Marine, intertidal, gravel, semi-protected, eulittoral

Gravel beaches seldom have one uniform grain size; most surveys report some sand mixed in with gravel.  Due to the instability of the substratum, these habitats are relatively unproductive with virtually no plant life, and are occupied solely by mobile burrowing animals or epibenthic forms such as shrimp. Protected habitats with gravel intermixed with sand fall under “mixed-coarse.”

Habitat attributes

Class ID: 
23
Class name: 
Marine, intertidal, gravel, semi-protected, eulittoral
Length: 
7.0 km (in WA)
Primary substrate: 
Gravel
Secondary substrate: 
Sand
Tertiary substrate: 
Substrate stability: 
Mobile
Substrate key details: 
No stable surface features
Wave exposure: 
Semi-protected, Protected
Blue book classes: 
Marine intertidal gravel: Partially exposed
Map/survey site examples: 
Reuben Tarte Park
Fish sampling sites: 
Beach Seine: Morse Creek; Tidepool/Boulder: Morse Creek
Diagnostic species: 
  • Gammaridea
  • Sphaeromatidae
  • Hemigrapsus
  • Parophrys vetulus
  • Blepsias cirrhosus
  • Leptocottus armatus
  • Anoplarchus purpurescens
  • Embiotoca lateralis
VEC common associates: 
Crangon
Cancer spp.
Species notes: