[4] The lumpsucker's pelvic fins have evolved into a large, fringed suction cup, allowing it to attach to surfaces like rocks or kelp.
[4] Because of their large, rounded shape with small fins, Pacific spiny lumpsuckers are ineffective swimmers and are most commonly found attached to solid objects.
[4] Pacific spiny lumpsuckers are found from northern Washington state, especially Puget Sound, to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
[1][3][4] This species inhabits a wide variety of habitats, including eelgrass beds, rocky reefs, kelp patches, and other algae growth.
[2][5][4] Pacific spiny lumpsuckers feed on slow crustaceans, polychaete worms, and mollusks on the sandy or muddy sea floor.
[4] The male will defend the clutch for three to eight weeks before the juvenile lumpsuckers hatch and venture out solitarily to find food within a few days.
[4] While the Pacific spiny lumpsucker has not yet been evaluated by the IUCN Red List, climate change may pose a threat to the species.
[4] In the North Atlantic Ocean in areas such as Iceland and Norway, commercial lumpsucker fisheries raise and catch Cyclopterus lumpfish and their eggs for consumption.