There are two groups of fish found in the ocean: bony fish and cartilaginous fish. The difference is in their skeletons. Bony fish have skeletons made of bone, while cartilaginous fish (sharks, rays, and skates) have skeletons made of cartilage.
Habitat: Coastal streams and rivers, nearshore coastal waters, open ocean. They are anadromous, meaning they hatch in freshwater rivers and streams then migrate to the ocean to feed and grow, and return to their home streams to spawn.
Range: North Pacific Ocean, Alaska to Central California
Avg. Size: ~24-30 in
Diet: Herring, anchovies, sardines, plankton, aquatic insects
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Habitat: Coastal streams and rivers, nearshore coastal waters, open ocean. They are anadromous, meaning they hatch in freshwater rivers and streams then migrate to the ocean to feed and grow, and return to their home streams to spawn.
Range: Monterey Bay to Alaska
Avg. Size: ~3-5 ft
Diet: Crustaceans, small fish, aquatic insects
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Habitat: Coastal streams and rivers, nearshore coastal waters, open ocean. They are anadromous, meaning they hatch in freshwater rivers and streams then migrate to the ocean to feed and grow, and return to their home streams to spawn.
Range: Northern California to Alaska
Avg. Size: ~1.5-2.5 ft
Diet: Amphipods, zooplankton, crustaceans, aquatic insects, small fish, squid
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Habitat: Coastal streams and rivers, nearshore coastal waters, open ocean. They are anadromous, meaning they hatch in freshwater rivers and streams then migrate to the ocean to feed and grow, and return to their home streams to spawn.
Range: Widespread throughout the Eastern Pacific basin
Avg. Size: ~3.6 ft
Diet: Fish, copepods, squid, mollusks, aquatic insects
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Habitat: Coastal streams and rivers, nearshore coastal waters, open ocean. They are anadromous, meaning they hatch in freshwater rivers and streams then migrate to the ocean to feed and grow, and return to their home streams to spawn.
Range: North Pacific coastal
Avg. Size: ~2 ft
Diet: Zooplankton, crustaceans, small fish, squid
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Habitat: Rivers, coastal ocean. Some stay in freshwater their whole lives, others migrate to the ocean.
Range: Eastern Pacific, California to Alaska, to Eastern Russia
Avg. Size: ~24-45 in
Diet: Zooplankton, insects, mollusks, fish eggs, small fish
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Habitat: Kelp forests, rock bottom
Range: Eastern Pacific from Baja Mexico, Mexico to Washington
Avg. Size: ~28 in
Diet: Zooplankton, small invertebrates, other smaller fish
Photo: Alayne Chappell, GFA
Habitat: Coastal waters, reefs, kelp forests
Range: Alaska to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: ~3-3.5 ft
Diet: Anchovies, sardines, mackerel, grunion, other small fish
Photo: California Sea Grant
Habitat: Near shore rocky reefs, kelp forest
Range: Northern California to Baja California, Mexico, and in the Gulf of California
Avg. Size: up to ~8 ft; over 700 lbs
Diet: Sting rays, skates, lobster, crabs, various fish, small sharks, mantis shrimp, octopus, squid
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Habitat: Coastal pelagic, open ocean
Range: Global
Avg. Size: Up to ~10 ft and ~5,000 pounds
Diet: Jellyfish, salps, squid, fish, crustaceans, algae
Fun Fact: Sunfish are the largest bony fish in the world!
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Habitat: Coastal pelagic, Open ocean
Range: Alaska to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: Up to ~12 inches
Diet: Plankton
Fun Fact: Pacific sardines can live up to 13 years!
Photo: Steve Lonhart, NOAA MBNMS
Habitat: Coastal pelagic, open ocean
Range: British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico and in the Gulf of California
Avg. Size: Up to ~9 inches
Diet: Plankton
Photo: Steve Lonhart, NOAA MBNMS
Habitat: Nearshore rocky reefs and seafloor from 30-300 ft
Range: West Coast of North America from Alaska to Baja California
Avg. Size: up to ~5 ft
Diet: Bottom dwelling fish, smaller lingcod, crab, squid, and octopus
Fun Fact: Males are tasked with guarding their eggs once fertilized.
Photo: Chad King, NOAA MBNMS
Habitat: Deep rocky areas along the continental shelf
Range: Oregon to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: ~3 ft
Diet: Squid, octopus, fish, shrimp, crabs
Fun Fact: Cowcod are one of the largest rockfish species.
