Groundfish and Benthic Invertebrates

Groundfish and benthic invertebrates include dozens of resident marine fish that live on or near the seafloor as well as crabs, shrimp, and other invertebrates. This Vital Sign tells us about the abundance and distribution of groundfish and benthic invertebrates in Puget Sound. Many of these species are important to commercial and recreational fisheries and play a critical role in the region’s marine food web.

Photo credit: Adam Obaza (Paua Marine Research Group)
VITAL SIGN INDICATOR INDICATOR PROGRESS TARGET STATUS
VITAL SIGN INDICATOR INDICATOR PROGRESS TARGET STATUS

Key Vital Sign Messages

Groundfish and benthic invertebrates includes many marine fish, crabs, shrimps, and other species living on or near the seafloor. This Vital Sign tells us about the abundance and distribution of these species. Many are commercially and recreationally important and play a critical role in the marine food web.

  • The marine waters of Washington State are home to over 90 species of groundfish (or bottomfish), including rockfishes, Pacific cod, Pacific tomcod, Pacific hake (whiting), walleye pollock, sole, flounders, halibut, lingcod, ratfish, sablefish, cabezon, greenling, sculpins, red Irish lord, wolfeel, wrymouth, plainfin midshipman, sharks, skates, and perches. 

  • The fish species groups comprising groundfish populations occupy a variety of habitat types, from complex boulder and steep rocky reefs to cobble and sand and fine sediments. Quantifying the available habitats is important to understanding strategies for recovery actions. Forage fish are also important food resources for many groundfish species. 

  • A number of natural and human-induced factors are responsible for the overall decline in abundance of many groundfish species. These include historical over-harvest in the commercial and recreational fisheries, habitat loss from nearshore development, water quality, and shifts in food web resources. 

  • Studies show that the abundances of many groundfish populations in Puget Sound are below historical levels. Some of the species once common in fisheries declined to depressed or critical levels, resulting in reduced catches. However, in the fisheries monitoring data there are now some early signs of recovery. 

  • There are over 250 species of benthic invertebrates in Puget Sound, including a number of commercially and recreationally important species such as Dungeness crab and spot shrimp. Other species include sea stars, anemones, clams, and urchins. These species overlap with groundfish in habitat use and food resources 

  • Twenty-eight species of rockfish are found within the Salish Sea, with two listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), yelloweye rockfish (threatened) and bocaccio (endangered). NOAA Fisheries has proposed listing the Sunflower Sea Star. Several other groundfish species are identified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the WDFW.

 

Background Documents

This is a new Vital Sign and we are working with our partners to compile and report indicator status and trends. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has conducted systematic scientific bottom trawling in the Salish Sea since 1987. These surveys collect abundance and distribution data for a broad range of groundfish and invertebrate species and will help inform the Vital Sign indicators.

  • WDFW Scientific Bottom Trawl Surveys in the Southern Salish Sea: Species Distributions, Abundance, and Population Trends https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02140
  • Lowry, D, Pacunski, R, Hennings, A, Blaine, J, Tsou, T, Hillier, L, Beam, J, and Wright, E. 2022. Assessing bottomfish and select invertebrate occurrence, abundance, and habitat associations in the U.S. Salish Sea using a small, remotely operated vehicle: results of the 2012-13 systematic survey. Fish Program Technical Report No. 22-03. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, WA. 67 pp.
  • Quantification of bottomfish populations, and species-specific habitat associations, in the San Juan Islands, WA employing a remotely operated vehicle and a systematic survey design https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/02179/wdfw02179.pdf

Other Resources

Contributing Partners