collections have been made in Saratoga Passage, 

Port Susan, and Possession Sound; from Port Madison 

and Port Orchard bays to Meadow Point, Golden Gardens, and Elliot Bay; and from Duwamish Head to Alki 

Point. Significant collections have been made as well in 

the southern Strait of Georgia, from off Cowichan and 

in Satellite Channel, Porlier Pass, and Departure Bay; 

and from Point Whitehorn to the mouth of the Fraser 

River, Burrard Inlet, and off Indian Arm. However, it 

is rare in other parts of the Salish Sea—in the San Juan 

Islands, there is a single known capture, in East Sound, 

off Orcas Island; single records in Bellingham Bay, and 

in Carr Inlet in southern Puget Sound; and three occurrences off Union and the mouth of the Skokomish 

River Delta in Hood Canal. There are no known collections from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. (Starks and 

Morris, 1907; Smith, 1936; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; 

Quast and Hall, 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love 

at al., 2005)

Xiphister atropurpureus Black prickleback

(Kittlitz, 1858)

Extending from the western Gulf of Alaska at Kodiak 

Island to northern Baja California at Rio SantoTomas, 

the black prickleback prefers exposed rocky shorelines 

where it is usually found beneath rocks and often associated with algae in tidepools and the intertidal zone to 

a depth of 12 m. It is extremely abundant around the 

full periphery of San Juan Island and off the southern 

end of Lopez Island (with a few captures in East Sound 

off Orcas and one specimen collected to the east off Fidalgo Island), with numerous records as well along the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca, from Cape Flattery and Neah 

and Clallam bays to Victoria and Sequim Bay, but rare 

everywhere else in the Salish Sea. In the southern Strait 

of Georgia, it has been collected off Saturna Island, in 

and around Departure Bay, in Burrard Inlet, and Howe 

Sound. Surprisingly scarce in Puget Sound, it has been 

recorded only at Port Ludlow by Starks and in the “vicinity of Seattle” by Jordan and Starks. (Jordan and 

Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Bean, 1882a, 1882b; Jordan 

and Starks, 1895; Starks, 1896; Bean and Weed, 1920; 

Hubbs, 1927; Batts, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Love at al., 2005)

Xiphister mucosus Rock prickleback

(Girard, 1858b)

Extending from the western Gulf of Alaska at Kodiak 

Island to Southern California at Santa Cruz Island, the 

rock prickleback is usually found along open coastlines 

and under rocks and is often associated with algae from 

the intertidal zone to a depth of 18 m. Like many of its 

close relatives, it is especially common in the San Juan 

Archipelago, around the periphery of San Juan Island 

and at the southern end of Lopez, with single occurrences off Shaw, Bare, and Sucia islands, and off the northern 

shore of Orcas Island. It is also well represented along 

the length of the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Cape Flattery and Neah Bay to Esquimalt and Smith Island. Rare 

elsewhere in the Salish Sea, it has been documented off 

Gabriola Island and New Westminster in the southern 

Strait of Georgia and off Port Townsend, Port Ludlow, 

Mukilteo, and Manchester Rocks in Puget Sound. (Bean, 

1882b, 1884a; Starks, 1896, 1911; Miles, 1918; Hubbs, 

1927; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Miller and Borton, 

1980; Cross, 1981; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Love 

et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Cryptacanthodidae Wrymouths

Cryptacanthodes aleutensis Dwarf wrymouth

(Gilbert, 1896a)

The dwarf wrymouth ranges from the southeastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands as far west as Unalaska to 
63

Eureka, California. It prefers soft muddy bottoms at 

depths ranging from 21 to 750 m, often observed partially buried. Common throughout the San Juan Archipelago, it is rare elsewhere in the Salish Sea—known localities include off Port Renfrew and near Victoria in 

the Strait of Juan de Fuca; off Cowichan, Pender Island, 

New Westminster, and English Bay in the southern Strait 

of Georgia; off Port Townsend, Port Madison, and the 

entrance to Eld Inlet near Olympia; and in Dabob Bay, 

Hood Canal. This species was previously called Lyconectes aleutensis. (Gilbert and Thompson, 1905; Starks, 

1911; Hubbs, 1928; Schultz, 1930; Clemens and Wilby, 

1946; Walker, 1953; Wilimovsky, 1964; Grinols, 1965; 

Quast and Hall, 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love et 

al., 2005)

Cryptacanthodes giganteus Giant wrymouth

(Kittlitz, 1858)

The giant wrymouth ranges from the southeastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands from Unalaska to northern 

California at Humboldt Bay. It occupies flat or gently 

sloping muddy bottoms at depths of 6–331 m, but is 

usually encountered in depths less than 20 m. The species is rare throughout its range, represented in the Salish 

Sea by fewer than two dozen collections made off Victoria, Port Angeles, and Discovery Bay in the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca; at San Juan and Orcas islands in the San Juan 

Archipelago; in Bellingham Bay; off Nanaimo, in English and Semiahmoo bays, in Pender Harbour, and off 

Comox in the Strait of Georgia; and off Hoypus Point, 

Penn Cove, Holmes Harbor, North Beach, and Port Orchard in Puget Sound. This species was previously called 

Delolepis gigantea. (Bean, 1882b, 1884b; Eigenmann 

and Eigenmann, 1892; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Hubbs, 

1928; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 

1946; Wilimovsky, 1954, 1964; Love et al., 2005)

Pholidae Gunnels

Apodichthys flavidus Girard, 1854c Penpoint gunnel

The penpoint gunnel extends from the western Gulf of 

Alaska and Kodiak Island to Southern California off 

Palos Verdes Peninsula. It is found in the intertidal zone 

but more often seen in tidepools, usually associated with 

eelgrass and algae. Especially abundant in and around 

the San Juan Islands, it is common as well throughout 

the Salish Sea, represented at numerous scattered localities in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, from Cape Flattery 

to Victoria, Port Angeles, and Dungeness and Discovery 

bays; the Strait of Georgia from off Saturna Island to 

Bute Inlet; and in Puget Sound from Deception Pass and 

Admiralty Inlet to Point Defiance and off Steilacoom. 

There are several records as well in Hood Canal, off 

Bangor and Big Beef Harbor. (Günther, 1861; Jordan 

and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan and Starks, 1895; 

Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Bean and Weed, 

1920; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 

1961; Kendall, 1966; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love et 

al., 2005)

Apodichthys fucorum Rockweed gunnel

Jordan and Gilbert, 1880d

Ranging from British Columbia at Banks Island to central 

Baja California at Punta Escarpada, the rockweed gunnel 

is found in tidepools and the intertidal zone to a depth of 

9 m, often associated with algae. Compared to its close 

relative, the penpoint gunnel, this species is rare in the 

northern part of its range and especially in the Salish Sea, 

where it is represented at only a few localities—off Tatoosh Island, Neah Bay, and Point Renfrew in the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca; at Deadman Cove on San Juan Island; 

off Comox in the Strait of Georgia; in Penn Cove on 

Whidbey Island and off Golden Gardens and Alki Point 

in Puget Sound. This species has previously been called 

Xererpes fucorum. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; 

Jordan and Starks, 1895; Kincaid, 1919; Bean and Weed, 

1920; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 

1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love et al., 2005)

Pholis clemensi Rosenblatt, 1964 Longfin gunnel

Another rare gunnel in the Salish Sea, the longfin gunnel 

extends from the northern Gulf of Alaska as far west as 

Prince William Sound to Arena Cove, northern California, and is found on rocky bottoms at depths of 7–64 

m. Throughout its range, it appears to be represented 

in collections by no more than a few dozen specimens, 

including only about a half-dozen localities in the Salish 

Sea, most all of which are in the Strait of Georgia—off 

Bowyer Island in Howe Sound, in Pender Harbour in 

Malaspina Strait, and at the northern end of Desolation Sound, in Doctor Bay, and in Walsh Cove on the 

east side of West Redondo Island. There are additional 

records in the Salish Sea from Protection Island at the 

mouth of Discovery Bay in the eastern Strait of Juan de 

Fuca, and off San Juan and Crane islands in the San Juan 

Archipelago. In Puget Sound it is apparently known only 

from underwater photographs taken off Port Townsend 

and in Hood Canal. (Peden and Wilson, 1976; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Love 

et al., 2005; Love, 2011; Maslenikov et al., 2013)

Pholis laeta (Cope, 1873) Crescent gunnel

The crescent gunnel ranges from the Aleutians to the 

Commander Islands and southeastern Kamchatka in the 

west, and along the Alaska Peninsula and Gulf of Alaska 

to northern California at Abalone Beach in the east. It 

prefers intertidal and shallow subtidal areas, often as-
64 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

sociated with eelgrass, algae, and rocks, to a depth of 

about 75 m (but has been reported to 99 m). Rather 

common in appropriate habitat along the outer coasts of 

Vancouver Island, Washington, and Oregon, it is abundant as well in the Salish Sea, especially in and around 

the San Juan Islands and throughout Puget Sound (including Hood Canal), with fewer and widespread localities along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, from Waadah Island and Neah Bay to Victoria, Port Angeles, and Smith 

Island; Bellingham Bay; and throughout the southern 

Strait of Georgia from Saanich Inlet and Saturna Island 

to Discovery Bay, Howe Sound, and Jervis Inlet. (Jordan 

and Gilbert, 1881c; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Wilimovsky, 1954, 1964; DeLacy et al., 1972; Miller and 

Borton, 1980; Peden and Hughes, 1984; Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Pholis ornata (Girard, 1854c) Saddleback gunnel

The saddleback gunnel ranges from Vancouver Island 

to central California at Carmel Beach. A benthic species 

inhabiting bays, estuaries, and other quiet waters, it is 

found in tidepools and the intertidal zone, often associated with eelgrass and algae, to a depth of 37 m, but 

reported to 60 m. Its distribution and abundance within 

the Salish Sea is nearly identical to that of its close relative 

the crescent gunnel described previously: abundant in and 

around the San Juan Islands and throughout Puget Sound, 

with fewer and more scattered localities in the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca and the southern Strait of Georgia. (Jordan 

and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Miles, 1918; Bean and Weed, 1920; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936b; Miller and Borton, 1980; Peden and 

Hughes, 1984; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Pholis schultzi Schultz, 1931 Red gunnel

Extending from southern British Columbia at Rivers Inlet, Queen Charlotte Sound, to Diablo Cove, central California, the red gunnel is a rock and kelp dweller, found 

in the intertidal zone down to a depth of 26 m. Uncommon throughout its range, it is exceedingly rare in the 

Salish Sea, represented at only four known localities—off 

Lime Kiln Lighthouse and Deadman Bay on the west side 

of San Juan Island, Balkwill Lake on Texada Island in 

the Strait of Georgia, and at the entrance to Admiralty 

Inlet in Puget Sound. (Hubbs, 1928; Schultz and DeLacy, 

1936b; Schultz and Hubbs, 1961; Peden, 1966a; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Love et al., 2005; Lamb and Edgell, 

