 Distribution of speckled sanddabs in San
Francisco Bay
Speckled sanddabs are marine flatfish which range from Magdalena Bay,
Baja California to Montague Island, Alaska. They reach a maximum length of
approximately 171 mm. Speckled sanddabs are collected
from 3 to 366 m. They are not important in either the commercial
or sport fish catch because of their small size.
Speckled sanddab appear to use San Francisco Bay as an extension of
their coastal marine habitat. They are frequently one of the most abundant
fish in otter trawl sampling in the Gulf of Farallons.
Warm temperatures in the late summer and fall, and reduced salinities
associated with winter and spring outflow appear to limit the distribution of this
species upstream. Increased salinities in the early spring and summer associated
with the 1987-1992 drought allowed young-of-the-year speckled sanddabs to use San Pablo Bay to a
greater extent than in previous years.
Annual abundance indices for YOY speckled sanddabs are from by the San Francisco Bay Monitoring Program using otter trawl data.
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