Photo: Rick Starr, Sea Grant
Habitat: Coastal and offshore benthic 500-1,300 ft
Range: Coastal waters of North American from California to Alaska
Avg. Size: ~2 ft
Diet: Plankon
Fun Fact: Perch can live to be 98 years old!
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Habitat: Coastal waters ~260-660 ft in areas of strong current with rock and boulder formations
Range: Alaska to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: ~2.5 ft; ~10 lbs
Diet: Small fish and crustaceans
Fun Fact: Canary rockfish can live up to 75 years!
Photo: Chad King, NOAA MBNMS
Habitat: Deep, rocky bottom
Range: Alaska to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: ~11-36 in
Diet: Various invertebrates and small fish, including smaller rockfish
Fun Fact: Commonly known as “red snapper,” yelloweye rockfish are one of the longest living rockfish with a lifespan of up to 150 years!
Photo: NOAA
Habitat: Intertidal rocky reef areas to about 50 ft depth, found most commonly in kelp forests
Range: Alaska to central California
Avg. Size: ~10-21 in
Diet: Shrimp, crabs, octopi, sea worms, snails, small fish, brittlestars
Fun Fact: Male and female kelp greenlings look so different that they are often mistaken for completely separate species.
Photo: Chad King, NOAA MBNMS (pictured: male kelp greenling)
Habitat: Coastal flat, sandy, muddy waters, also found in rocky reefs and kelp beds
Range: North Pacific Ocean from Santa Barbara to Alaska
Avg. Size: up to 8 ft long and 500 lbs
Diet: Juveniles eat small crustaceans; adults prey on a variety of groundfish including sculpins, herring, octopus, crabs, and smaller halibut
Fun Fact: Halibut are the largest of all groundfish!
Photo: NOAA
Habitat: Sandy and muddy ocean bottom along the continental shelf, rocky reefs in intertidal zone to 1,800 ft depth
Range: Alaska to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: ~18-24 in
Diet: Plankton, juvenile flatfish, crustaceans, brittle stars, and other juvenile sole
Fun Fact: They are “right-sided” flatfish, meaning they have both eyes on the right side of the head.
Photo: IfAME MBNMS MARE TNC
Habitat: Sandy and muddy seafloor from 30-1,800 ft
Range: Baja California, Mexico to the Bering Sea, most abundant in Southern and North-central California
Avg. Size: ~5-16 in
Diet: Small fish, larvae/eggs, crustaceans
Fun Fact: Their brown and reddish coloring helps them to blend in with the seafloor.
Photo: NOAA
Habitat: Coastal pelagic, Open ocean
Range: Alaska to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: Up to ~12 inches
Diet: Plankton
Fun Fact: Pacific sardines can live up to 13 years!
Photo: Steve Lonhart, NOAA MBNMS
Habitat: Coastal pelagic, open ocean
Range: British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico and in the Gulf of California
Avg. Size: Up to ~9 inches
Diet: Plankton
Photo: Steve Lonhart, NOAA MBNMS
Habitat: Open ocean
Range: Global
Avg. Size: ~10 ft; up to ~1,000 lbs
Diet: Squids, fish (mostly forage fish like sardines, anchovies, herring, mackerel, etc), other tunas
Fun Fact: Bluefin tuna can swim at speeds up to 43 miles per hour!
Photo: NOAA
Habitat: Subtidal, rocky reefs
Range: Alaska to Baja California, Mexico; Russia, Sea of Japan
Avg. Size: ~8 ft
Diet: Crabs, sea urchins, snails, abalone, clams, mussels, fish
Photo: Chad King, NOAA MBNMS
Habitat: Subtidal, rocky reefs
Range: Point Conception, California to Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: ~5 ft
Diet: Small fish, octopus, shrimp, crab, lobster, sea urchins
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Habitat: Shallow subtidal, rocky intertidal
Range: Oregon to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: Up to 2.5 ft
Diet: Juveniles eat crustaceans and algae. Adults are primarily herbivores
Photo: Chad King, NOAA MBNMS
The Sanctuary is considered an extremely important habitat for white sharks. Each fall, white sharks migrate to Sanctuary waters to feed. As an apex predator, white sharks play an important role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem.
Habitat: Open ocean
Range: Global in temperate and subtropical waters
Avg. Size: ~15-21 ft; up to ~5,000 lbs
Diet: Juveniles eat mostly fish; Adults primarily feed on seals, sea lions, small-toothed whales, and sea turtles
Fun Fact: White sharks are the world’s largest predatory fish.
