10-24 REELLIFE digital - Flipbook - Page 18
fishing
Spanning from the Aleutian
Island that make up the
Alaskan archipelago, all
the way down to the
coastal waters of San Diego
California, there is a small
predatory fish that patrols
the kelp beds and rocky
structures that make up
much of the US west coast.
Unlike its close relative,
the lingcod, this petite
little predator enjoys a life
that’s largely void of the
constant bombardment
from sports anglers. This
small saltwater fish is the
Kelp greenling. And though
it’s not targeted by anglers
the same way many other
bottom fish along the
West Coast are; due to its
small size and lack of spiny
armor, the kelp greenling is
constantly being pursued
and preyed upon by
lingcod and even halibut.
DESCRIPTION & LIFECYCLE
Adult greenlings range
from 10-21 inches and
rarely grow to be more
than 4.5 lbs. Both males
and females tend to have
colorful markings, with the
females typically having a
brown to orange body with
black and grey spots, while
the males typically have a
dark grey body with blue
spots around the head. The
females can lay up to 12,000
eggs between November
and January. This occurs
three times throughout the
spawning season and the
deposited eggs will stick
together in large clumps
which the males will guard
till the larvae stage. Kelp
greenling can live up to 25
years of age.
KELP GREENLING AS A
FISHERY & AS A FOOD
In general, Kelp Greenling
are caught as by-catch by
sport fisherman that are
seeking lingcod, rockfish,
and other popular bottom
fish species. While some
are retained for food, many
anglers simply throw them
back or utilize the fish as
live bait for trophy-sized
lingcod. Historically in
Oregon and California,
near-shore commercial
vessels retained bycatch
kelp greenling to sell in
local fresh seafood markets,
yet a thriving market
never developed for this
greenling, so commercial
pressure has remained low.
Although Kelp greenling
likely hasn’t been the
star of the show on most
people’s fishing trips, they
do provide a good fishery
for a number of reasons:
They are commonly found
in Washington’s nearshore
waters and their numbers
are thought to be healthy;
for a small fish they put up
a decent fight (remember,
they are relatives to the
lingcod); and finally, they
are a delicious food- fish.
I would put the flavor as
something comparable to
lingcod, yet the flesh, once
cooked, is slightly less firm
than these larger relatives.
