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Fishes

Phylum Chordata

Cartilaginous Fishes

These fishes, including sharks, rays and skates, have cartilaginous skeletons.

Spiny Dogfish

Squalus acanthias

To 5’3” (1.6 m) long. Weight to 20 lb. (9 kg). Long, slender shark. Slate grey to brown with grey-white underside. A single spine at the front of each of the top (dorsal) fins. Small mouth. Bears live young, rather than eggs. At surface to 2,400’ (720 m).

Six Gill Shark

Hexanchus griseus

To 26’5” (8.8 m) long. Large head, 6 gill slits and a single dorsal fin. Dark brown to slate-grey with pale underside. Known as a “cow shark,” not known to be aggressive toward divers. Usually in deep waters, has been seen regularly at 3,100’ (933 m).

Ratfish

Hydrolagus colliei

To 39” (1 m) long. Large snout, small mouth with forward-pointing teeth. Long, tapering tail. Grey-brown body with white spots and silver underside. Swims by flapping forward fins. Male has large claspers on underside. Female lays eggs in elongated cases. Often in shallows, 30–3,085’ (9–925 m) deep.

Big Skate

Raja binoculata

To 8’ (2.4 m) long overall. Weight 200 lb. (90 kg)+. Pointed, V-shaped snout. Large eye-like spots near centre of each pectoral fin. Brown to dark grey. Rests on bottom, often partially buried, 10–2,625’ (3–788 m) deep.

Skate Egg Cases (Mermaid’s Purse)

Egg case of each species has a unique shape. Case of the big skate, Raja binoculata, may be up to 12” (30 cm) long and contain as many as 7 eggs. Often washed up on shore.

Bony Fishes

These fishes have bony skeletons and a variety of body shapes. Many are the familiar species seen in tidepools and on reefs.

Tidepool Sculpin

Oligocottus maculosus

To 3½” (9 cm) long. Slender body, single forked spine on gill cover. Colour varies, often red-brown to green; 5 irregular dark saddles across the back. Common only in tidepools.

Scaleyhead Sculpin

Artedius harringtoni

To 4” (10 cm) long. 2 pairs of bush appendages on head of male. Colour varies from red to brown; white spot at base of caudal fin. At 16–35’ (5–10.5 m) deep.

Longfin Sculpin

Jordania zonope

To 6” (15 cm) long. Slender, tapered body. Colourful olive green, red-orange and blue bands. Distinctive pale bands on head. At 6–60’ (2–15 m) deep.

Sailfin Sculpin

Nautichthys oculofasciatus

To 8” (20 cm) long. Pink-orange to brown with bands on the back. Unique tall, sail-like first dorsal fin. In crevices, on pilings in shallow subtidal to 360’ (108 m) deep.

Red Irish Lord

Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus

To 20” (50 cm) long. Large head and eyes, conspicuous band of scales 4 to 5 wide, along sides. Colourful yet camouflaged, with red patches and brown, black and white mottling. In rocky areas, usually motionless, intertidal to 162’ (49 m) deep.

Buffalo Sculpin

Enophrys bison

To 14½” (36 cm) long. Large head with pair of prominent spines on gill cover. Raised plates along high lateral line. Colour varies from brown to pink and green, with 4 dark saddles across the back. Pink egg mass. On rocky reefs, 3–60’ (1–15 m) deep.

Cabezon

Scorpaenichthys marmoratus

To 39” (1 m) long. Weight to 30 lb. (13.5 kg). Large head, tapered body. Bushy, flap-like appendage on snout and above each eye. Marbled olive green to brown or grey, well camouflaged. On rocky reefs, in kelp, intertidal to 250’ (75 m) deep.

Grunt Sculpin

Rhamphocottus richardsoni

To 3¼” (8 cm) long. Unique short, stout body with pointed snout and small eye. Tan to orange with dark bands. “Hops” along the bottom. In empty barnacle shells, in sponges or rocky crevices, 6–540’ (2–165 m) deep.

Rockfishes (Bony Fishes)

Many of these common and popular commercial and sport fishes are long-lived, but reef populations are easily overfished.

Quillback Rockfish

Sebastes maliger

To 2’ (60 cm) long. Dark brown to black, mottled with yellow and orange. High, spiny dorsal fin with yellow streak in forward region. On rocky reefs, surface to 480’ (144 m) deep.

Copper Rockfish

Sebastes caurinus

To 22” (55 cm) long. Olive-brown to copper with yellow and white blotches. Dark bands radiate from the eye. On rocky reefs, 30–600’ (9–180 m) deep.

Yelloweye Rockfish

Sebastes ruberrimus

To 3’ (90 cm) long. Orange-red to red-yellow body. Adults (A) have brilliant yellow eye on rough head. Juveniles (B) have dark eyes and 2 white bands along the sides that fade in time. Individuals are long-term residents at specific sites, 60–1,800’ (18–540 m) deep.

China Rockfish

Sebastes nebulosus

To 17” (42.5 cm) long. Black body with broad yellow stripe and patches. Solitary species, resident on reefs, 13–422’ (3.9–127 m) deep.

Tiger Rockfish

Sebastes nigrocinctus

To 2’ (60 cm) long. Pink to red with 5 vertical dark bands. Solitary and territorial, 3–900’ (1–270 m) deep.

Black Rockfish

Sebastes melanops

To 25” (62.5 cm) long. Light to dark grey with dark mottling along upper back and a pale band below lateral line. In schools, often with other rockfish, surface to 1,200’ (360 m) deep.

