Common Name	Description	Image 1	Image 2	Other
Blue Rockfish	Memory aid: Blue rockfish are always “feeling blue”. Has multiple tear streaks across eyes where the black rockfish does not. Similar to black rockfish except for tear streaks and the blue rockfish more likely to have dark patches across entire body There are actually two species: Deacon Rockfish / Blue sided rockfish · Lots of evenly distributed speckles · More elongated Blue blotched · larger and less consistent blotches			SF: 1.4% \| DEN: 2.4 basic
Black Rockfish	Like a yellowtail rockfish without the yellow. Schooling rockfish (just like yellowtail). Transitory. also known variously as the black seaperch, black bass, black rock cod, sea bass, black snapper and Pacific Ocean perch. wiki			SF: 37.8% \| DEN: 2.5 Adv On survey
Copper Rockfish	Light lateral line on back half Light underbelly Light colored fins Copper lower lip (sometimes?) Most commonly seen fish in nw Very similar to china rockfish (which has dark fins)			SF: 68.9% \| DEN: 2.3 Adv On survey
Brown Rockfish	Orange tinted eye Brown spot at top of gill level with eye Mostly brown Medium/lighter colored fins Lateral line No particular pattern to blotches except for spot by gills Wiki			Adv SF: 47.9% \| DEN: 2.3 On survey
Canary Rockfish	Has sharp (beak like) anal & dorsal fins Sometimes black spot on base of dorsal fin Confused with vermilion rockfish (which is more red and sometimes black outline on tailfin) Lacks the darker areas that the copper rockfish has			SF: 1.9% \| DEN: 2.3 adv
China Rockfish	Has a yellow swoosh band (like Nike’s which are made in China) which starts at and includes the 2^nd/3rd spine Also has white speckled dots on black areas (unlike quillback).			SF: 4.9% \| DEN: 2 Adv On survey
Puget Sound Rockfish	Black (mascara-like) eyes. Has small white lateral line and darker “scum like” line below lateral line (sort of like scum line on Puget sound boats) Generally, one of the smallest rockfish			SF: 16.3% \| DEN: 2.6 Adv On survey
Quillback Rockfish	Back half of fish (or sometimes just rear fins) is completely dark/black (like inkwell). Very pronouenced quils (like a quill pen!)			SF: 35.3% \| DEN: 1.9 Adv On survey
Tiger Rockfish	Bars don’t quite go through the spines. No bands on pectoral fins. Rockfish has wide lips and no cirai (painted greenling has narrow snout and no cirai). Also called tiger seaperch, banded rockfish and black-banded rockfish. Scientists have dated some fish to be up to 166 years old. It is very vulnerable, with a minimum population doubling time of 14 years wiki			SF: 2.6% \| DEN: 1.6 adv
Vermilion Rockfish	Black edgeing on tail Rounded dorsal/anal fin Canary rockfish are more yellow/orange Less transitory		Juvinile coloring	SF: 8.3% \| DEN: 1.8 Adv On survey
Yelloweye Rockfish	Called red snapper in the 1970s eventually overfished and added to endangered species list. Usually stays deep except in low O2 conditions Requested to report Yoy separately under unlisted section	Credit: wikipedia/NURP	Juvinile yeloweye	SF: 0.7% \| DEN: 1.3 basic
Yellowtail Rockfish	Yellow tail & fins Has convex (surface curves outward) space between the eyes Usually darker areas on top of fish (not on bottom) Is a schooling rockfish			SF: 11% \| DEN: 2.3 Adv On survey

YoY Rockfish (young of the year)