Photo: Scot Anderson
Habitat: Open ocean, continental shelf
Range: Global in tropical and temperate waters
Avg. Size: Up to~18 ft
Diet: Primarily small pelagic fish, squid
Fun Fact: Thresher sharks have a long, whip-like tail that they use to stun prey. They grow and mature slowly and may live up to 50 years!
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Habitat: Open ocean, continental shelf, nearshore
Range: Global in tropical and temperate waters
Avg. Size: Up to ~15 ft
Diet: Primarily small pelagic fish, squid
Fun Fact: Thresher sharks have a long, whip-like tail that they use to stun prey. Bigeye threshers are the second largest of the three species: Common threshers are the largest, bigeyes are next, and pelagic thresher sharks are the smallest.
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Habitat: Open ocean
Range: Global in tropical to temperate waters
Avg. Size: Up to ~12 ft
Diet: Bluefish, swordfish, tuna, marine mammals, and other sharks
Fun Fact: Mako sharks are the fastest shark species. They have been recorded traveling at speeds up to 25 miles per hour, with short bursts at around 46 miles per hour!
Photo: NOAA
Habitat: Open ocean
Range: Global in subpolar and temperate waters
Avg. Size: ~30 ft
Diet: Plankton
Fun Fact: Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the ocean! Second only to whale sharks. Both basking sharks and whale sharks are filter feeders, meaning they cruise along with their mouths wide open collecting water and filtering out plankton to eat.
Photo: Greg Skomal, NOAA Fisheries
Habitat: Open ocean, coastal
Range: Global in temperate and tropical waters
Avg. Size: Up to ~12.5 ft
Diet: Small fish, schooling fish such as herring and mackerel
Fun Fact: Blue sharks are the most widely distributed shark species.
Photo: NOAA SWFSC
Habitat: Subtidal, sandy or muddy bottom, bays and estuaries
Range: Northeast Pacific Ocean
Avg. Size: ~4-5 ft
Diet: Benthic crustaceans, octopus, worms, small fish and fish eggs
Fun Fact: Leopard sharks are ovoviviparous, meaning their eggs are hatched within the mother’s body. One litter can contain 4-30 pups!
Photo: Adam Obaza, NOAA
Habitat: Coastal, offshore deep waters, bays, estuaries
Range: Temperate waters in Pacific and Atlantic Oceans
Avg. Size: ~10 ft
Diet: Other sharks, rays, harbor seals, crabs, carrion
Fun Fact: While most sharks have five gills, this species has seven. Hence their name!
Photo: Chad King, NOAA MBNMS
Habitat: Open ocean, benthic, deep sea down to ~6,000 ft
Range: Global in temperate and tropical waters
Avg. Size: Up to ~16 ft
Diet: Other sharks, rays, chimaeras, fish, squids, crabs, shrimps, carrion
Fun Fact: These sharks are large and slow moving. They spend much of their time in the deep ocean over a mile down!
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Habitat: Coastal, offshore, deep sea down to ~3,000 ft
Range: North Pacific Ocean
Avg. Size: ~2-3 ft
Diet: Squid, fishes, crabs, shrimp, other invertebrates
Fun Fact: Spiny dogfish get their name from their tendency to feed in packs and the fact that they have pointed scales like spines.
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Habitat: Shallow, sandy, or mud bottom, to 165 ft deep
Range: Oregon to Gulf of California
Avg. Size: ~6 ft width
Diet: Small fish, snails, worms, shrimps, clams, abalone, crabs
Photo: Claire Fackler, NOAA CINMS
Habitat: Sandy and muddy bottom, down to 300 ft
Range: Eastern Pacific Ocean
Avg. Size: ~2 ft length
Diet: Shrimp, amphipods, worms, clams and other small mollusks, small fish
Photo: Ingrid Taylar, Flickr Creative Commons
Habitat: Nearshore soft bottom benthic, deep sea benthic, to ~5,000 ft deep
Range: North America west coast from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: ~30 inches in length
Diet: Benthic fish, worms, squid, octopus and other invertebrates
Photo: Kevin L. Stierhoff, NOAA SWFSC
Habitat: Coastal ocean, bays, estuaries, sandy bottom, muddy bottom
Range: Bering Sea to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: ~8 ft in length
Diet: Fish, shrimp, worms, clams
Fun Fact: Big skates are the largest skates found in the waters of North America! Big skates are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs. They are one of only few skate species known to lay more than one egg in each egg capsule. The egg capsules of the big skate typically contain 3-4 eggs, but can contain up to 7!
Photo: Linda Snook, NOAA MBNMS