It is a bottom dweller and prefers cold, rocky streams and lakes with some shelter. Spawning occurs in stony creeks or lake shallows during the spring. The eggs are laid in nests built in rock crevices. Male sculpins remain with the nest to protect the eggs and young. Adult slimy sculpin eat a variety of organisms, including insect larvae, large bottom dwelling invertebrates, and some small fish.
Slimy sculpins are an important prey fish for lake trout, brook trout, and northern pike.
In addition, they are occasionally used as bait by anglers. The gizzard shad is New York's only true freshwater member of the herring family. Its deep body is generally silver with bluish upper sides and back. A medium-sized fish, adult gizzard shad average ten to 14 inches in length. The gizzard shad is a quiet water fish that inhabits lakes, bays, and sluggish rivers.