2010; Love, 2011)

Anarhichadidae Wolffishes

Anarrhichthys ocellatus Ayres, 1855a Wolf-eel

The wolf-eel ranges from the southeastern Bering Sea 

east to Cape Menshikof, west along the Aleutians to 

the Krenitzin Islands and Gulf of Alaska, to northern 

Baja California at Escondido Reef. It is found primarily on rocky reefs and along shorelines, often in caves 

and crevices, from the intertidal zone to a depth of 

226 m. Uncommon in the Salish Sea, there are about 

two dozen, widely scattered localities throughout the 

San Juan Islands and Puget Sound—from Skagit Bay 

and Port Townsend to the Tacoma Narrows and off 

Steamboat Island at the entrance to Totten Inlet, as 

well as Hood Canal—with additional records off Cape 

Flattery, Race Rocks, Saxe Point, and Victoria in the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca and in Gabriola Pass and Howe 

Sound in the southern Strait of Georgia. (Jordan and 

Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan and Jouy, 1881; Bean, 

1884b; Gill, 1911; Schultz, 1930; Schultz and DeLacy, 

1936b; Miller and Borton, 1980; Feeney et al., 2007; 

Love, 2011)

Ptilichthyidae Quillfishes

Ptilichthys goodei Bean, 1881b Quillfish

Ranging from the southern Bering Sea and Aleutians to 

the Commander Islands and seas of Okhotsk and Japan 

in the west, and to central Oregon in the east, the snakelike quillfish is secretive and very seldom encountered. 

It is occasionally seen at night, attracted to the surface 

by lights, but usually remains buried in soft, muddy bottoms during the day to a maximum recorded depth of 

360 m. Known from about two dozen specimens collected primarily by night-light and dip-net off the dock 

at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island, it is extremely rare everywhere 

else in the Salish Sea. Additional localities are limited to 

Johns Island in the San Juan Archipelago, Trincomali 

Channel off Porlier Pass in the southern Gulf Islands, 

North Lagoon Point on the west side of Whidbey Island, 

off Manchester, Edmonds (on the basis of underwater 

photographs), and Scenic Beach Park near Seabeck in 

Hood Canal. (Gilbert, 1896a; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Schultz, 1929, 1930; Chapman and DeLacy, 

1933; Walker, 1953; Grinols, 1965; DeLacy et al., 1972; 

Lamb and Edgell, 1986, 2010; Love, 2011; Maslenikov 

et al., 2013)

Zaproridae Prowfishes

Zaprora silenus Jordan, 1896 Prowfish

The prowfish extends from the Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands to the Sea of Okhotsk and Hokkaido, Japan, in 

the west, and to Southern California at San Miguel Island in the east. Adults are generally found near the bottom at depths of 10–801 m, and the young are often 

taken near the surface. The earliest known record in our 

waters, one specimen collected off Nanaimo in October 

1895, formed the basis for Jordan’s original description 
65

of the species, but since then it has been very rarely seen 

in the Salish Sea. Although this species is somewhat common off the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with 

several records from off Umatilla Reef and Swiftsure 

Bank, Tatoosh Island, and Neah Bay, the only inland record is a specimen collected in 1987 off the mouth of the 

Puyallup River, near Tacoma, in southern Puget Sound. 

(Kincaid, 1919; Dymond, 1928; Schultz, 1934; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Wilimovsky, 1964; Grinols, 1965; Allen and Smith, 1988; 

Smith et al., 2004; Love et al., 2005)

Scytalinidae Graveldivers

Scytalina cerdale Graveldiver

Jordan and Gilbert, 1880i

Ranging from the western Aleutian Islands to Diablo 

Cove, central California, the graveldiver is found on 

soft bottoms, in tidepools, and the intertidal zone to a 

depth of 7 m. It was first recorded in 1880 by Jordan 

and Gilbert at Waadah Island, off Neah Bay, and since 

then there have been a number of additional collections 

made in Neah Bay and off Port Renfrew, Tongue Point, 

and Sooke in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and from San 

Juan and Lopez islands in the San Juan Archipelago. It 

has apparently not been collected in the Strait of Georgia 

or in Puget Sound. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; 

Kincaid, 1919; Hubbs, 1927; Schultz, 1930; Schultz and 

DeLacy, 1936b; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love et al., 

2005; Hilton, 2009)

Trichodontidae Sandfishes

Trichodon trichodon Pacific sandfish

(Tilesius, 1813)

The Pacific sandfish extends from the southeastern Bering Sea and Pribilof and Aleutian islands to the Commander Islands, southeastern Kamchatka, Kuril Islands, 

and Japan in the west, and to northern California at 

San Francisco in the east. It prefers intertidal areas, 

where it is often found buried in the sand after a receding tide but has been reported also to a depth of 

375 m. In the Salish Sea, it is relatively common in 

and around the San Juan Islands (especially in East and 

West sounds off Orcas Island) and in Bellingham Bay. 

But it appears to be extremely rare or absent everywhere else in the Salish Sea, except for a specimen said 

to have been collected near Victoria in 1892, another 

trawled off Birch Bay in the southern Strait of Georgia in 2006, and a specimen each from the Whidbey 

Basin and central Puget Sound. (Schultz and DeLacy, 

1936a; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Wilimovsky, 1954, 

1964; High, 1966; Miller and Borton, 1980; Lamb and 

Edgell, 1986, 2010; Allen and Smith, 1988; Okiyama, 

1990; Love, 2011)

Ammodytidae Sand lances

Ammodytes personatus Pacific sand lance

Girard, 1856

An epipelagic schooling species often also found buried 

in soft substrate, from the intertidal zone near the surface to a depth of 100 m (but reported to 172 m), the Pacific sand lance ranges from the Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands to the Sea of Japan in the west, and to Southern 

California at Balboa Island in the east. First described 

from specimens collected off Cape Flattery by Lieutenant 

William Trowbridge during the Pacific Railroad Surveys 

of 1853–1855, it occurs in large schools along sandy 

shores everywhere off the coasts of Vancouver Island, 

Washington, and Oregon, as well as throughout the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca, from Neah Bay, Port Renfrew, 

and Pillar Point to Sooke, Victoria, Port Angeles, and 

Dungeness Bay; in and around the San Juan Archipelago 

and in Bellingham Bay; and in Puget Sound from Similk 

Bay and Admiralty Inlet to southern Hood Canal in the 

west and to Alki Point in the east, with a few scattered 

localities as far south as Henderson Bay, Carr Inlet, and 

the entrance to Eld Inlet. In the southern Strait of Georgia it extends at least as far north as Porlier Pass in the 

west and Sand Heads Light off the mouth of the Fraser 

River in the east. This species was recently distinguished 

from Ammodytes hexapterus Pallas, 1814, which appears to be restricted to northern Alaska and the Arctic and western Pacific oceans, and is, therefore, more 

appropriately referred to as the Arctic sand lance. The 

common name Pacific sand lance is hereby reassigned to 

A. personatus to more accurately reflect its distribution. 

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Bean, 1883; Starks, 

1896, 1911; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and 

Wilby, 1946; Barraclough27, 28, 29; Love et al., 2005; 

Love, 2011; Mecklenburg et al., 2011; Orr et al., 2015)

Icosteidae Ragfishes

Icosteus aenigmaticus Ragfish

Lockington, 1880d

Originally described by Lockington as lacking 

“firmness”—“it can be doubled up as readily as a piece 

27Barraclough, W. E. 1967. Data record: number, size and food of 

larval and juvenile fish caught with a two boat surface trawl in 

the Strait of Georgia, April 25–29, 1966. Fish. Res. Board Can. 

Manuscr. Rep. Ser. 922, 54 p. [Available at http://www.dfo-mpo.

gc.ca/Library/12655.pdf.] 28Barraclough, W. E. 1967. Data record: number, size, and food 

of larval and juvenile fish caught with an Isaacs-Kidd trawl in 

the surface waters of the Strait of Georgia, April 25–29, 1966. 

Fish. Res. Board Can. Manuscr. Rep., Ser. 926, 79 p. [Available 

at http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/30481.pdf.] 29Barraclough, W. E. 1967. Data record: number, size and food 

of larval and juvenile fish caught with a two-boat surface trawl 

in the Strait of Georgia, June 6–8, 1966. Fish. Res. Board Can. 

Manuscr. Rep. Ser. 928, 58 p. [Available at http://www.dfo-mpo.

gc.ca/Library/31897.pdf.]
66 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

of soft, thick rag”—the ragfish ranges from the Bering 

Sea to the Pacific coast of southern Honshu, Japan, in 

the west, and to the Gulf of Alaska and Southern California at Point Loma in the east. It occupies the surf 

zone to a depth of 1420 m. The young are often found 

in shallow water or offshore near the surface, and the 

adults are more often seen near the bottom in deeper 

water. Rare in the Salish Sea, it is known from only a 

few widely scattered records—near Victoria in the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca; off San Juan and Lopez islands; and off 

Port Townsend, Mutiny Bay, Colvos Passage (west side 

of Vashon Island), Gig Harbor, Point Defiance, Commencement Bay, and Budd Inlet near Olympia. (Bean, 

1888; Goode and Bean, 1896; Bean, 1899; Kincaid, 

1919; Crawford, 1927b; Pritchard, 1929; Schultz, 1930; 

Schultz et al., 1932; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; Cowan, 

1938; Miller and Borton, 1980; Allen, 2001)

Gobiesocidae Clingfishes

Gobiesox maeandricus Northern clingfish

(Girard, 1858b)

The northern clingfish ranges from southeastern Alaska at Noyes Island to central Baja California, where 

it prefers tidepools and the intertidal zone to a depth 

of 140 m. It is common in and around the San Juan 

Archipelago (especially off San Juan Island and the 

southernmost tip of Lopez Island) and in central Puget 

Sound, from Port Ludlow to Alki Point and Lincoln 

Park Beach, but rarely encountered elsewhere in the 

Salish Sea. In the Strait of Juan de Fuca it has been 

collected in Neah and Clallam bays, off Port Renfrew, 

Tongue Point, Sooke, Esquimalt, and Victoria, east of 

Port Angeles near the mouth of Morse Creek, and in 

Sequim and Discovery bays; and in the Strait of Georgia it has been found off Nanaimo, in Departure Bay, 

south of Cherry Point, and off New Westminster, Burrard Inlet, Popham Island, and Comox. (Jordan and 

Starks, 1895; Starks, 1896, 1905, 1911; Bean and 

Weed, 1920; Shelford et al., 1935; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; Batts, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Cross, 

1981; Love, 2011)