YoY Canary Rockfish	Black, distinct dorsal spot. Look for the dark Y or V shape on the body, that extends onto the dorsal. Left part of Y is the dorsal spot. White hole in the center. Stout body shape. Sometimes the start of the white lateral line is present. Yellow lines from eyes. Hangs out near the bottom, close to boulders.	Photo by Janna Nichols	Photo by Janna Nichols
YoY Black Rockfish	Black dorsal spot pretty distinct Elongate body shape Overall brown coloration Fins clear White splotches below dorsal	Photo by Janna Nichols
YoY Yellowtail Rockfish	Black dorsal spot pretty distinct Elongate body shape White splotches below dorsal fin Look for yellow tints to tail and pectoral fins Some speckling can be present Very thin lateral line	Photo by Janna Nichols
YoY Deacon Rockfish (blue rockfish)	Black dorsal spot pretty distinct, but may not be present Elongate body shape always Reddish orange spots all over. Fins are a bluish-gray color	Photo by Janna Nichols
YoY Copper Rockfish	Stout body shape	Photos by Janna Nichols	Bottom photo by Janna Nichols
YoY Quillback Rockfish	Fins can be clearish but darken as they get older Stout body shape Dark patches that extend onto dorsal fin Light speckles all over body Distinct light patch near front of spiny dorsal After posting pics of either yoy copper/quillback Janna replied quillback citing “Dark back half of fish. Dark speckles. And Dusky to dark fins = Quillback”	Photo by Janna Nichols
YoY Brown Rockfish	White ocellated spots under dorsal and along dorsal Yellow-orange eye Stout body shape Brown spot on gill cover	Photos by Janna Nichols	Photo by Drew Collins
YoY Puget Sound Rockfish	Look just like little adults Longer body shape. Dark eye Fairly uniform brown Very thin visible lateral line You can see scales if you look closely	Photo by Janna Nichols
YoY Vermilion Rockfish	Stout body shape When they’re really young, the tail is clear. Red and silver-gray mottled, with dark edges to their fins	Photo by Janna Nichols
YoY China Rockfish	Stout body shape. Yellow orange base color, with some dark markings	Photo by Rhoda Green	Photo by Jeff Christiansen
YoY Tiger Rockfish	Stout body shape. Whitish-cream base color, with unmistakable red bars, which are much thinner in juveniles. Extremely secretive	Photo by Jeff Christiansen
YoY Yelloweye Rockfish	Dark red (sometimes almost black) to red in color, white stripes and white edges to its fins. Usually found in cracks and crevices, deeper than 70 feet	Photo by Janna Nichols

Cod Family

Common Name	Description	Image 1	Image 2	Other
Pacific Cod	Pronounced whisker, “maze” of white spots Typical cod 3 dosal fins To 114 cm (3.7 ft) in length, and 22.7 kg (50 lbs) in weight. usually found near the bottom at water depths of 12 to 549 m (40-1,800 ft) wdfw		juvenile	SF 0.3% Basic Not on survey
Pacific Tomcod	Tiny or no whisker Typical cod 3 dosal fins			SF 0.7% Not on survey
Walleye Pollock	Big eye (per name) No whisker Blurry blotches on body			SF 0.6% Not on survey

Sculpin Family

Sculpins’s change color and texture based on environment (chameleon). Identification is by structural features

