Family Agonidae - poachers
Poachers are fish of cold marine waters in the north Atlantic and north
Pacific ocean. They are small fish (less than 30 cm) inhabiting shallow
tidepools to depths greater than 700 meters. Their bodies are elongate with the
scales modified into bony plates. Although poachers have no market value,
commercial trawlers frequently catch them while in pursuit of other species.
Pygmy poacher- Odontopyxis trispinosa
Remarks: A small fish
commonly missed or misidentified by observers and sportfishers. This bottom
dwelling fish darts about in short bursts.
Identification:
The body has bony plates with spines aligned in rows. Its head is short and
blunt having two nasal spines in the middle of the snout. All poachers typically
have large rounded pectoral fins and the pelvic fins are reduced to not much
more than a spine. Coloration is also very similar in poachers, brown or tan
above with blotches on the sides and a paler
underside.
Range: This fish ranges from Alaska to central
Baja and can be found in 9m to 373m of water.
Tubenose poacher- Pallasina barbata
Remarks: Like the pygmy
poacher the tubenose is a smaller fish that is easily overlooked. It is a bottom
dweller which eats invertebrates. Often found within eelgrass beds and other
seaweeds.
Identification: Having a long snout and smooth
bony plates make this poacher identifiable. The lower jaw of this poacher
extends beyond the upper jaw and has a barbel. Coloration is brown mottled above
and pale underneath. Maximum size for these fish is about 14cm.
Range: The Bering Sea to Bodega Bay from the intertidal
zones to 128m.
Pricklebreast poacher- Stellerina xyosterna
Remarks: When found in the
bay it normally will be residing on the mud flats. Diet consists of mostly
invertebrates and smaller fishes.
Identification: The
mouth is upturned and the body is thickest in the middle tapering off to a
slender caudal peduncle. Its caudal and anal fin are both black edged and there
are prickles (small bumps) located on the breast of this poacher. Size reached
by this species is 16cm.
Range: Found from Queen Charlotte
Islands southward to Baja. Habitat includes both mud and sand bottoms to a depth
of 75m.