Gobiidae Gobies

Clevelandia ios Arrow goby

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1882b)

Extending from Rivers Inlet, British Columbia, to 

southern Baja California at San Bartolome Bay and the 

Gulf of California, the arrow goby is found in estuaries, lagoons, and tidal sloughs, usually at depths less 

than 10 m, but recorded to a depth of 45 m. It was 

first collected in June 1880 from Saanich Arm by Jordan and Gilbert, who retrieved a single specimen from 

the stomach of a whitespotted greenling. Since then it 

has been recorded from numerous but widely scattered 

localities throughout most of the Salish Sea—off Port 

Renfrew, Maple Grove, and Victoria in the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca; off San Juan, Shaw, and Blakely islands 

in the San Juan Archipelago and in Chuckanut Bay 

near Bellingham; in the Strait of Georgia, from Saanich 

Arm, Pender Harbour, Departure and Boundary bays, 

New Westminster, Whytecliff Park, Taylor Bay on Gabriola Island, and Comox Harbour; in Puget Sound, 

off Fidalgo Island in Skagit Bay, Holmes Harbor on 

Whidbey Island, off Everett, Port Madison, Elliott Bay, 

Eld Inlet, and Oyster Bay at the extreme southern end 

of Totten Inlet; and in Anderson Cove and Bywater 

and Quilcene bays in Hood Canal. (Jordan and Starks, 

1895; Gilbert, 1904; Kincaid, 1919; Shelford et al., 

1935; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Carter, 1965; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love, 2011)

Lepidogobius lepidus (Girard, 1858b) Bay goby

The bay goby ranges from southeastern Alaska at Kegan 

Cove to central Baja California at Cedros Island and Sebastian Vizcaino Bay. It inhabits the intertidal zone to 

a depth of 305 m. The species is abundant throughout 

most of the San Juan Archipelago (especially in East and 

West sounds off Orcas Island), in Bellingham and Padilla 

bays, and throughout Puget Sound from Skagit Bay and 

off Port Townsend to Eld Inlet, including Hood Canal, 

from Dabob Bay to the mouth of The Great Bend. It is 

common as well in the Strait of Georgia, extending at 

least as far north as Comox, but less well known in the 

Strait of Juan de Fuca where known localities are limited 

to Esquimalt and Victoria. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 

1881d; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Kincaid, 1919; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; DeLacy 

et al., 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980; Love, 2011)

Rhinogobiops nicholsii Blackeye goby

(Bean, 1882b) (Fig. 9D)

Ranging from southeastern Alaska near Sitka to central 

Baja California at least as far south as Punta Rompiente 

(as well as Guadalupe and Cedros islands), the blackeye 

goby is found in the intertidal zone to a depth of more 

than 640 m. It was originally described in 1882 from a 

single specimen collected in Departure Bay. Since then it 

has been recorded from off Port Renfrew, Port Angeles, 

Sooke, Saxe Point, and Victoria in the Strait of Juan de 

Fuca; from San Juan, Orcas, and Brown islands in the 

San Juan Archipelago; and from scattered localities in 

Puget Sound, including off Edmonds, Golden Gardens to 

Meadow Point, off Port Madison and Port Orchard, off 

the mouth of the Duwamish River, and in Case Inlet. In 

Hood Canal it has been collected in Dabob Bay, off Seal 

Rock, Holly, and at the mouth of The Great Bend. This 
67

goby is apparently more common in the southern Strait 

of Georgia, and numerous specimens have been taken 

in Departure, English, and Horseshoe bays, in Pender 

Harbour, in Burrard Inlet and Howe Sound, off Popham 

Island, and farther north to Jervis Inlet. This species was 

earlier known as Coryphopterus nicholsi. (Kincaid, 1919; 

Wismer and Swanson, 1935; Clemens and Wilby, 1946; 

Barraclough28; Miller and Borton, 1980; Cole, 1984; 

Csepp and Wing, 2000; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Sphyraenidae Barracudas

Sphyraena argentea Pacific barracuda

Girard, 1854c

Ranging from Kodiak Island and the Gulf of Alaska to 

Cape San Lucas, southern Baja California, the southwestern Gulf of California, and the Revillagigedo Islands, the Pacific barracuda is a nearshore, epipelagic, 

schooling species, found near the surface to a depth of 

38 m. Although considered rare north of Point Conception, California, individuals are occasionally taken off 

the Washington coast and some venture into the Salish 

Sea. The earliest known occurrence in our waters was 

reported in 1878 by Franz Steindachner on the basis of a 

specimen collected in Gig Harbor in central Puget Sound. 

A second individual was captured in 1904 in a fish trap 

at Otter Point near Sooke in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 

and additional material has since been taken in San 

Juan Channel, off West Beach at the northwestern tip of 

Whidbey Island, and off Port Madison. (Steindachner, 

1878; Starks, 1896; Kincaid, 1919; Cowan, 1938; Van 

Cleve and Thompson, 1938; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Trichiuridae Cutlassfishes

Benthodesmus pacificus North Pacific frostfish

Parin and Becker, 1970

The North Pacific frostfish has been collected from the 

Kyushu-Palau Ridge and Ryukyu Islands, Japan, and 

from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to central California at 

Monterey Bay. It is a benthopelagic species that extends 

to a depth of at least 380 m but sometimes migrates to 

the surface; juveniles are mesopelagic. Extremely rare in 

the Salish Sea, the only two known records are a specimen captured in May 1916 off Bentinck Island near Victoria (reported by Gilbert as Benthodesmus atlanticus) 

and another in March 1949 from Skunk Bay near Point 

No Point in central Puget Sound (reported by Peden and 

Hughes as Benthodesmus tenuis and confused by others 

with Benthodesmus simonyi). (Gilbert, 1917; Clemens 

and Nowell, 1963; Anderson and Cailliet, 1975; Peden, 

1980; Peden and Hughes, 1986; Nakamura and Parin, 

1993; Miller and Borton, 1980; McAllister, 1990; Love 

et al., 2005)

Scombridae Mackerels

Sarda chiliensis (Cuvier, 1832) Pacific bonito

The Pacific bonito has an antitropical distribution, with 

a northern population ranging from the northeastern 

Gulf of Alaska to southern Baja California off Cape San 

Lucas and the Revillagigedo Islands and a southern population extending from Máncora, Peru, to Talcahuano, 

Chile. A nearshore schooling species, it is found at the 

surface to depths as great as 110 m. Although considered 

rare north of California, it is relatively common off the 

west coast of Vancouver Island and Washington State 

but seldom seen in the restricted waters of the Salish 

Sea. A number of occurrences in central Puget Sound, 

off Richmond Beach, in Rolling Bay (Bainbridge Island), 

and near Seattle, were reported in the Fisherman’s News

in 1963, with titles “Unusual catch” and “Sound gillnets 

take bonito.” Additional localities in the Salish Sea include Sooke and Victoria in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 

off Yellow Point in the southern Strait of Georgia, and 

Kingston and Elliott Bay in Puget Sound. (Kincaid, 1919; 

Quast, 1964; Manzer, 1965; Patten et al., 1965; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Collette and Nauen, 1983; Love et 

al., 2005; Love 2011)

Scomber japonicus Pacific chub mackerel

Houttuyn, 1782

The Pacific chub mackerel is widely distributed throughout temperate and tropical seas around the world. In the 

eastern Pacific it ranges from the Gulf of Alaska to the 

Gulf of California and from Panama to Chile, including 

the Galapagos Islands. It is apparently absent in the intervening waters between southern Mexico and northern 

Panama. A coastal pelagic species, it forms large schools, 

primarily over the continental slope, and in surf zones as 

well, from the surface to a depth of about 300 m, reaching greatest depths during the day. It is common off the 

outer coasts of Vancouver Island and Washington State 

but extremely rare in the Salish Sea. Known localities 

include Point No Point in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 

Nanaimo Harbour in the southern Strait of Georgia, and 

off Everett, Edmonds, and Maury Island in Puget Sound. 

(Kincaid, 1919; Fowler, 1923; Hubbs and Schultz, 1929; 

Miller and Borton, 1980; Collette and Nauen, 1983; Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Stromateidae Butterfishes

Peprilus simillimus Pacific pompano

(Ayres, 1860b)

Ranging from Queen Charlotte Sound, British Columbia, to southern Baja California at Magdalena Bay and 

the Gulf of California, the Pacific pompano is a pelagic, 

schooling species found in surf zones and common over 
68 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

sandy bottoms along exposed coasts, to a depth of about 

90 m (but reported to 311 m). Rather common off the 

coast of Vancouver Island, but rare in the Salish Sea, it is 

known from off Sooke and Victoria in the Strait of Juan 

de Fuca; in East Sound off Orcas Island in the San Juan 

Archipelago; in Bellingham Bay; in the southern Strait 

of Georgia off the mouth of the Fraser River, in Pender 

Harbour, and off Denman Island; and in Puget Sound in 

the Whidbey Basin, off La Conner, at Lagoon Point, in 

Port Ludlow, Port Madison, Golden Gardens, off Myrtle 

Edwards Park, Port Orchard, Fletcher Bay, Tacoma, and 

in Dabob Bay. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Starks, 

1896; Kermode, 1909; Kincaid, 1919; Roedel, 1953; Batts, 

1960; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; High, 1966; Miller and 

Borton, 1980; Love, 2011; Essington et al., 2013).

