Kelp Greenling

Hexagrammos decagrammus

Photo contributed by: Daniel W. Gotshall To email him click here.

Aquaculture Potential The kelp greenling is currently sold on the live fishery market. In fact, Mark Barnes at Premium Pacific Seafoods states that kelp greenling is 45% of the biomass that he buys and sells for the live fish market (2003). This is an increase from approximately 20% in 1998. There may be potential to also develop this species for the ornamental market due to its behavior (clasping to algae) and coloration (see the bottom of this page).

Opportunity Constraints Species is popular in the live fishery market Has potential for the ornamental market Low fecundity–4,340 (DeMartini 1986 in Stickney et al. 1995) Small wild fishery market

In-depth Information Regarding this Species

Alternate Common Names	N/A
U.S. Range in the Pacific Ocean	Aleutian Islands to Southern California (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Habitat	Rocky inshore and kelp beds (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Substrate	Sand (Eschmeyer and Herald and Herald 1983)
Depth range (meters)	Down to 46 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Behavior	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)	53 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) 50 (Burgess et al. 1990)
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	4,340 (mean) (DeMartini 1986 in Stickney et al. 1995)
Spawning Habitat	N/A
Spawning Behavior	Males guard eggs until hatch (DeMartini 1986 in Stickney et al. 1995)
Time of Year of Spawning	Spawn in October and November (Puget Sound) (DeMartini 1986 in Stickney et al. 1995)
Number of Spawns per season	N/A
Spawning/Temperature Relationship (°C)	N/A
Spawning/Salinity Relationship	N/A
Description of Eggs	Blue eggs laid from golf ball to tennis ball size in mass (DeMartini 1986 in Stickney et al. 1995)
Habitat where Eggs are found	Eggs laid on encrusting epifauna on substrate (DeMartini 1986 in Stickney et al. 1995)
Days to Hatch	30 at 10°C (DeMartini 1986 in Stickney et al. 1995)
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	Invertebrates, Fish (Burgess et al. 1990)
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	Species is a sportfish (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) Now in live fishery
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	In aquarium guide (Burgess et al. 1990)
Parasites or Disease	N/A
Additional Remarks	Difficult to raise (Burgess et al. 1990)
Location where Species has been Researched/Farmed	Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle has raised this species from larvae to juvenile stage (Rust 2003)
Appropriate Aquaculture Systems	N/A

Recent Wild Harvest Data for Oregon
Data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(Data for all Hexagrammos species)

Year	Total Catch (Pounds)	Ex-vessel Value ( U.S. Dollars)
1989	169	99
1990	7	4
1991	50	166
1992	35	31
1993	183	426
1994	399	942
1995	84	99
1996	1,466	468
1997	23,305	43,309
1998	21,681	51,731

Female Male

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

© 2003 Stephen Sempier