Rock gunnel (Pholis gunnellus)

Scientific name: Pholis gunnellus Linnaeus, 1758

The Rock gunnel (Pholis gunnellus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Pholidae.

Biology

Ribbon - shaped body with 9 - 13 eye spots along the base of the dorsal fin.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Scientific name: Pholis gunnellus
Family: Pholidae (Gunnels)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 25.0
Depth range: 0–100 m (0–328 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 100 m, usually 0 - 30 m
Climate: Polar
Distribution: North Atlantic: Kanin Peninsula southward to La Rochelle (including White Sea, North Sea and Baltic), also Iceland, but not eastern Greenland, Spitzbergen or Novaya Zemlya. Western Atlantic: Labrador, Canada to Delaware Bay, USA.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=1-3; K=0.18-0.29; tmax=12)

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

Last updated 27 September 2026