Grunt Sculpin

Rhamphocottus richardsonii

Photo contributed by: Dr. Randy Shuman

Aquaculture Potential This species has a strong potential for aquaculture development for the ornamental market. In addition to the coloration of the grunt sculpin, it exhibits unusual behavior when it jumps and crawls along the seafloor. The Vancouver Aquarium has already been able to close the life cycle of this colorful species. Since this species is relatively small, it lends itself well for small-scale aquaculture production using a closed system.

In-depth Information Regarding this Species

U.S. Range in the Pacific Ocean	Alaska to Southern California
Habitat	Tidepool, rocky area (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Substrate	Sand (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Depth range (meters)	Intertidal to 165 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Behavior	Jumps and crawls along the bottom (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) Bottom-dwelling (Burgess et al. 1990)
General Temperature Range (°C)	23 (Burgess et al. 1990)
General Salinity Range (ppt)	N/A
Maximum Overall Recorded Size (cm)	N/A
Maximum Recorded Size for Males (cm)	N/A
Maximum Recorded Size for Females (cm)	N/A
Average Maximum Overall Length (cm)	8 (Burgess et al. 1990) 8.3 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Average Maximum Overall Length for Males (cm)	N/A
Average Maximum Overall Length for Females (cm)	N/A
Average Maximum weight (kg)	N/A
Average Maximum weight for Males (cm)	N/A
Average Maximum weight for Females (cm)	N/A
Length When Harvested (cm)	N/A
Weight When Harvested (kg)	N/A
Overall Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years)	N/A
Male Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years)	N/A
Female Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years)	N/A
Overall Maximum Age (years)	N/A
Maximum Age for Males (years)	N/A
Maximum Age for Females (years)	N/A
Age when Harvested (years)	N/A
Overall Growth Rate	N/A
Male Growth Rate	N/A
Female Growth Rate	N/A
Overall Age at Maturity (years)	N/A
Male Age at Maturity (years)	N/A
Female Age at Maturity (years)	N/A
Overall Length at Maturity (cm)	N/A
Male Length at Maturity (cm)	N/A
Female Length at Maturity (cm)	N/A
Maturity/Temperature Relationship	N/A
Type of Reproduction	N/A
Fecundity	N/A
Spawning Habitat	N/A
Spawning Behavior	Female traps male in cave to spawn Male guards eggs (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Time of Year of Spawning	Winter and Spring (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Number of Spawns per season	N/A
Spawning/Temperature Relationship (°C)	N/A
Spawning/Salinity Relationship	N/A
Description of Eggs	N/A
Habitat where Eggs are found	Eggs laid on rocks (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Days to Hatch	N/A
Time of Year when Eggs Hatch	N/A
Temperature for Egg Survival (°C)	N/A
Salinity for Egg Survival (ppt)	N/A
Predators on Eggs	N/A
Habitat where Larvae are found	N/A
Days in Larval Stage	N/A
Temperature for Larval Survival (°C)	N/A
Salinity for Larval Survival (ppt)	N/A
Larval Food Preference	N/A
Habitat where Juveniles are found	N/A
Length when Juvenile Settles out (cm)	N/A
Temperature for Juvenile Survival (°C)	N/A
Salinity for Juvenile Survival (ppt)	N/A
Where and When Juvenile Feeds	N/A
Juvenile Food Preference	N/A
Habitat where Adults are found (depth in meters)	N/A
Temperature for Adult Survival (°C)	N/A
Salinity for Adult Survival (ppt)	N/A
Adult Feeding Type	N/A
Adult Food Preference	Small Invertebrates (crustaceans) (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Food Eaten in Laboratory Setting	N/A
Amount of Food Eaten in Laboratory Setting	N/A
Additional Laboratory Findings	N/A
Environmental Considerations	N/A
Commercial Fishery	N/A
Market	N/A
Sold Fresh or Frozen	N/A
Style Species is Sold	N/A
Additional Use of the Species	N/A
Shelf-life in Fresh State (days at 40°F)	N/A
Shelf-life in Frozen State (months at 0°F)	N/A
Shelf-life Canned (months)	N/A
Weight sold in Oregon (kg)	N/A
Ornamental Market	"A popular public aquarium species." (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) In aquarium guide (Burgess et al. 1990)
Parasites or Disease	N/A
Additional Remarks	Good community fish (Burgess et al. 1990)
Location where Species has been Researched/Farmed	Vancouver Aquarium
Appropriate Aquaculture Systems	N/A

Recent Wild Harvest Data for Oregon
Data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(Data for All Sculpin Species except for Buffalo Sculpin)

Year	Total Catch (Pounds)	Ex-vessel Value ( U.S. Dollars)
1989	2	1
1990	0	0
1991	8	1
1992	0	0
1993	28	75
1994	98	206
1995	101	405
1996	32	32
1997	0	0
1998	8	32

Photograph courtesy of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering To link to their webpage click here.

© 2003 Stephen Sempier