Yellowtail Rockfish

Sebastes flavidus

To 26” (65 cm) long. Olive green to green-brown with pale spots along back, yellow-green on fins. In schools, surface to 1,800’ (540 m) deep.

Canary Rockfish

Sebastes pinniger

To 30” (75 cm) long. Orange body (A) with white to grey stripe along lateral line, 3 bright stripes across head. Juvenile (B) has a prominent dark spot at rear of spiny dorsal fin. In schools, rocky reefs, 60–1,200’ (18–360 m) deep.

Lingcod, Greenlings (Bony Fishes)

Lingcod

Ophiodon elongatus

To 5’ (1.5 m) long. Weight to 105 lb. (47 kg). Large head, mouth and teeth. Long, tapered body with dark blotches, mottled grey, brown or green. Male guards egg masses in shallows. In kelp beds and on rocky reefs to 6,600’(1,980 m) deep.

Kelp Greenling

Hexagrammos decagrammos

To 2’ (60 cm) long. Male (A) brown-olive with bright blue spots, female (B) light brown, golden to blue, with rows of round orange-brown spots. Small, bushy appendage above each eye. Male guards pale blue to mauve egg mass. In kelp beds and rocky areas, intertidal to 150’ (45 m) deep.

Painted Greenling

Oxylebius pictus

To 10” (25 cm) long. Long, pointed head with 2 pairs of bushy appendages. Dark vertical bars cross body and dorsal fin. Male guards orange egg mass. Sometimes associate with white-spotted anemone (p. 72). On rocky reefs to 162’ (49 m) deep.

Perches (Bony Fishes)

Shiner Perch

Cymatogaster aggregata

To 6” (15 cm) long. Small, silvery oval body, compressed, with large scales. Strong dark bars along sides, interrupted by 3 yellow vertical bars. In schools around pilings and floats and in kelp beds, surface to 480’ (144 m) deep.

Striped Perch

Embiotica lateralis

To 15” (37.5 cm) long. Copper-coloured with about 15 iridescent blue horizontal stripes below lateral line. Common, solitary or in schools, near surface to 70’ (21 m) deep.

Pile Perch

Rhacochilus vacca

To 17” (42.5 cm) long. Silvery, usually with dark, indistinct vertical bars. Black spot behind mouth. Deeply forked tail fin. Around floats, pilings and reefs, surface to 260’ (78 m) deep.

Other Common Bony Fishes

Black-Eye Goby

Rhinogobiops nicholsi

To 6” (15 cm) long. Black eyes, black patch at top of forward dorsal fin. Pale to dark tan-orange body with large scales. Territorial, in rock rubble, intertidal to 340’ (102 m) deep.

Northern Ronquil

Ronquilis jordani

To 7” (17.5 cm) long. Elongated body with orange bands or spots below the eyes. Orange-cream to brown, olive green and grey. Long, single dorsal fin. In rock rubble, 10–540’ (3–162 m) deep.

Northern Clingfish

Gobiesox maeandricus

To 6” (15 cm) long. Large head and flattened body; adhesive disc on underside. Dark, net-like pattern over body, often with pale band between and below eyes. On undersides of rocks, intertidal to 30’ (9 m) deep.

Plainfin Midshipman

Porichthys notatus

To 15” (37.5 cm) long. Large mouth and head, tapered body (A). Dark grey-brown to purple with rows of luminous white spots. Female deposits and male guards yellow-orange clusters of eggs (B) under intertidal rocks. On sand–mud, intertidal to 1,200’ (360 m). At low tide, males are sometimes heard “humming” a low song.

Warbonnets, Wolf Eels, Gunnels

Decorated Warbonnet

Chirolophis decoratus

To 16½” (41 cm) long. Long head with large, bushy appendages centred in front of eyes to back of head. Long body, orange to brown with dark mottling and bars on fins. In crevices and sponges, 5–300’ (1.5–90 m) deep.

Mosshead Warbonnet

Chirolophis nugator

To 6” (15 cm) long. Numerous short, bushy appendages on head. Evenly spaced “eye spots” or bars along dorsal fin. In holes, crevices and empty barnacle shells, intertidal to 200’ (60 m) deep.

Crescent Gunnel

Pholis laeta

To 10” (25 cm) long. Long and eel-like. Lime-green with crescent-shaped markings along the back. Under rocks and seaweeds, intertidal to 240’ (72 m) deep.

Wolf-Eel

Anarrichthys ocellatus

To 8’ (2.4 m) long. Large head and mouth. Long, tapering body with black “eye spots.” Female with dark, rounded head (A, left) and male with lighter bulbous head (A, right) often pair for life and guard eggs in den. Juveniles bright orange. Intertidal to 700’ (210 m) deep.

Flatfish (Flounders)

CO-Sole

Pleuronicthys coenosus

To 14” (35 cm) long. Oval body with high sides. Large, dark spot on centre of back resembles the letters CO. Large, prominent eyes. On sand and in eelgrass beds, shallows to 1,200’ (360 m) deep.

Rock Sole

Pleuronectes bilineatus

To 2’ (60 cm) long. Black and yellow patches on fins, yellow spots along margins of side. Prominent arch in lateral line. Often rests on fins, unlike most other flounders. In sand or mud, intertidal to 1,500’(450 m) deep.

English Sole

Pleuronectes vetulus

To 22½” (56 cm) long. Pointed head, large eyes. Slender body, lateral line without high arch. Variable colour patterns. Often partially buried in sand or mud, intertidal to 1,800’ (540 m) deep.