[3] It was described by David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert in 1880, originally under the genus Agonus.

[4] It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling fish which is known from the eastern Pacific Ocean, including southeastern Alaska to southern California, USA.

It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 163 metres (0 to 535 ft).

Males can reach a maximum total length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in).

[3] The northern spearnose poacher is sometimes used as a public aquarium fish.