The phytoplankton attracts many feeders. Tiny animals called zooplankton and small fishes collect in great numbers to graze on it. They, in turn, are food for a complex predator-prey web of larger fishes, seabirds and marine mammals. The mix of nutrients in the water also promotes the rapid growth of the offshore kelp forests. Close to the surface, it provides shelter and food for many invertebrate animals, fishes and sea otters.
Herring utilize the kelp as a spawning bed.
These large, schooling fish are a staple in the Northwest Coast food web, sustaining sharks, salmon, cod, mackerel, seabirds, seals and whales. North America's Pacific Coast contains a wealth of these tide pools. When a tide pool forms, many plants and animals often reside within. Some animals may temporarily be trapped and waiting for high tide to free them. Others make tide pools their permanent home, unwilling or unable to escape to the ocean.