Estuarine, intertidal, bedrock, open, eulittoral

Rocky intertidal areas in estuarine waters occur occasionally in the Puget Sound; some could be classified as artificial substrata (riprap), while some are classified separately as hardpan.  'Open' sites are in areas exposed to moderate waves or currents which keep silt from settling on the substratum.  The plants and animals seen on these rocky substrata are largely a freshwater-tolerant subset of those seen on marine shores. These habitats are used at high tide by sculpins and probably other fishes.  Few complete surveys have been done at such sites.

Habitat attributes

Class ID: 
49
Class name: 
Estuarine, intertidal, bedrock, open, eulittoral
Length: 
76.0 km (in WA)
Primary substrate: 
Bedrock
Secondary substrate: 
Boulders
Tertiary substrate: 
Substrate stability: 
Stable
Substrate key details: 
No mobile sediment
Wave exposure: 
Semi-exposed
Blue book classes: 
Estuarine intertidal bedrock: Open
Map/survey site examples: 
Places like North side Sucia Island and other bedrock sites in the northern San Juans
Fish sampling sites: 
Diagnostic species: 
  • Fucus distichus
  • Littorina
  • Balanus glandula
  • Mytilus trossulus
  • Mopalia
  • Sargassum muticum
  • Leptasterias hexactis
  • Clinocottus globiceps
  • Oligocottus maculosus
  • Gobiesox maeandricus
  • Oligocottus snyderi
  • Clinocottus acuticeps
Species notes: