I'm not a fish expert, but I know the fish you mean. I've asked the fish and
wildlife guys about them and they use the terms flatfish, sole and flounder
interchangably. According to the NAS Field Guide to the Pacifis NW, flatfishes
is the group name for three familes, left-eye flounders, right-eye flounders
and soles. Take your pick. When the light is right you can also see thousands
of two to three inch fish along the rocks as well, more visible at high tide.
Sticklebacks?
(The flatfish are most visible when they drain the locks, but that's not a good
time for the fish but the gulls love it. Usually in Nov.)

The birding at the locks has been miserable recently, not even any
non-Glaucous-winged Gulls to view. And I haven't seen a single Steller's Jay
this year, that's kind of odd.

CLiff Drake
Ballard Seattle WA


Jim McCoy wrote:

> Made my first pass through the locks in Seattle the other day, and I was
> interested to see "bottom" feeders turned 90 degrees and feeding on the
> algae (or something else?) on the side of the locks, right up to the water
> line. These critters were only about 3"-7" long, pretty wide at or just
> behind the head and tapering quickly to the base of the tail. Can anyone
> tell me what these were? I'm a lifelong landlubber and am largely ignorant
> about marine life.
>
> Jim McCoy
> jfmccoy at earthlink.net
> Redmond, WA