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Rock Prickleback

Xiphister mucosus

In-depth Information Regarding this Species

U.S. Range in the Pacific Ocean	Alaska to Southern California (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Habitat	Rocky intertidal with algae cover (Love 1996, Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Depth range (meters)	Down to 18 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Average Maximum Overall Length (cm)	58.4 (Love 1996, Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Overall Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years)	25.4/3 43.2/7 50.8/11 (Love 1996)
Overall Age at Maturity (years)	4–5 (Love 1996)
Fecundity	5,500–9,500 (Love 1996)
Spawning Behavior	Male guards nest (Love 1996, Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Time of Year of Spawning	October–December (California) Late winter–Spring (British Columbia) (Love 1996)
Habitat where Eggs are found	Laid under rocks (Love 1996, Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Adult Food Preference	Large individuals are mainly herbivorous and eat red and green algae Eat some Crustaceans (Love 1996) Algae (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Ornamental Market	Possible

Recent Wild Harvest Data for Oregon
Data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Year	Total Catch (Pounds)	Ex-vessel Value ( U.S. Dollars)
1989	N/A	N/A
1990	N/A	N/A
1991	N/A	N/A
1992	N/A	N/A
1993	N/A	N/A
1994	N/A	N/A
1995	N/A	N/A
1996	N/A	N/A
1997	N/A	N/A
1998	N/A	N/A

© 2003 Stephen Sempier