Marine Life

Plainfin Midshipman
(Porichthys notatus)
Courtesy of Tom Haight

This bizarre looking fish has a series of dots running down its sides. These dots are said to give off a blue-green light. Their bodies can be gray to silver with venomous spines on their gill covers. They can be found from Alaska to Baja California. The fish prefer sand or mud bottoms at a depth of 150 to 450 feet but Midshipman have been found in much shallower and deeper waters. Midshipman can grow up to 15 inches and like to sleep at night. Their diet consists of almost anything they can get but they seem to prefer shrimp and squid. In turn, many different animals such as dolphins and cormorants eat Midshipmen.