Description, Habitat, Ecology, Distribution

The fish known as “tommy cod” seems to be the rock greenling although some speakers have also associated the term tth’umukwa with other closely related species of greenlings. Rock greenlings vary in color, usually from greenish to brownish with dark mottling. Adult males usually have distinctive red blotches on their sides. Tommy cods are said to be found in patches of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana). Some families ate this fish, while others used it as bait for large cods. For bait, the tommy cod would be weighted with a rock in its mouth, then scratched along its sides so that it would wriggle underwater to attract other larger fish.