As juveniles lingcod primarily use estuaries, while adults are usually found in marine waters of 100-150 M deep. Conception, California to Cape Spencer, Alaska. Larvae are found in the near-surface marine waters and estuarine areas. In this life-stage, lingcod feed primarily on copepods, eggs, and other crustaceans. As it matures, lingcod are commonly found in shallow, inter-tidal areas of bays near algae and seagrass beds.
Mature lingcod feed primarily on other fish and smaller lingcod.
Because of its tendency to live around rocky coastal areas with good water movement and plentiful food, the lingcod is susceptible to petrochemical spills and can accumulate concentrations of heavy metals. Human impacts in estuaries, such as dredging shoreline for development, alteration and filling of wetlands, and runoff of nutrients from residential and agricultural areas, also pose a threat to the lingcod. The lingcod is an important commercial species in Washington, Oregon, California and Alaska. In Puget Sound, lingcod is the eighth most important commercial species. In addition to its commercial value, lingcod is a highly valued sport fish because of its large size and excellent taste.