Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus)

Scientific name: Ammodytes hexapterus Pallas, 1814

Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus)

The Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Ammodytidae.

Biology

May occur in large schools near the surface both inshore and offshore, but also buries itself in sand. Inshore, found from intertidal to subtidal areas. Offshore, found near the surface over deep water. Benthic. Juveniles and adults feed on zooplankton. Utilized dried or salted and frozen; sometimes targeted as a raw material for fishmeal; eaten fried.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Ammodytes hexapterus
Family
Ammodytidae (Sand lances)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
30.0
Common length
17.0
Depth range
0–275 m (0–902 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 275 m, usually 30 - 100 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Arctic, Northwest to Northeast Pacific: Arctic Alaska to the Sea of Japan and Balboa Island, southern California, USA. Western Atlantic: northern Quebec, Canada to North Carolina, USA. The Arctic and Pacific populations may be a separate species, distinct from the Atlantic populations.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=2-3)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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