Common Name	Description	Image 1	Image 2	Other
Scalyhead Sculpin	Known as the Scalyhead sculpin or Plumose sculpin. Orange gills and round white circles on bottom. 2-4” white dot before tail, cirrus by crook of mouth and along lateral line. 3 reddish (but not dark brown!) lines through light colored eye. Male have branched cirai on top of head. Females have 5-7 bands/saddles. Confused with padded sculpin · Padded single cirai by mouth · Sometimes white dot before tail · fewer and darker lines in eye · gills aren’t orange			SF: 48.7% \| DEN: 2 On survey
Padded Sculpin	Always single cirai in corner of mouth. No cirai on head. Prominent large nostrils and nostril spines between eyes (although sometimes hard to see because of color patterns) Patches of large scales between back and lateral line reminiscing of (mesh?) pads. These scales larger than scalyhead but hard to see. Confused with scalyhead sculpin which has multiple cirai by mouth, white dot before tail, and orangish gills			SF: 7.2% \| DEN: 1.7 Not on survey
Smoothhead Sculpin	2-3 cirai at corner of mouth (unusually thick) Smooth forhead in front of eyes (namesake) Longer snout than scalyhead No branched cirai behind eye Sometimes cirai above/behind eye At the back of its body right in front of the tail are two semi circular light saddles, almost touching each other Can have white dot before tail like scalyhead Confused with scalyhead and padded			SF: 2% \| DEN: 1.5 Not on survey
Spinynose Sculpin	Black band behind pectoral fin often with a few blue scales at back of black band. Looks like it has a “five oclock shadow”. Small, up to 3”. Often hard to see nasal spines.			SF: 4.4% \| DEN: 1.6 Not on survey
Buffalo Sculpin	Long horns that tuck in on either side of head Wide black bands on tail Very large, rounded head with small eyes. Mouth doesn’t extend past the eye transitory 10-14”			SF: 23.6% \| DEN: 1.8 On survey
Great Sculpin	No cirai Big mouth goes back past eye Top lip goes over top of bottom lip Small ridgers behind each eye Warty things on the top and sides of head transitory			SF: 8.1% \| DEN: 1.4 Not on survey
Pacific Staghorn Sculpin	Unique pectoral fin that aligns lengthwise with body rather than up and down Thin horizontal line along body Flat head profile. no cirai / no decorations at all Weird scale on side of head is namesake (staghorn) Does not have scar-like photophore buttons alike midshipman (toadfish)			SF: 4.2% \| DEN: 1.5 Not on survey
Longfin Sculpin	Named for its long anal fin. Slender body Several stripes around (mostly under) eye			SF: 24.3% \| DEN: 2 On survey
Red Irish Lord	Has freckle in eye Cirai on side of mouth, chin, and head ~3 rows rows of scales around dorsal (almost like horseshoe around dorsal) Great at camouflaging, usually in reds, pinks and reddish brown. Speckles throughout, even on eye membranes. Rough rows of scales near dorsal, wrap around front and back on other side. Multiple tabs and cirri around mouth Impossibly similar to brown irish lords (different number of scales above/below lat line			SF: 19.4% \| DEN: 1.5 On survey
Cabezon	Two forked cirai on top of head. Big - can be up to 2-3 ft long Pink eggs Spanish for “big head” wiki			SF: 8% \| DEN: 1.5 On survey
Grunt Sculpin	Cute, small Sculpin that has short pig-like snout. Maze-like body pattern, orange-red at base of tail, orange, filamented pectoral fins. Hops or twitterpates more than it actually swims Mimics feeding portion of giant barnacle!			SF: 11.9% \| DEN: 1.3 Not on survey
Manacled Sculpin	Usually found at safety stop depths. Small (max 3”) with small body / pointy mouth. Often white spots along back Gets name because their fins are all fused together			SF: 1.2% \| DEN: 1.4 Not on survey
Roughback Sculpin	Prominent first spine in dorsal fin, decreasingly long spines, fin drops to back around 4^th spine then gets longer again. Slightly oval shaped eyes Orange coloration below lateral line. 3-4 dark saddles/bands (guess?)		Janna Nichols	SF: 8.7% \| DEN: 1.8 Not on survey
Sailfin Sculpin	Large front dorsal fin Single black line through eye Cirai on head Technically part of the sea raven family			SF: 11.7% \| DEN: 1.6 Not on survey
Silverspotted Sculpin	Similar to sailfin sculpin except w/ silver spots and huge cirai around mouth. Technically part of the sea raven family			SF: 0.4% \| DEN: 1.2 Not on survey

Greenling Family

Common Name	Description	Image 1	Image 2	Other
Kelp Greenling	wdfl	female	males	Advanced SF: 43.7% \| DEN: 2 On survey
Ling Cod	prominent whitish lateral line. Up to 5ft 130lbs eggs look like Styrofoam – usually nov-apr wdfl			Advanced SF: 59% \| DEN: 1.9 On survey
Rock Greenling	Bunch of cirri behind eyes usually greenish to brown with darker mottling. Males tend to have red blotches on the sides. Most adult have blue mouths, while the young have bright red eyes. To 61 cm (24 in) in length, and 830 g (1.83 lbs) in weight wdfl			SF: 0% \| DEN: 1 Basic Not on survey
Painted Greenling	Narrow snout. 2 cirri, one above the eye and the other midway between the eye and the start of the dorsal fin. Bands go completely through dorsal fins. May be reclassified out of greenling family. wdfl			SF: 52.8% \| DEN: 1.8 Advanced On survey
White Spotted Greenling	Radiating white lines from eye Classic 2 part ”roller coaster” dorsal fin White spots along lateral line			SF: 8.8% \| DEN: 1.5 Basic Not on survey
Longspine Combfish	Very long first spine Usually deeper waters		Janna Nichols	SF: 0.4% \| DEN: 1.2 Basic Not on survey

Gunnel Family

Common Name	Description	Image 1	Image 2	Other
Crescent Gunnel	Diamond / Crescent shaped (V) marks along back high up towards the dorsal (vs lower like on saddleback) Body color varies and includes browns, reds, yellows. White patch on forehead Usually in sandy/silty habitat Sometimes line through eye			SF: 20.9% \| DEN: 1.7 Adv On survey
Saddleback Gunnel	Distinct saddle like markings along back. U or diamond shaped in between that extend down towards lat line (unlike crescent which has diamonds up by dorsal) Orange cheeks. Line that goes through eye			SF: 8.3% \| DEN: 1.6 Basic Not on survey
Longfin Gunnel	Vertical dotted bands			SF: 24.3% \| DEN: 2 Basic On survey
Penpoint Gunnel	Black line through eye One solid color Only gunnel that can be green White dots along side			SF: 10.8% \| DEN: 1.8 Adv On survey