PLEURONECTIFORMES FLATFISHES

Paralichthyidae Sand flounders

Citharichthys sordidus Pacific sanddab

(Girard, 1854b)

The Pacific sanddab is common in shallow waters along 

the west coast of North America, extending from the 

western Gulf of Alaska to southern Baja California at 

Cape San Lucas. Typically collected off muddy and sandy bottoms at depths of 10–150 m and occasionally as 

deep as 549 m, it is exceedingly abundant everywhere 

throughout the Salish Sea. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 

1881d; Jordan, 1884; Tanner, 1894; Gilbert, 1896c; 

Jordan and Starks, 1895; Evermann and Goldsborough, 

1907; Kincaid, 1919; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kramer 

et al., 1995; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Citharichthys stigmaeus Speckled sanddab

Jordan and Gilbert, 1882a

Nearly sympatric with its close relative, the Pacific sanddab 

(described previously), the speckled sanddab ranges from 

the northern Gulf of Alaska in Prince William Sound to 

southern Baja California at Magdalena Bay and in Concepcion Bay in the Gulf of California (and perhaps also 

to Ecuador and Peru). It is usually found on soft bottoms 

at depths less than 60 m, and rarely recorded as deep as 

366 m. In the Salish Sea, it is very abundant everywhere in 

appropriate habitat. (Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; 

Starks and Morris, 1907; Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; 

Bean and Weed, 1920; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kramer 

et al., 1995; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Pleuronectidae Righteye flounders

Atheresthes stomias Arrowtooth flounder

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1880l)

The arrowtooth flounder is abundant and commercially 

fished in the Bering Sea, off the Aleutian Islands, off Kamchatka, and in the Gulf of Alaska. Although not as 

common farther south, it ranges to Southern California off Santa Barbara where it inhabits soft bottoms at 

depths of 9–1145 m and more often between 100 and 

500 m. It is found throughout the Salish Sea. (Tanner, 

1890, 1894; Rathbun, 1894; Gilbert, 1896c; Schmitt et 

al., 1915; Fowler, 1923; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 1995; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Eopsetta jordani Petrale sole

(Lockington, 1879a)

Known from scattered records in the eastern Aleutian 

Islands and western Gulf of Alaska, the petrale sole is 

more commonly found in the eastern Gulf of Alaska at 

Yakutat Bay, through Southeast Alaska, to the Coronado Islands of northern Baja California. It occurs from 

the surface to a depth of 550 m. In the Salish Sea, it 

has been recorded throughout the area, in both straits to 

southern Puget Sound (including Hood Canal), although 

it is uncommon in the San Juan Archipelago. (Jordan 

and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 1884; Rathbun, 

1894; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Schmitt et 

al., 1915; Johnston, 1917; Kincaid, 1919; Miller and 

Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 1995; Love et al., 2005; 

Love, 2011)

Glyptocephalus zachirus Rex sole

Lockington, 1879c

The rex sole is widespread across the North Pacific, extending from the northern Bering Sea and Aleutians to 

the northern Kuril Islands in the west, and to central 

Baja California in the east. It occurs at the surface to a 

maximum known depth of 1145 m, but is more often 

found between 100 and 500 m. It is exceedingly abundant throughout the Salish Sea. (Tanner, 1890, 1894; 

Rathbun, 1894; Gilbert, 1896c; Starks, 1911; Schmitt et 

al., 1915; Kincaid, 1919; Schmidt, 1929; Clemens and 

Wilby, 1961; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 

1995; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Hippoglossoides elassodon Flathead sole

Jordan and Gilbert, 1880k

Occurring throughout the Bering Sea and Aleutians to 

the northern Kuril Islands in the west, and to Monterey, 

California, in the east, the flathead sole is found near 

the surface to a maximum known depth of about 800 

m, although it is considerably more common in moderately shallow waters. Like nearly all our local flatfishes, 

it is widespread and exceedingly abundant in the Salish 

Sea. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 1884, 

1887; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; Miller and 

Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 1995; Love et al., 2005; 

Love, 2011)
69

Hippoglossus stenolepis Pacific halibut

Schmidt, 1904

The Pacific halibut is the most important commercially 

harvested flatfish in the North Pacific Ocean and, arguably, in the world. It ranges from the northern Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and across the North Pacific 

to the seas of Okhotsk and Japan in the west, and to 

northern Baja California in the east, occupying depths 

of 5 to 2000 m. Abundant off the outer coasts of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, it is common 

as well throughout the Salish Sea, although most often 

taken in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and in northern and 

central Puget Sound. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; 

Hammond, 1887; Jordan, 1887; Collins, 1892; Kincaid, 

1919; Fowler, 1923; Thompson and Freeman, 1930; 

Miller and Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 1995; Love et 

al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Parophrys vetulus (Girard, 1854a) × Forkline sole

Platichthys stellatus (Pallas, 1787)

Confirmed as an intergeneric hybrid between the English 

sole and the starry flounder, the forkline sole remains 

poorly understood geographically. Jordan and others 

proposed a range northward to Alaska, and Clemens and 

Wilby reported it from the west coast of Vancouver Island, but voucher specimens for these records no longer 

exist. Reports by Herald and Reed of specimens taken 

off Oregon and northern California have been validated, 

but over the past century the Salish Sea is the only region 

where the forkline sole has been consistently collected. 

Known localities in the Salish Sea include Drayton Harbor near Blaine, Point Roberts, Padilla Bay near Anacortes, Oak Harbor, Saratoga Passage near Coupeville, 

Possession Bay, Port Orchard, and Carr Inlet. (Jordan 

and Gilbert, 1880k, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 1884; Kincaid, 1919; Villadolid, 1927; Jordan et al., 1930; Schultz 

and Smith, 1936; Herald, 1941; Clemens and Wilby, 

1961; Reed, 1964; Garrett et al., 2007)

Isopsetta isolepis Butter sole

(Lockington, 1880a)

Ranging from the southeastern Bering Sea and the central Aleutians at Amchitka Island to Southern California 

at Ventura, the butter sole is found on soft, muddy, or 

silty bottoms at depths of 2–425 m, but it is more commonly seen at depths between 18 and 100 m. In the Salish Sea, it is common everywhere in appropriate habitat, 

except in the Strait of Juan de Fuca where it is known 

from only a few scattered records in Neah and Discovery 

bays. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 1884; 

Tanner, 1890; Rathbun, 1894; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks, 1911; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; 

Miller and Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 1995; Love et 

al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Lepidopsetta bilineata Rock sole

(Ayres, 1855a) (Fig. 10A)

The rock sole has been recorded from the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, the western Aleutian Islands near 

Buldir Island, the Gulf of Alaska, and British Columbia to southern California at Tanner Bank. It is usually 

found on sandy bottoms at depths of 13–339 m. The 

species is widespread and exceedingly abundant in appropriate habitat throughout the Salish Sea. (Jordan and 

Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 1884, 1887; Rathbun, 

1894; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Starks, 1896, 1911; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Kincaid, 1919; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 1995; Orr and Matarese, 2000; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011; Maslenikov et 

al., 2013)

Lepidopsetta polyxystra Northern rockfish

Orr and Matarese, 2000

Recently described and distinguished from its congener, 

the rock sole (described previously), the northern rockfish 

is abundant throughout the eastern North Pacific from the 

Bering Sea (where it is the target of significant commercial 

fisheries) to the Sea of Okhotsk, the Kuril Islands, and 

northern Hokkaido, and from the Aleutian Islands and 

Gulf of Alaska to its southernmost extent in Puget Sound. 

This flatfish is present in Hecate Strait off the coast of 

British Columbia but so far has not been taken along the 

outer coast of Vancouver Island. On sandy bottoms at 

depths of 3–517 m, it is abundant everywhere throughout 

the Salish Sea. (Miller and Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 

1995; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Limanda aspera Yellowfin sole

(Pallas, 1814)

The yellowfin sole ranges from the Beaufort Sea off Point 

Barrow, and possibly farther east, to the Okhotsk Sea and 

Sea of Japan off Korea in the west, and to Atka Island 

in the Aleutians, from the Gulf of Alaska to British Columbia at Barkley Sound, and the Salish Sea in the east. 

It is said to be found on soft bottoms at depths of 5–600 

m, but this lower limit, now well-fixed in the scientific 

literature, is probably in error as the yellowfin sole is 

generally a shallow-water flatfish, especially during the 

summer months, and is very rarely (if ever) taken below a 

depth of 250 m. In the Salish Sea it is represented by only 

two known specimens collected on 20 June 1963 in East 

Sound, Orcas Island, in the San Juan Archipelago and 

trawled at a depth of 20–37 m. Henry Fowler recorded 

this species from “the fish markets and about the wharves 

of Seattle,” but Schultz and DeLacy thought these specimens were “probably taken by commercial fisherman in 

Alaska.” (Hubbs, 1915; Fowler, 1923; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936a; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Wilimovsky, 1964; 
70 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Figure 10

Fishes of the Salish Sea: (A) rock sole (Lepidopsetta bilineata) and (B) starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus). © Joseph R. Tomelleri.
71

Allen and Smith, 1988; Kramer et al., 1995; Barber et al., 

1997; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Lyopsetta exilis Slender sole

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1880g)

Ranging from the eastern Bering Sea, the western Gulf of 

Alaska, and Unalaska Island to southern Baja California, 

the slender sole is widespread and extremely abundant 

almost everywhere in the Salish Sea at depths of 9–1145 

m, but it is most commonly found at depths between 40 

and 110 m. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 

1884; Rathbun, 1894; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks, 1911; Gilbert, 

1915; Kincaid, 1919; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kramer 

et al., 1995; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011; Maslenikov 

et al., 2013)

Microstomus pacificus Dover sole

(Lockington, 1879b)

An abundant, deep-dwelling, commercially important 

species common on the outer continental shelf and upper slope waters of the northern Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands that extends south to southern Baja California at 

Punta San Juanico, the Dover sole has been captured on 

muddy bottoms at depths of 2–1400 m. It is widespread 

and abundant throughout the Salish Sea. (Jordan and 

Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 1884; Rathbun, 1894; 

Jordan and Starks, 1895; Evermann and Goldsborough, 

1907; Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; Schultz, 1930; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 1995; Love et al., 2005; 

Love, 2011)

Parophrys vetulus English sole

Girard, 1854a

One of the most common flatfishes in the Salish Sea and 

found in great abundance almost everywhere in appropriate habitat, the English sole ranges from the northern 

Bering Sea and western Aleutian Islands to central Baja 

California at San Cristobal Bay. It is usually found in 

the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones, but it has been 

reported to a maximum known depth of 550 m. (Jordan 

and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 1887; Tanner, 1890, 

1894; Rathbun, 1894; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 

1919; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 1995; 

Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Platichthys stellatus Starry flounder

(Pallas, 1787) (Fig. 10B)

The starry flounder is common and widespread throughout the North Pacific, ranging from the Chukchi and 

Beaufort seas in the Canadian Arctic, south through 

the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, to the seas of 

Okhotsk and Japan in the west, and to Southern California off Los Angeles in the east. Although usually 

found in the intertidal zone, and often venturing into 

brackish- and freshwaters, it has been collected as deep 

as 600 m. It is common in shallow waters and estuaries throughout the Salish Sea, and often taken as juveniles in freshwater. (Suckley, 1860; Hallock, 1877; Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 1887; Tanner, 

1890; Rathbun, 1894; Jordan and Starks, 1895; Starks, 

1896, 1911; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Kincaid, 1919; Fowler, 1923; Miller and Borton, 1980; 

Kramer et al., 1995; Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011; 

Orr, in press)

Pleuronichthys coenosus C-O sole

Girard, 1854a

Ranging from southeastern Alaska at Sitka to southern 

Baja California at Punta Abreojos, on soft bottoms near 

the surface to a depth of 350 m (but usually in less than 

20 m), the C-O sole is common in the San Juan Islands, 

the Strait of Georgia, and throughout Puget Sound (especially in the central and southern parts of the Sound), 

but apparently it is much less abundant in the Strait of 

Juan de Fuca where known localities include Port Angeles and Sequim and Discovery bays. (Jordan and Gilbert, 

1881c, 1881d; Jordan, 1884, 1887; Jordan and Starks, 

1895; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks, 1911; 

Starks and Thompson, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; Fowler, 

1923; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 1995; 

Love et al., 2005; Love, 2011)

Pleuronichthys decurrens Curlfin sole

Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c

Ranging from the Aleutians off the northwest coast of 

Unimak Island, through the Gulf of Alaska, to southern 

Baja California at Punta San Juanico, the curlfin sole—

in rather stark contrast to other flatfishes of our region, 

which are all widespread and extremely abundant in the 

Salish Sea—is rarely seen in our waters. Records are limited to Port Angeles in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca 

and off Edmonds, Meadow Point, Point Defiance, and 

Case Inlet in Puget Sound. It is usually found in estuaries and other protected waters along the open coast, on 

soft bottoms and along rock-sand interfaces, from the 

intertidal zone to a maximum recorded depth of 349 m. 

