Cold water fish

fishes of the puget sound

* \~250 species of fish
* \~60 species displayed

bony fish

* 27000+ species
* fresh & saltwater
* operculum
* scales
* symmetric caudal fin
* pectoral fin parallel to body axis
* gas filled swim bladder for buoyancy

cartilaginous fish

* 970+ species
* predominantly marine
* open gill slits
* dermal denticles
* asymmetric caudal fin
* pectoral fin perpendicular to body axis
* air filled liver for buoyancy

spiny dogfish

* 3-4 ft. in length
* 25-30 year life
* oviparous: 2-22 young
* large, sharp, venomous dorsal spines
* very shy
* more active in evening & early morning

bluntnose sixgill sharks

* max. size is 18 ft. & 130 lbs.
* max. age is 80 y/o
* female litter size from 22-108 pups
* saw like teeth on top, fork like teeth on bottom
* typically found in deep water

big skate

* diamond shape
* two large eye-spots on each wing
* max. size is 6 ft.

white spotted ratfish

* live in deep water
* nocturnal feeders
* oviparous
* females lay two eggs at a time
* 10-12 months to hatch

sturgeons

* ancient bottom-dwellers, 5 rows of bony plates on body
* long snout and shark-like appearance, but no teeth
* 5 ft & 300 lbs., largest fish in dome
* can live in salt, brackish, or freshwater

blue striped perch

* 15 horizontal blue stripes on copper or reddish body
* 15 in. in length
* abundant in schools

pile perch

* silvery grey or brownish
* dusky to dark bar below front portion of dorsal fin
* thin-bodied, football shaped

shiner perch

* bright silver
* 2-3 yellowish bars on side
* schoolers
* up to 6 in. in length

wolf eel

* not a true eel due to pectoral fins & operculum
* 8 ft. in length, 200 spinal vertebrae
* males lighter & larger head
* jowls during reproductive stage
* gentle, slow moving
* inhabit dens
* pairs - bond for seasons/lifetime
* male & female both guard eggs

greenlings

* found in rocky areas, kelp forests, & found in shallow water
* rest on underwater structures
* lack swim bladder
* solitary & territorial

kelp greenling

* females golden speckled with yellow fins
* males have large blue spots, olive tinged with black & blue highlights

lingcod

* 5 ft. & 100 lbs.
* females much larger than males
* large mouth, prominent, canine-like teeth
* males aggressively guard eggs

sculpins

* tide pools & intertidal habitats
* lie motionless on bottom
* lack swim bladder
* solitary, eggs guarded by males

cabezon

* 30 in. & 30 lbs.
* large, bushy cirrus over each eye
* juveniles are bright red
* adult females are grey-green
* adult males are tan & dark brown

red irish lord

* mimics reef color patterns
* 20 in.
* deposits masses of tough, pink eggs in intertidal zones

pacific halibut

* right eyed
* larges species of flatfish, 8 ft.

starry flounder

* left or right eyed
* dark bands on dorsal, anal, & tail fins
* 3 ft. length
* well-camouflaged

salmon

* anadromous
* rivers have salmon runs
* short lived, terminal spawners
* 9 species of pacific salmon, 7 in WA
* coho, chinook, steelhead, & kokanee
* eggs → alevin → fry → parr → smolt → adult → spawning adult

sablefish

* elongated with 2 dorsal fins
* blackish or greenish-gray
* important commercial species, “black cod”
* elliott bay window & dome

rockfish

* live 100+ years
* habitat destruction & overfishing endangering local populations
* 60+ types on pacific coast
* 24 in pnw
* 14 at aquarium

black rockfish

* 4 light colored patches at base of dorsal fin
* schoolers

deacon rockfish

* pale in morning & evening
* dark in afternoon
* schoolers

canary rockfish

* orange with white stripe along lateral line
* “disappear” in deep water
* schoolers

tiger rockfish

* 5-6 stripes
* solitary crevice dweller
* line on side

vermillion rockfish

* orange/red with silver patches
* easily confused with canary

quillback rockfish

* large spiny dorsal fin
* brown & yellow body

copper rockfish

* brown, yellow, copper, & white
* solitary bottom dweller

brown rockfish

* most common in puget sound
* concave forehead
* brown splotch on operculum

china rockfish

* blue/black with yellow molting
* solitary crevice dweller

yellowtail rockfish

* all fins yellow
* schooler

splitnose rockfish

* pale with patches on dorsal surface & head

widow rockfish

* brown, tan, & gold with dusky fins
* concave forehead

puget sound rockfish

* 7 in.
* schooler

rosy rockfish

* 4-5 white & purple spots
* solitary
* 13-15 year life

eel grass

* shelter/camouflage
* nursery to deposit eggs
* provide shelter during juvenile phase
* some nocturnal species hide in eel grass during day

tubesnouts

* long body, small mouth, horizontal
* schooling

bay pipefish

* long body, small mouth, vertical
* encased in protective bony rings made of fused scales
* males court females & hold eggs until hatch

painted greenling

* 5-6 bars encircle fins & body
* pointy snout

grunt sculpin

* 2-3 in. length
* short, stocky, curled body
* “crawl” along bottom with pectoral fins

pacific spiny lumpsuckers

* 1-2 year lifespan
* terminal spawners
* eat small crustaceans
* inefficient swimmers