Surfperch Family

Common Name	Description	Image 1	Image 2	Other
Pile Perch	· dusky to silvery gray · Always dark bar in middle of body (disappears with age). · Look for: deeply forked tail and dark spot on gill cover Size: up to 17"			SF: 29.9% \| DEN: 2.5 On survey
Striped Perch	Usually golden or other bright color Lots of little perfect horizontal stripes. Dark dorsal/anal fins.			SF: 51.9% \| DEN: 2.4 On survey
Shiner Surfperch	· greenish back with silvery sides. · forked tail and 3 broad yellow vertical bars · Some males become so dark the yellow bars are obscured Fins sometimes light or dark? Size: up to 8"			SF: 31% \| DEN: 3.1 On survey
Kelp Perch	Blotchy inconsistent white horizontal line blotches. Mostly translucent dorsal/anal fins (unlike striped perch) Golden kelp color No small horizontal stripes like striped perch has.			SF: 15.8% \| DEN: 2 On survey

Prickleback Family

Common Name	Description	Image 1	Image 2	Other
Snake Prickleback	Looks like bay goby that was stretched. Has single long dorsal fin unlike bay goby			SF: 8.3% \| DEN: 1.9 Adv Not on survey
Decorated Warbonnet	(the one without dots) Not mosshead because it lacks dots on dorsal			SF: 4.4% \| DEN: 1.3 Adv Not on survey
Mosshead Warbonnet	(the dot one) look for moss-like cirri on the top of its head. Looks like a sock monkey, with lighter colored face. Black dots evenly spaced down length of dorsal fin. Stripes on face and chin, bar from eye splits into a Y shape going downward. Often star pattern radiating around iris			SF: 9.3% \| DEN: 1.3 Adv On survey
Monkeyface Prickleback	Rare in NW – usually CA or south. Occasionally OR Classic frowning mouth, head ridges, small eye			0% Adv Not on survey
Slender Cockscomb	Memory aid: banded stripes (bands) make you look slender. Has comb on head with stripes – also on lower lip Distinguished from the High Cockscomb by the fine, vertical variegations on its mouth that continue under its chin			SF: 4.4% \| DEN: 1.4 Basic Not on survey

Right Eye Flounder Family

Greg’s ebook: http://www.molamarine.com/flatfish%20made%20easy.pdf

Common Name

Description

Image 1

Image 2

Other

C-O Sole

Dark C & O on tail

Large dark spot on center

Wide/round shape compared to other soles

C-O Sole

Juvenile usually light:

Adv

SF: 9.1% | DEN: 1.4

On survey

English Sole

Lack the yellow spots along entire sides that the rock sole has. Usually more blotchy than speckled (but not always)

Pointed head

Tiny arch in lateral line (unlike rock sole) and a long accessory branch almost back to above pec fin

Less likely to have an “upper eyelid flap”. Only about 30% of English soles have them vs nearly all Rock Soles.

Adv

SF: 13.2% | DEN: 1.9

On survey

Southern Rock Sole

· Large yellow spots along entire length of margins on sides

· Larger head with very bulbous “popeyes”

· Prominent arch in lateral line where is goes around pectoral fin. Nearly a semicircle. Small accessory branch

· Very mottled

· Often rests on fins

· Eyes are more bulbous

Lepidopsetta billineta

Adv

SF: 26.1% | DEN: 1.9

Do northern vs southern look different?

On survey

Starry Flounder

Can sometimes be leftside flounder as well.

Easy to identify by alternating dark/light patches on fins

Left side version

Basic

SF: 3.4% | DEN: 1.3

Not on survey

Left Eye Flounder Family

Imagine you swim on side to match fish. If left side of face is up it is a left eye flounder

Common Name

Description

Image 1

Image 2

Other

Speckled Sanddab

(looks like the sand)

Thin fish, smaller eyes than pacific sanddab. Has a variety of different patterns.

SF: 14.5% | DEN: 1.9

adv

On survey

Pacific Sanddab

Has larger “googly” eyes than speckled sandab.

Pectoral fin. If it could be turned forward, is long enough to reach eyes

Basic

SF: 2.3% | DEN: 1.6

Not on survey

Goby Family

Goby’s have black tip on leading edge of dorsal fin. Two part dorsal fin (can go-be between)

Common Name

Description

Image 1

Image 2

Scientific Name

Other

Blackeye Goby

Black brown eye

Black tip on leading edge of dorsal fin. Almost always what you see when diving.