(Starks and Thompson, 1911; Walford, 1931; Schultz 

and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Miller 

and Lea, 1972; Kramer et al., 1995; Love et al., 2005; 

Love, 2011)

Psettichthys melanostictus Sand sole

Girard, 1854a

The sand sole ranges from the southeastern Bering Sea 

and eastern Aleutian Islands to Southern California at 
72 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

La Jolla. Widespread and extremely abundant throughout the Salish Sea, it is found on sandy bottoms in the 

intertidal zone to a depth of 325 m. (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881c, 1881d; Rathbun, 1894; Jordan and Starks, 

1895; Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907; Starks, 

1911; Kincaid, 1919; Fowler, 1923; Miller and Borton, 1980; Kramer et al., 1995; Love et al., 2005; Love, 

2011)

Cynoglossidae Tonguefishes

Symphurus atricaudus California tonguefish

(Jordan and Gilbert, 1880a)

Although common off Southern California and extending south to Panama, the California tonguefish is rare 

north of Point Conception, with scattered records in 

shallow coastal waters. The northern extent of its range 

is the Salish Sea, where it is known from a single specimen collected in Samish Bay, south of Bellingham. It is 

found on sand and mud bottoms at depths of 2–55 m. 

(Dinnel and Rogers, 1986; Kramer et al., 1995; Love et 

al., 2005; Love, 2011)

TETRAODONTIFORMES PLECTOGNATHS

Molidae Molas

Mola mola (Linnaeus, 1758) Ocean sunfish

The ocean sunfish has a circumglobal distribution in temperate and tropical waters. In the Pacific it ranges from 

the Gulf of Alaska to the southern Kuril Islands and Japan in the west, and to Las Cruces, central Chile, in the 

east, including the Gulf of California and the Galapagos 

Islands. A pelagic species, it is found on the surface to a 

depth of 644 m; the deepest known occurrence off eastern North Pacific coasts is 392 m. It is often observed 

along the coasts of British Columbia, Washington, and 

Oregon, but it very rarely ventures into the restricted 

waters of the Salish Sea. The few known records in the 

Salish Sea include at Cape Flattery and in Neah Bay at 

the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in San Juan 

Harbor and at Quathiaski Cove at the northern end of 

the Strait of Georgia, and in Puget Sound off Duwamish 

Head and at Blakely Rock on the east side of Bainbridge 

Island. (Kincaid, 1919; Hubbs and Schultz, 1929; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936c; Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Grove 

and Lavenberg, 1997; Cartamil and Lowe, 2004; Love et 

al., 2005; Yoshita et al., 2009; Love, 2011)

Comments

While 37 species (plus the forkline sole) appear on the 

checklist of Salish Sea fishes for the first time (see Table 

1), the following five species have been removed:

Raja stellulata Jordan and Gilbert, 1880c (starry 

skate): This species ranges from off Eugene, Oregon, to 

central Baja California at Cedros Island and Sebastian 

Vizcaino Bay and is found on soft bottoms at depths of 

2–732 m. There is no credible evidence that this species 

occurs in the Salish Sea. Material reported by Gilbert in 

1896 from collections made by the Albatross off Cape 

Flattery and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca was reidentified by Evermann and Goldsborough as Raja binoculata. A specimen identified as Raja stellulata, collected 

in 1906 from Upright Channel in the San Juan Islands, 

was originally archived in the University of Washington Burke Museum Fish Collection, but it has long since 

disappeared. Most vouchered records from Alaska are 

misidentified specimens of the Alaska skate, Bathyraja 

parmifera (Bean, 1881b), and no vouchers are available 

to support records from the Queen Charlotte Islands, 

which are most likely misidentifications as well. Illustrations published by Hart, and probably those by Clemens 

and Wilby, are based on Alaskan examples of Bathyraja 

parmifera. (Gilbert, 1896c; Starks, 1911; Kincaid, 1919; 

Schultz and DeLacy, 1935; Clemens and Wilby, 1946, 

1961; Hart, 1973; Ebert, 2003; Love et al., 2005; Orr et 

al., 2011)

Artedius corallinus (Hubbs, 1926a) (coralline sculpin): All the recent literature indicates that this species 

ranges from Washington State to central Baja California 

at San Martin Island, but the sole Washington record, 

from off Orcas Island in the San Juan Archipelago (collected by dredge in summer 1963), is based on a misidentified specimen of A. harringtoni. In addition to the 

lack of valid Washington records, the coralline sculpin is 

unknown off coastal Oregon. The northernmost limit of 

this species is probably Arena Cove on the Mendocino 

Coast, north of San Francisco. (Miller and Lea, 1972; 

Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Ragland and Fischer, 

1987; Gilbert and Williams, 2002; Love, 2011)

Lycodes diapterus Gilbert, 1892 (black eelpout): This 

species ranges from off the outer coast of Vancouver Island to Southern California as far south as San Diego 

at depths of 146–844 m. There is no evidence that it 

occurs in our waters. Former inclusion in the Salish Sea 

ichthyofauna was based solely on Gilbert’s type series 

of six specimens, one of which was collected in Puget 

Sound, but subsequently reidentified by Stevenson and 

Sheiko as Lycodes beringi Andriashev, 1935. (Jordan 

and Evermann, 1896, 1898b; Bayliff, 1959; Miller and 

Lea, 1972; Stevenson and Sheiko, 2009)

Liparis beringianus (Gilbert and Burke, 1912) (Bering snailfish): This species was originally described as 

Cyclogaster beringianus and referenced in earlier Puget 

Sound checklists as Polypera beringianus, based in part 

on a specimen collected at Port Townsend. Since that 

time, several authors, beginning with Charles Burke in 

1930, have suggested that it represents the juveniles of 
73

Liparis greeni. Agreeing with this opinion, we hereby remove the name Liparis beringianus from the Salish Sea 

ichthyofauna. (Burke, 1930; DeLacy et al., 1972; Miller 

and Borton, 1980; Mecklenburg et al., 2002; Chernova 

et al., 2004; Love et al., 2005)

Hyperprosopon argenteum Gibbons, 1854a (walleye 

surfperch): All the recent literature indicates that this 

species ranges from Vancouver Island to central Baja 

California at Punta San Rosarito, but the Vancouver Island record (four specimens collected in Esquimalt Harbour, well inside the Strait of Juan de Fuca)—which, if 

valid, would constitute the only known occurrence of 

this species north of Willapa Bay, Washington—is erroneous. Schultz and DeLacy (followed by Clemens and 

Wilby) cited Günther as the source for the Esquimalt record, but Günther (1862:248) referred these four specimens (“i–l. Adult: skins. Esquimalt Harbour, Vancouver Islands”) not to Hyperprosopon argenteum but to 

Ditrema aggregatum, a synonym of Cymatogaster aggregata. On this evidence, Hyperprosopon argenteum is 

hereby removed from the Salish Sea ichthyofauna. (Günther, 1862; Schultz and DeLacy, 1936b; Clemens and 

Wilby, 1946, 1961; Peden, 1966b; Miller and Lea, 1972; 

Eschmeyer and Herald, 1983; Peden and Hughes, 1986; 

Love, 2011)

Acknowledgments

Grateful appreciation is extended to J. Gaydos for his 

initial encouragement to prepare this checklist and for 

securing financial support made available to us by way 

of a generous private donation by B. and L. Hoglund 

through the SeaDoc Society, a program of the Wildlife 

Health Center, and a center of excellence at the School 

of Veterinary Medicine, University of California at Davis. We thank the following individuals and their institutions for providing data and loans of specimens: H. Bart 

and J. Mann (Tulane University, New Orleans), D. Buth 

(University of California, Los Angeles), D. Catania and 

R. Lea (California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco), 

B. Coad and N. Alfonso (Canadian Museum of Nature, 

Ottawa), W. Eschmeyer (Florida Museum of Natural 

History, Gainesville), R. Feeney (Los Angeles County 

Museum of Natural History), G. Gillespie (Fisheries and 

Oceans Canada, Nanaimo), G. Hanke, H. Gartner, K. 

Sendall, and L. Kennes (Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria), M. Love (University of California, Santa 

Barbara), K. Maslenikov (University of Washington, 

Seattle), W. Palsson (formerly Washington Department 

of Fish and Wildlife, now Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle), B. Sidlauskas and T. Lyman (Oregon State 

University, Corvallis), W. Starnes and G. Hogue (North 

Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh), 

E. Taylor (University of British Columbia, Vancouver), 

and H. Walker (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La 

Jolla). Early drafts of the manuscript were critically read 

by M. Busby, J. Gaydos, M. Love, K. Maslenikov, C. 

Mecklenburg, W. Palsson, D. Stevenson, E. Taylor, and 

three anonymous reviewers, all of whom helped to improve the final version. Finally, we give special thanks 

to S. Freelan for use of his map of the Salish Sea; and to 

J. Tomelleri for use of his wonderful drawings of Salish 

Sea fishes, a full set of which will be used to illustrate a 

forthcoming book on the fishes of the Salish Sea. A portion of the drawings reproduced here were made possible 

with financial assistance provided by The Eppley Foundation for Research, New York; we sincerely thank I. 

Eisenstadter, H. Held, and members of the board of this 

foundation for their generosity.

