Estuarine, intertidal, bedrock, partly enclosed, 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.  'Partly enclosed' sites are in embayments with relatively low waves or currents, so that silt may settle on the rock and reduce settlement or survival of small algae and filter-feeders.  The plants and animals seen on these rocky substrata are largely a freshwater-tolerant subset of those seen on protected marine shores. These habitats are used at high tide by sculpins and probably other fishes.