Other common names for the species include bluespot goby and crested goby

wiki

Rhinogobiops nicholsii

SF: 35.5% | DEN: 2.5

On survey

Bay Goby

Distinct spotted dash-like pattern. Eyes not always black.

Blackeye goby has black pupil and more contrast on black tip on dorsal

Snake prickleback’s don’t have split dosal fins and are longer

SF: 0.8% | DEN: 1.5

Not on survey

Poacher Family

Common Name	Description	Image 1	Image 2	Other
Northern Spearnose Poacher	Has whiskers distributed across bottom off head			SF: 1.3% \| DEN: 1.3 Not on survey
Sturgeon Poacher	Whiskers in two groups on bottom of head Whiskers yellowish in color?		Curtis Johnson	SF: 2.3% \| DEN: 1.4 Not on survey
Pygmy Poacher	Has single whisker on each side. Memory aid: imagine single whisker is like the blowdart of a little pygmy tribe dude (who poaches)			SF: 3.8% \| DEN: 1.3 Not on survey
Smooth Alligatorfish	No whiskers under jaw Very slender elongated body Two light patches on tail Slightly concave along back Smooth plates along side of body			SF: 0.1% \| DEN: 1 Not on survey

Snailfish Family

Hard to tell apart. ~25 different species in PNW – many outside rec dive limits

Common Name

Description

Image 1

Image 2

Other

Marbled Snailfish

Head more sloping shape. Dorsal has more ruffled edge.

More distinct/separate tail

SF: 0.2% | DEN: 1.1

Not on survey

Showy Snailfish

Blunt head, eyes far apart. Dorsal/anal fin appear to wrap around together.

Dorsal fin has smooth edge on top (different from marbled)

SF: 0.4% | DEN: 1.3

Not on survey

Odds n Ends

Common Name	Description	Image 1	Image 2	Other
Bay Pipefish – Pipefish Family	Only pipefish species in NW. Related to seahorses. Move entirely with tiny anal fin.			SF: 2.8% \| DEN: 1.4 basic Not on survey
Plainfin Midshipman – Toadfish Family	No scales. Silvery/shimmery. Named after their midshipman “buttons”: Small spots that are bioluminescence photospores. Able to make noise using bones in inner ear moved against swim bladder.			SF: 2.7% \| DEN: 1.6 Basic Not on survey
Spotted Ratfish - Chimaera Family				SF: 13.5% \| DEN: 1.8 Adv On survey
Pacific Sandlance - Sandlance Family	Long snakelike body that swims like a snake (unlike herring/stickleback/etc). Schooling fish. Memory aid: long and thin like a lance			SF: 3.8% \| DEN: 3.6 Basic Not on survey
Northern Ronquil - Ronquil Family	Single continuous dorsal along body Yellow line(s) under eye. Unlike eelpout has a distinct tail fin			SF: 7.2% \| DEN: 1.8 Adv On survey
Blackbelly Eelpout - Eelpout Family	Back has long dark dorsal fin. Lacks a distinct tailfin. Often has tumor-like growth in front of pectoral fin Frequently curls up body			SF: 2.7% \| DEN: 2.1 Basic Not on survey
Northern Clingfish - Clingfish Family	Mistaken for snailfish (it isn’t). Sucker on bottom for attachment. White line that goes through eyes			SF: 0% \| DEN: 1 Basic Not on survey
Red Brotula - Brotula Family	Usually active at night. Tail fin separate from dosal/anal fin.			SF: 0.7% \| DEN: 1.2 Basic Not on survey
Pacific Herring - Herring Family	Compressed stouter body vs sandlance (which are snakelike). No spots on side like sardines Q: How to differentiate from stickleback? A:			SF: 1.5% \| DEN: 3.5 Basic Not on survey
Tube Snout - Tubesnout Family	Schooling elongated fish related to sticklebacks During mating season snouts can change color Mistaken for bay pipefish which has rounded pelvic/tail fins, longer/thiner, and more related to a seahorse			Adv SF: 26.9% \| DEN: 2.9 On survey
Wolf Eel - Wolffish Family	Males have flat heads and lighter than the females Technically a fish, not an eel, because it has pectoral fins			Adv SF: 17.9% \| DEN: 1.5 On survey
Threespine Stickleback - Stickleback Famil	Shallow (small) schooling fish Capable of any water (salt/fresh/brackish)			SF: 0.1% \| DEN: 2.4 Basic Not on survey
Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker - Lumpsucker Family	Usually tiny. Highly modified underside allows them to attach to things. Used to be in snailfish family. Usually found in Dec-Feb. Usually at night. Usually shallows? Eelgrass?			SF: 2.0% Not on survey