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96 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

INDEX TO COMMON AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES

A

acanthias, Squalus 16

accipenserinus, Podothecus 49

acipenserinus, Agonus 49

Acipenser medirostris 18

mikadoi 18

transmontanus 18, fig. 3C 

aculeatus, Gasterosteus 29 

acuticeps, Clinocottus 39 

adiastolus, Liparis 54 

aenigmaticus, Icosteus 65 

aggregata, Cymatogaster 56, 73 

aggregatum, Ditrema 73

Agonopsis emmelane 46

vulsa 46

Agonus acipenserinus 49 

alascana, Asterotheca 46 

alascanus, Bathyagonus 46

Sebastolobus 36

Alaska skate 17, 72

Alepidosaurus borealis 24

Alepisaurus ferox 24

aleutensis, Cryptacanthodes 62

Lyconectes 62

aleutianus, Sebastes 29, 30

aleuticus, Cottus 4, 40

Alligatorfish, smooth 46

Allolumpenus hypochromus 61

Allosmerus elongatus 20

Alopias vulpinus 13

Alosa sapidissima 19 

altivelis, Trachipterus 26 

alutus, Sebastes 30

American shad 19

Ammodytes hexapterus 65

personatus 65

Anarrhichthys ocellatus 64

Anchovy, northern 19

Anoplagonus inermis 46

Anoplarchus insignis 59, fig. 9A

purpurescens 59

Anoplopoma fimbria 36

Apodichthys flavidus 63

fucorum 63

Apristurus brunneus 15

Aprodon cortezianus 58

Arctic sand lance 65

Arctozenus risso 24

argentea, Sphyraena 66

argenteum, Hyperprosopon 4, 57, 72, 73

Argyropelecus sladeni 4, 23

armatus, Leptocottus 43

Arrow goby 66

Arrowtooth flounder 68

Artedius corallinus 4, 38, 72

fenestralis 38 

harringtoni 38, 72 

lateralis 38

meanyi 44

notospilotus 38

Ascelichthys rhodorus 38

Asemichthys taylori 39 

asper, Cottus 4, 40 

aspera, Limanda 4, 69 

asprellus, Radulinus 44

Asterotheca alascana 46 

infraspinata 48 

pentacantha 48

Atheresthes stomias 68

Atlantic salmon 22, 23

atlanticus, Benthodesmus 67

Atractoscion nobilis 55 

atricaudus, Symphurus 4, 72 

atropurpureus, Xiphister 62

Aulorhynchus flavidus 29

auriculatus, Sebastes 30, fig. 4B

ayresii, Lampetra 12

B

babcocki, Sebastes 30

barbata, Pallasina 49

Barracuda, Pacific 66

Barracudina, white 24

Basking shark 13

Bass, striped 55

Bathyagonus alascanus 46 

infraspinatus 46 

nigripinnis 48 

pentacanthus 48

Bathyraja interrupta 4, 17

kincaidii 17

parmifera 17, 72

Bay goby 66

Bay pipefish 29

Benthodesmus atlanticus 67

pacificus 67 

simonyi 67 

tenuis 67

Bering eelpout 58 

skate 17 

snailfish 72

beringi, Lycodes 4, 58, 72
97

beringianus, Cyclogaster 72

Liparis 4, 54, 72

Polypera 72

Beringraja binoculata 17

Big skate 17

Bigeye poacher 48

Bigfin eelpout 58

bilineata, Lepidopsetta 69, fig. 10A

binoculata, Beringraja 17

Raja 72

bison, Enophrys 40

Black eelpout 72 

prickleback 62 

rockfish 32

Blackbelly eelpout 58

Blackeye goby 66, fig. 9D 

Blackfin poacher 48

sculpin 50

Blacktail snailfish 51, fig. 8A 

Blacktip poacher 50

Blepsias cirrhosus 45

Blue lanternfish 25 

rockfish 33 

shark 15

Bluebarred prickleback 61, fig. 9C 

Bluespotted poacher 50

Bluntnose sixgill shark 15

Bocaccio 33

boleoides, Radulinus 44

Bonyhead sculpin 38

Bonito, Pacific 67

borealis, Alepidosaurus 24

Icelinus 40

Bothragonus swanii 48

Brachyistius frenatus 56

Brama japonica 55 

brevipes, Lycodes 58 

brevispinis, Sebastes 30

Broadnose sevengill shark 16

Brosmophycis marginata 27, fig. 4A 

Brotula, red 27, fig. 4A

Brown cat shark 15

Irish lord 40 

rockfish 30, fig. 4B

brunneus, Apristurus 15

Buffalo sculpin 40

Bull trout 23

burchami, Icelinus 41

Butter sole 69 C

Cabezon 44, 45

Calico sculpin 39

California flashlightfish 25 

headlightfish 24 

lizardfish 24

skate 17 

tonguefish 72

californica, Squatina 16

Torpedo 17

californiense, Myctophum 25 

californiensis, Symbolophorus 25 

callyodon, Liparis 51

Canary rockfish 33

Capelin 20

Careproctus melanurus 51, fig. 8A 

Carp, common 19, 20

carpio, Cyprinus 4, 19

caurinus, Sebastes 30

cepedianus, Notorynchus 16

cerdale, Scytalina 64

Cetorhinus maximus 13

chalcogrammus, Gadus 26

Chauliodus macouni 4, 23

Chesnonia verrucosa 48

Chilara taylori 4, 27

chiliensis, Sarda 67

China rockfish 33

Chinook salmon 22, 24, 25

Chirolophis decoratus 59, fig. 9B

nugator 59

Chirolophis polyactocephalus 59

chirus, Phytichthys 61

Chitonotus pugetensis 39

Chum salmon 22

cirrhosus, Blepsias 45

Citharichthys sordidus 68

stigmaeus 68

clarkii, Oncorhynchus 21

Salmo 21

clemensi, Pholis 63

Clevelandia ios 66

Clingfish, northern 66

Clinocottus acuticeps 39

embryum 39

globiceps 39

clitella, Lumpenopsis 61

Clupea pallasii 19

C-O sole 71

Coastrange sculpin 40

Cockscomb, high 59 

slender 59, fig. 9A

Cod, Pacific 26

coenosus, Pleuronichthys 71

Coho salmon 22

colliei, Hydrolagus 13, fig. 3A

Cololabis saira 27

Combfish, longspine 37

Common carp 19, 20 
98 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

thresher shark 13

confluentus, Salvelinus 4, 23

Copper rockfish 30

Coralline sculpin 38, 72

corallinus, Artedius 4, 38, 72

cortezianus, Aprodon 58

Lycodes 4, 58

coruscans, Paralepis 24

Notolepis 24

Coryphopterus nicholsi 66

Cottus aleuticus 4, 40

asper 4, 40 

crameri, Sebastes 31 

crenularis, Tarletonbeania 25

Crescent gunnel 63, 64

Croaker, white 55

crockeri, Protomyctophum 4, 25

Cryptacanthodes aleutensis 62

giganteus 62

Curlfin sole 71

Cusk-eel, spotted 27

Cutthroat trout 21

cyclopus, Liparis 53

Cymatogaster aggregata 56, 73

Cyprinodon variegatus 27

Cyprinus carpio 4, 19

D

Damalichthys vacca 56

Darkblotched rockfish 31

Darkfin sculpin 50

Darter sculpin 44

Dasycottus setiger 50

Daubed shanny 59

decagrammus, Hexagrammos 36, fig. 5B 

Decorated warbonnet 59, fig. 9B 

decoratus, Chirolophis 59, fig. 9B

decurrens, Pleuronichthys 4, 71

Delolepis gigantea 63 

dennyi, Liparis 53 

diaconus, Sebastes 33

Diaphus theta 24

diapterus, Lycodes 4, 58, 72

diploproa, Sebastes 31

Ditrema aggregatum 73 

ditropis, Lamna 14, 15, fig. 3B 

Dogfish, Pacific spiny 16

Dolly Varden 23

Dover sole 71

Dragon poacher 49

Dusky sculpin 41

Dwarf wrymouth 2

E

Eel, slender snipe 18 

wolf- 64

Eelpout, Bering 58

bigfin 58 

blackbelly 58 

pallid 57 

shortfin 58 

smallhead 57 

wattled 58

elassodon, Hippoglossoides 68

Electric ray, Pacific 17 

ellipticum, Hyperprosopon 57 

elongatus, Allosmerus 20

Ophiodon 37

Sebastes 31

Embiotoca lateralis 56, fig. 8B

embryum, Clinocottus 39

emmelane, Agonopsis 46

emphaeus, Sebastes 31

English sole 4, 69, 71

Engraulis mordax 19

Enophrys bison 40

entomelas, Sebastes 31

Entosphenus tridentatus 12

Eopsetta jordani 68

Eptatretus stoutii 4, 12

Eulachon 21

Eumicrotremus orbis 51

evides, Plectobranchus 61, fig. 9C

exilis, Lyopsetta 69

F

fenestralis, Artedius 38 

ferox, Alepisaurus 24 

filamentosus, Icelinus 41 

fimbria, Anoplopoma 36 

fimbriatus, Icelinus 4, 41

Flashlightfish, California 25 

northern 25

Flathead sole 68

flavidus, Apodichthys 63

Aulorhynchus 29

Sebastes 32

florae, Liparis 53

Flounder, arrowtooth 68 

starry 4, 69, 71, fig. 10B

Fluffy sculpin 43, fig. 6B 

Forkline sole 4, 5, 69, 72

Fourhorn poacher 49, fig. 7B

frenatus, Brachyistius 56

Fringed sculpin 41

Frostfish, North Pacific 67
99

fucensis, Liparis 53 

fucorum, Apodichthys 63

Xererpes 63

furcatus, Phanerodon 57 G

Gadus chalcogrammus 26

macrocephalus 26

gairdneri, Salmo 22

Gasterosteus aculeatus 29

Genyonemus lineatus 55

Giant wrymouth 63 

gigantea, Delolepis 63 

giganteus, Cryptacanthodes 63

Gilbertidia sigalutes 51

gilli, Synchirus 45 

glauca, Prionace 15 

glob

iceps, Clinocottus 39

Glyptocephalus zachirus 68

Gobiesox maeandricus 66

Goby, arrow 66 

bay 66

blackeye 66, fig. 9D

goodei, Ptilichthys 64

gorbuscha, Oncorhynchus 21

Graveldiver 64

Gray starsnout 46

Great sculpin 43

Green sturgeon 18

greeni, Liparis 53, 72

Polypera 54

Greenling, kelp 36, fig. 5B 

painted 37, fig. 5C

rock 36

whitespotted 37, 66

Greenstriped rockfish 31

griseus, Hexanchus 15

Grunt sculpin 37

Gunnel, crescent 63, 64 

longfin 63

penpoint 63 

red 64 

rockweed 63 

saddleback 64

guttatus, Lampris 4, 26 H

