Pacific Herring (Clupea harengus pallasi)

Inhabits inshore waters from Gulf of Alaska to Northern Baja California, laying eggs during winter and early spring on eelgrass, kelp and rocks in shallow water. Larvae drift on top layer of water currents, juveniles feed on animals in plankton near shore, adults feed on crustaceans and small fishes and are themselves prey for salmon, cod, pollock, hake, lingcod, rockfish and marine birds and mammals. Some Pacific herring stocks in Puget Sound have plummeted to historic lows: the total estimated weight of the herring stock at Cherry Point in  Whatcom County was 808 tons in 2000, a decline of 90% from the estimate weight in the 1970s.

Pacific Sand Lance (Ammodytes nexapterus)

 Lays small, sticky eggs year-round attached to sand grains in upper zones of mixed sand-gravel beaches near high-tide line. Larvae drift with current; juveniles grow in nearshore waters, feed on animals in plankton. Adults return to spawn, often in same area, after 1-2 years. Sand lance and surf smelt (Hypomesus petiosus) are primary prey for seals, salmon and birds.

Rockfish (spp. Sebastes)

About 70 species of rockfish live in the waters of the West Coast, some near shore, some in deep water, some living over a hundred years. They come in many shapes and sizes and briliant colors: canary, vermilion, rosy, black and yellow, blue, red-banded, calico and green-botched. Rockfish give birth to live young, and larvae drift on surface currents until they settle in sheltered nearshore areas, kelp forests, and eelgrass beds. They grow slowly to adulthood, becoming sexually mature in six years. Rockfish have evolved a strategy of slow growth and long life to reproduce many times through cycles of changing ocean conditions and food availability. Because they settle in one place and stay there, they are very vulnerable to overfishing and many populations are depleted. In Puget Sound and Hood Canal, rockfish egg production has declined approximately 90% from the 1970s.

Wolf-Eel (Anarrhichthys ocellatus)

Found in large crevices to depths of 600 feet feeding on crabs, taken from traps and o fishes, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and sea snails. Adults seek shelter in rocks in subtidal areas and will occupy the same shelter until driven away by larger wolf-eels or a large octopus. Spawns during winter in crevices or caves and both parents guard the eggs. Will bite if bothered.