Hagfish, Pacific 12

Hake, Pacific 26

Halfbanded rockfish 34, fig. 5A 

Halibut, Pacific 68

harringtoni, Artedius 38, 72

Hatchetfish, lowcrest 23

Headlightfish, California 24

helvomaculatus, Sebastes 32

Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus 40

spinosus 40

Herring, Pacific 19

Hexagrammos decagrammus 36, fig. 5B

lagocephalus 36

stelleri 37

Hexanchus griseus 15

hexapterus, Ammodytes 65

High cockscomb 59

Hippoglossoides elassodon 68

Hippoglossus stenolepis 68

hopliticus, Paricelinus 4, 44

Hydrolagus colliei 13, fig. 3A

Hyperprosopon argenteum 4, 57, 72, 73

ellipticum 57

hypochroma, Lumpenopsis 4, 61

hypochromus, Allolumpenus 61

Hypomesus pretiosus 20

Hypsagonus quadricornis 49, fig. 7B I

Icelinus borealis 40 

burchami 41 

filamentosus 41 

fimbriatus 4, 41 

tenuis 41

Icosteus aenigmaticus 65

inermis, Anoplagonus 46 

infraspinata, Asterotheca 48 

infraspinatus, Bathyagonus 46

Inopsetta ischyra4

inornata, Raja 4, 17

insignis, Anoplarchus 59, fig. 9A

interrupta, Bathyraja 4, 17

ios, Clevelandia 66

Irish lord, brown 40 

red 40

ischyra, Inopsetta4

isolepis, Isopsetta 69

Isopsetta isolepis 69 J

Jack mackerel 55

japonica, Brama 55

Percis 49

japonicus, Scomber 67

jordani, Eopsetta 68

Ronquilus 57, fig. 8C

Jordania zonope 41, fig. 6A
100 Professional Paper NMFS 18 K

Kelp greenling 36, fig. 5B

perch 56 

pipefish 29

keta, Oncorhynchus 22

kincaidi, Malacocottus 50

kincaidii, Bathyraja 17

King-of-the-salmon 26

kisutch, Oncorhynchus 22 L

laeta, Pholis 63

lagocephalus, Hexagrammos 36

Lamna ditropis 13, 15, fig. 3B

Lampetra ayresii 12

Lampfish, northern 25 

pinpoint 24

Lamprey, Pacific 12

western river 12

Lampris guttatus 4, 26

Lancetfish, longnose 24

Lanternfish, blue 25

lateralis, Artedius 38

Embiotoca 56, fig. 8B 

latifrons, Xeneretmus 50 

latipinnis, Zaniolepis 37 

leiops, Xeneretmus 4, 50

Leopard shark 15

Lepidogobius lepidus 66

Lepidopsetta bilineata 69, fig. 10A

polyxystra 4, 69

lepidus, Lepidogobius 66

Leptoclinus maculatus 59

Leptocottus armatus 43 

leptorhynchus, Syngnathus 29 

leucopsarus, Stenobrachius 25

Leuroglossus schmidti 4, 20

Limanda aspera 4, 69

lineatus, Genyonemus 55

Lingcod 37, 58

Liparis adiastolus 54 

beringianus 4, 54, 72 

callyodon 51

cyclopus 53 

dennyi 53 

florae 53 

fucensis 53

greeni 53, 72

mucosus 4, 54

pulchellus 54 

rutteri 4, 54

Lipariscus nanus 4, 54

Lizardfish, California 24

Lobefin snailfish 53

Longfin gunnel 63 

sculpin 41, fig. 6A 

smelt 21

longirostris, Lumpenella 4, 61

Longnose lancetfish 24 

skate 17

Longsnout prickleback 61

Longspine combfish 37

Lowcrest hatchetfish 23

lucioceps, Synodus 24

Lumpenella longirostris 4, 61

Lumpenopsis clitella 61

Hypochroma 4, 61

Lumpenus maculatus 61

sagitta 61

Lumpsucker, Pacific spiny 51

Lycodapus mandibularis 57

parviceps 4, 57

Lycodes beringi 4, 58, 72

brevipes 58

cortezianus 4, 58 

diapterus 4, 58, 72 

pacificus 58 

palearis 58

Lycodopsis pacificus 58

Lyconectes aleutensis 62

Lyopsetta exilis 69 M

macellus, Triglops 45

Mackerel, jack 55

Pacific chub 67

macouni, Chauliodus 4, 23 

macrocephalus, Gadus 26 

maculatus, Leptoclinus 59

Lumpenus 61

Notorynchus 16 

maculosus, Oligocottus 43 

maeandricus, Gobiesox 66

Malacocottus kincaidi 50

zonurus 50

maliger, Sebastes 32

Mallotus villosus 20

malma, Salvelinus 23

Manacled sculpin 45

mandibularis, Lycodapus 57

Marbled snailfish 53

marginata, Brosmophycis 27, fig. 4A 

marmoratus, Scorpaenichthys 44, 45 

maximus, Cetorhinus 13

meanyi, Artedius 44

Ruscarius 44

medirostris, Acipenser 18
101

melanops, Sebastes 32

melanostictus, Psettichthys 71

Sebastes 29, 30

melanurus, Careproctus 51, fig. 8A

Merluccius productus 26

Microgadus proximus 26

Microstomus pacificus 71

Midshipman, plainfin 27 

mikadoi, Acipenser 18 

miniatus, Sebastes 32

Minnow, sheepshead 27, 29

Mola mola 72

mordax, Engraulis 19

Morone saxatilis 55

Mosshead sculpin 39 

warbonnet 59

mucosus, Liparis 4, 54

Xiphister 62

Myctophum californiense 25

mykiss, Oncorhynchus 22

Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus 43

mystinus, Sebastes 33 N

Nannobrachium regale 4, 24

nanus, Lipariscus 4, 54

Nautichthys oculofasciatus 46, fig. 7A

nebulosus, Sebastes 33

Nectoliparis pelagicus 54

Nemichthys scolopaceus 18 

nerka, Oncorhynchus 22 

nicholsi, Coryphopterus 66

nicholsii, Rhinogobiops 66, fig. 9D

Night smelt 21

nigripinnis, Bathyagonus 48 

nigrocinctus, Sebastes 33, fig. 4C 

nobilis, Atractoscion 55

North Pacific frostfish 67

Northern anchovy 19 

clingfish 66 

flashlightfish 25

lampfish 25

rockfish 69 

ronquil 57, fig. 8C 

sculpin 40 

smoothtongue 20 

spearnose poacher 46

notatus, Porichthys 27

Notolepis coruscans 24

rissoi 24

Notorynchus cepedianus 16

maculatus 16 

notospilotus, Artedius 38 

nugator, Chirolophis 59

O

Ocean sunfish 72

ocellatus, Anarrhichthys 64 

oculofasciatus, Nautichthys 46, fig. 7A 

Odontopyxis trispinosa 49

Oligocottus maculosus 43

rimensis 43

snyderi 43, fig. 6B

Oncorhynchus clarkii 21

gorbuscha 21 

keta 22 

kisutch 22 

mykiss 22 

nerka 22

tshawytscha 22

Opah 26

Ophiodon elongatus 37 

orbis, Eumicrotremus 51 

ornata, Pholis 64

Oxylebius pictus 37, fig. 5C P

Pacific angel shark 16

Pacific barracuda 66

Bonito 67

chub mackerel 67

cod 26

electric ray 17

hagfish 12

hake 26

halibut 68

herring 19

lamprey 12

ocean perch 30 

pomfret 55 

pompano 67 

sand lance 65 

sanddab 68 

sandfish 65 

sardine 19 

saury 27

sleeper shark 16 

spiny lumpsucker 51 

spiny dogfish 16 

staghorn sculpin 43

tomcod 26

viperfish 23

pacificus, Benthodesmus 67

Lycodes 58

Lycodopsis 58

Microstomus 71

Somniosus 16

Thaleichthys 21
102 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

Padded sculpin 38

Painted greenling 37, fig. 5C

palearis, Lycodes 58

pallasii, Clupea 19

Pallasina barbata 49

Pallid eelpout 57

paradoxus, Psychrolutes 51

Paralepis coruscans 24

Paricelinus hopliticus 4, 44

parmifera, Bathyraja 17, 72

Parophrys vetulus 4, 69, 71 

parviceps, Lycodapus 4, 57 

paucispinis, Sebastes 33 

pelagicus, Nectoliparis 54

Penpoint gunnel 63 

pentacantha, Asterotheca 48 

pentacanthus, Bathyagonus 48

Peprilus simillimus 67

Perch, kelp 56

Pacific ocean 30 

pile 56

shiner 56

Percis japonica 49

personatus, Ammodytes 65

Petrale sole 68

Phanerodon furcatus 57

Pholis clemensi 63

laeta 63 

ornata 64 

schultzi 64

Phytichthys chirus 61

pictus, Oxylebius 37, fig. 5C 

Pile perch 56

pingelii, Triglops 45

Pink salmon 21, 25

pinniger, Sebastes 33, 34

Pinpoint lampfish 24

Pipefish, bay 29 

kelp 29

Plainfin midshipman 27

Platichthys stellatus 4, 69, 71, fig. 10B

Plectobranchus evides 61, fig. 9C

Pleuronichthys coenosus 71

decurrens 4, 71

Poacher, bigeye 48 

blackfin 48 

blacktip 48

bluespotted 49 

dragon 49

fourhorn 49, fig. 7B

northern spearnose 46 

pricklebreast 49 

pygmy 49

smootheye 50 

sturgeon 49 

tubenose 49

warty 48

Podothecus accipenserinus 49

politus, Seriphus 4, 56

Pollock, walleye 26 

polyacanthocephalus, Myoxocephalus 43 

polyactocephalus, Chirolophis 59

Polypera beringianus 72

greeni 54

polyxystra, Lepidopsetta 4, 69

Pomfret, Pacific 55

Pompano, Pacific 67

Porichthys notatus 27

Poroclinus rothrocki 62

pretiosus, Hypomesus 20

Prickleback, black 62 

bluebarred 61, fig. 9C 

longsnout 61

ribbon 61 

rock 62 

snake 61

whitebarred 62

Y- 61

Pricklebreast poacher 49

Prickly sculpin 40

Prionace glauca 15 

productus, Merluccius 26 

proriger, Sebastes 34

Protomyctophum crockeri 4, 25

thompsoni 4, 25

Prowfish 64

proximus, Microgadus 26

Psettichthys melanostictus 71

Psychrolutes paradoxus 51

sigalutes 51

Ptilichthys goodei 64

Puget Sound rockfish 31 

sculpin 44

pugetensis, Chitonotus 39 

pulchellus, Liparis 54 

purpurescens, Anoplarchus 59

Pygmy poacher 49 

snailfish 54

Q

quadricornis, Hypsagonus 49, fig. 7B 

Queenfish 56

Quillback rockfish 32

Quillfish 64

R

Radulinus asprellus 44

boleoides 44
103

Ragfish 65

Rainbow trout 22

Raja binoculata 72 

inornata 4, 17 

rhina 17

stellulata 4, 17, 72

Ratfish, spotted 13, 3A 

Red brotula 27, fig. 4A

gunnel 64

Irish lord 40

Redbanded rockfish 30

Redstripe rockfish 34

regale, Nannobrachium 4, 24

Rex sole 68

Rhamphocottus richardsonii 37

rhina, Raja 17

Rhinogobiops nicholsii 66, fig. 9D

rhodorus, Ascelichthys 38

Ribbed sculpin 45

Ribbon prickleback 61 

snailfish 53

richardsonii, Rhamphocottus 37

rimensis, Oligocottus 43

Ringtail snailfish 54 

risso, Arctozenus 24 

rissoi, Notolepis 24

Rock greenling 36 

prickleback 62 

sole 69, fig. 10A

Rockfish, black 32 

blue 33

brown 30, fig. 4B

canary 33

China 33 

copper 30 

darkblotched 31 

greenstriped 31

halfbanded 34, fig. 5A

northern 69

Puget Sound 31 

quillback 32 

redbanded 30 

redstripe 34 

rosethorn 32 

rosy 34 

rougheye 29, 30 

sharpchin 36 

silvergray 30 

splitnose 31 

stripetail 34 

tiger 33, fig. 4C 

vermilion 32 

widow 31 

yelloweye 34 

yellowtail 32

Rockhead 48

Rockweed gunnel 63

Ronquil, northern 57, fig. 8C 

Ronquilus jordani 57, fig. 8C 

rosaceus, Sebastes 34

Rosethorn rockfish 32

Rosy rockfish 34

Rosylip sculpin 38

rothrocki, Poroclinus 62

Roughback sculpin 39

Rougheye rockfish 29, 30

Roughspine sculpin 45

ruberrimus, Sebastes 34

Ruscarius meanyi 44

rutteri, Liparis 4, 54 S

Sablefish 36

Saddleback gunnel 64 

sculpin 43

sagax, Sardinops 19

sagitta, Lumpenus 61

Sailfin sculpin 46, fig. 7A

saira, Cololabis 27

Sakhalin sturgeon 18

salar, Salmo 4, 22

Salmo clarkii 21 

gairdneri 22 

salar 4, 22

Salmon shark 13, 15, fig. 3B 

Salmon, Atlantic 22, 23

Chinook 22, 24, 25

chum 22

coho 22

pink 21, 25 

sockeye 22

Salvelinus confluentus 4, 23

malma 23

Sand lance, Arctic 65

Pacific 65

Sand sole 71

Sanddab, Pacific 68 

speckled 68

Sandfish, Pacific 65

sapidissima, Alosa 19

Sarda chiliensis 67

Sardine, Pacific 19

Sardinops sagax 19

Saury, Pacific 27 

saxatilis, Morone 55 

saxicola, Sebastes 34

Scalyhead sculpin 38 

schmidti, Leuroglossus 4, 20 

schultzi, Pholis 64
104 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

scolopaceus, Nemichthys 18

Scomber japonicus 67

Scorpaenichthys marmoratus 44, 45

Sculpin, blackfin 50 

bonyhead 38 

buffalo 40

calico 39 

coastrange 40 

coralline 38, 72 

darkfin 50 

darter 44

dusky 41

fluffy 43, fig. 6B

fringed 41 

great 43 

grunt 37

longfin 41, fig. 6A 

manacled 45 

mosshead 39 

northern 40

Pacific staghorn 43

padded 38

prickly 40

Puget Sound 44 

ribbed 45 

rosylip 38 

roughback 39 

roughspine 45 

saddleback 43

sailfin 46, fig. 7A 

scalyhead 38 

sharpnose 39 

silverspotted 45, fig. 6C 

slim 44

smoothhead 38

soft 51 

spinyhead 50 

spinynose 39 

spotfin 41 

tadpole 51 

thornback 44 

threadfin 41 

tidepool 43

Scytalina cerdale 64

Seabass, white 55

Seaperch, striped 56, fig. 8B

white 57

Sebastes aleutianus 29, 30

alutus 30

auriculatus 30, fig. 4B

babcocki 30 

brevispinis 30 

caurinus 30 

crameri 31 

diaconus 33 

diploproa 31

elongatus 31

emphaeus 31

entomelas 31 

flavidus 32 

helvomaculatus 32 

maliger 32

melanops 32

melanostictus 29, 30 

miniatus 32 

mystinus 33 

nebulosus 33

nigrocinctus 33, fig. 4C

paucispinis 33 

pinniger 33, 34 

proriger 34 

rosaceus 34 

ruberrimus 34 

saxicola 34

semicinctus 4, 34, fig. 5A

zacentrus 36

Sebastolobus alascanus 36 

semicinctus, Sebastes 4, 34, fig. 5A 

semifasciata, Triakis 4, 15

Seriphus politus 4, 56

setiger, Dasycottus 50

Shad, American 19

Shark, basking 13 

blue 15

bluntnose sixgill 15 

broadnose sevengill 16 

brown cat 15

leopard 15

Pacific angel 16

Pacific sleeper 16 

salmon 13, 15, fig. 3B 

thresher 13

Sharpchin rockfish 36

Sharpnose sculpin 39

Sheepshead minnow 27, 29

Shiner perch 56

Shortfin eelpout 58

Shortspine thornyhead 36

Showy snailfish 54

sigalutes, Gilbertidia 51

Psychrolutes 51

silenus, Zaprora 4, 64

Silver surfperch 57

Silvergray rockfish 30

Silverspotted sculpin 45, fig. 6C

simillimus, Peprilus 67

simonyi, Benthodesmus 67

Skate, Alaska 17, 72

Bering 17 

big 17
105

California 17 

longnose 17 

sandpaper 17

sladeni, Argyropelecus 4, 23

Sleeper shark, Pacific 16

Slender cockscomb 59, fig. 9A

snipe eel 18

sole 69

Slim sculpin 44

Slimy snailfish 54

Slipskin snailfish 53

Smallhead eelpout 57

Smelt, longfin 21 

night 21

surf 20 

whitebait 20

Smooth alligatorfish 46

Smootheye poacher 50

Smoothhead sculpin 38

Smoothtongue, northern 20

Snailfish, Bering 72 

blacktail 51, fig. 8A 

lobefin 53

marbled 53 

pygmy 54 

ribbon 53 

ringtail 54 

showy 54 

slimy 54 

slipskin 53 

spotted 51, 53 

tadpole 54 

tidepool 53

Snake prickleback 61

Snipe eel, slender 18

snyderi, Oligocottus 43, fig. 6B 

Sockeye salmon 22

Soft sculpin 51

Sole, butter 69

C-O 71 

curlfin 71

Dover 71

English 4, 69, 71 

flathead 68 

forkline 4, 69, 72 

petrale 68

rex 68

rock 69, fig. 10A

sand 71 

slender 69 

yellowfin 69

Somniosus pacificus 16

sordidus, Citharichthys 68

Speckled sanddab 68

Sphyraena argentea 66

spinosus, Hemilepidotus 40

Spinycheek starsnout 46

Spinyhead sculpin 50

Spinynose sculpin 39

Spirinchus starksi 21

thaleichthys 21

Splitnose rockfish 31

Spotfin sculpin 41

Spotted cusk-eel 27 

ratfish 13, fig. 3A 

snailfish 51, 53

Squalus acanthias 16

suckleyi 16

Squatina californica 16

starksi, Spirinchus 4, 21

Starry flounder 4, 69, 71, fig. 10B

skate 17, 72

Starsnout, gray 46 

spinycheek 46

Steelhead 22

stellatus, Platichthys 4, 69, 71, fig. 10B

stelleri, Hexagrammos 37

Stellerina xyosterna 4, 49

stellulata, Raja 4, 17, 72

Stenobrachius leucopsarus 25

stenolepis, Hippoglossus 68

Stickleback, threespine 29

stigmaeus, Citharichthys 68 

stomias, Atheresthes 68 

stoutii, Eptatretus 4, 12

Striped bass 55

Striped seaperch 56, fig. 8B 

Stripetail rockfish 34

Sturgeon poacher 49

Sturgeon, green 18

Sakhalin 18 

white 18, fig. 3C

suckleyi, Squalus 16

Sunfish, ocean 72

Surf smelt 20

Surfperch, silver 57 

walleye 57, 72

swanii, Bothragonus 48

Symbolophorus californiensis 25

symmetricus, Trachurus 55

Symphurus atricaudus 4, 72

Synchirus gilli 45

Syngnathus leptorhynchus 29

Synodus lucioceps 24 T

Tadpole sculpin 51 

snailfish 54

Tarletonbeania crenularis 25
106 Professional Paper NMFS 18 

taylori, Asemichthys 39

Chilara 4, 27

tenuis, Benthodesmus 67

Icelinus 41

Thaleichthys pacificus 21 

thaleichthys, Spirinchus 21 

theta, Diaphus 24

thompsoni, Protomyctophum 4, 25

Thornback sculpin 44

Thornyhead, shortspine 36

Threadfin sculpin 41

Threespine stickleback 29

Tidepool sculpin 43 

snailfish 53

Tiger rockfish 33, fig. 4C

Tomcod, Pacific 26

Tonguefish, California 72

Torpedo californica 17

Trachipterus altivelis 26

Trachurus symmetricus 55 

transmontanus, Acipenser 18, fig. 3C 

triacanthus, Xeneretmus 50

Triakis semifasciata 4, 15

Trichodon trichodon 65

tridentatus, Entosphenus 12

Triglops macellus 45

pingelii 45

trispinosa, Odontopyxis 49

Trout, bull 23 

cutthroat 21 

rainbow 22

tshawytscha, Oncorhynchus 22

Tubenose poacher 49

Tubesnout 29

V

vacca, Damalichthys 56

variegatus, Cyprinodon 27

Vermilion rockfish 32 

verrucosa, Chesnonia 48 

vetulus, Parophrys 4, 69, 71 

villosus, Mallotus 20

Viperfish, Pacific 23 

vulpinus, Alopias 13

vulsa, Agonopsis 46

W

Walleye pollock 26 

surfperch 57, 72

Warbonnet, decorated 59, fig. 9B

mosshead 59

Warty poacher 48

Wattled eelpout 58

Western river lamprey 12

White barracudina 24

croaker 55

seabass 55

seaperch 57 

sturgeon 18, fig. 3C

Whitebait smelt 20

Whitebarred prickleback 62

Whitespotted greenling 37, 66

Widow rockfish 31

Wolf-eel 64

Wrymouth, dwarf 62 

giant 63

X

Xeneretmus latifrons 50

leiops 4, 50

triacanthus 50

Xererpes fucorum 63

Xiphister atropurpureus 62

mucosus 62

xyosterna, Stellerina 4, 49

Y

Yelloweye rockfish 34

Yellowfin sole 69

Yellowtail rockfish 32

Y-prickleback 61

Z

zacentrus, Sebastes 36

zachirus, Glyptocephalus 68

Zaniolepis latipinnis 37

Zaprora silenus 4, 64

zonope, Jordania 41, fig. 6A

zonurus, Malacocottus 50