Invertebrates | NOAA Fisheries
Source: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/invertebrates
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:24
Invertebrates | NOAA Fisheries
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Invertebrates
From crabs to octopuses, clams to marine worms, invertebrates play a significant role in ocean ecosystems. Many are important prey for fish, marine mammals, and humans. Others, such as
corals
and oysters, create essential habitat for marine species.
NOAA Fisheries is responsible for the sustainable management of many species of invertebrates—including
white shrimp
,
Alaska snow crab
, and
Quahog clam
—commonly harvested for human consumption. We are also responsible for protecting invertebrate species listed under the
Endangered Species Act
such as
white abalone
and
elkhorn coral
.
Invertebrates are the most diverse group of animals in the ocean. Some common marine invertebrates include mollusks, crustaceans, and corals.
Mollusks are a category of invertebrates with over 50,000 known species. They are soft-bodied animals that may have a hard external shell (formed by secreting calcium carbonate), a hard internal shell, or no shell at all. Mollusks include abalone, conch, oysters, and clams, as well as octopus and squid.
Crustaceans are a subcategory of invertebrates closely related to insects and spiders. They typically have a body covered with a hard shell or crust. Crustaceans include shrimp, krill, lobsters, and crabs.
Corals are known as colonial organisms because many individual creatures live and grow while connected to each other. The tiny, individual organisms that make up large coral colonies are called coral polyps. Stony, shallow-water corals—the kind that build reef habitat—are one type of coral. There are also soft corals and deep sea corals that live in dark, cold waters.
Learn more about corals
More Information
Corals
Sustainable Seafood
Endangered Species Conservation
Fun Facts About Intriguing Invertebrates
Fun Facts About Luscious Lobsters
Species Directory - Corals and Invertebrates
Species News
Feature Story
Celebrating Aquaculture Week: Farming from Tide to Table
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
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West Coast
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New Test Measures Toxin from Tires in Marine Life, Helping Understand Risk to Marine Species and Ecosystems
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Feature Story
Dive Surveys Reveal Promising Signs for Rockfish and Sea Stars off Washington Coast
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Feature Story
Meet The Cultured Abalone Farm, Shellfish Growers in California
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More News
Multimedia
Photo Gallery
Woods Hole Science Aquarium in Photos
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Photo Gallery
2025 Alaska Research Surveys Photo Gallery
Alaska
Photo Gallery
2024 Field Fresh Blog Photo Gallery
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Glider “Adrian” getting deployed from the R/V Laurence M. Gould. Credit: Andrew Titmus
Podcast
How Underwater Drones Are Transforming Fisheries Data Collection in Remote Areas
West Coast
All Multimedia
Research
Surveys in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
We conduct research and monitoring surveys to better understand the physical, biological, economic, and social components of marine ecosystems found in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean from the Canadian Scotian Shelf to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Peer-Reviewed Research
Oyster Cultch–Recruit Patterns Provide New Insight Into the Restoration and Management of a Critical Resource
Oyster recruitment may decline when cultch mass falls below a critical threshold.
Pacific Islands
Monitoring the Ecosystem in the Northeast
The most comprehensive, ongoing program exploring marine resources and oceanographic conditions in the Northwest Atlantic. Our analyses inform local and international fisheries management, protected species research, and climate science.
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Oceanographic Drivers of Shortfin Squid
We’re working with the commercial squid fishing industry to better understand how ocean conditions and processes influence the variability of shortfin squid catch in the Mid-Atlantic.
New England/Mid-Atlantic
More Research
Understanding Sustainable Seafood
Well-managed wild-capture fisheries and environmentally responsible marine aquaculture play an increasingly important role in our food supply, our health, and the environment.
Read More
Species
67
species match your filter criteria.
Acropora globiceps Coral
Acropora jacquelineae Coral
Acropora lokani Coral
Acropora pharaonis Coral
Acropora retusa Coral
Acropora rudis Coral
Acropora speciosa Coral
Acropora tenella Coral
Alaska Snow Crab
American Lobster
Anacropora spinosa Coral
Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab
Skip to main content
Invertebrates
From crabs to octopuses, clams to marine worms, invertebrates play a significant role in ocean ecosystems. Many are important prey for fish, marine mammals, and humans. Others, such as
corals
and oysters, create essential habitat for marine species.
NOAA Fisheries is responsible for the sustainable management of many species of invertebrates—including
white shrimp
,
Alaska snow crab
, and
Quahog clam
—commonly harvested for human consumption. We are also responsible for protecting invertebrate species listed under the
Endangered Species Act
such as
white abalone
and
elkhorn coral
.
Invertebrates are the most diverse group of animals in the ocean. Some common marine invertebrates include mollusks, crustaceans, and corals.
Mollusks are a category of invertebrates with over 50,000 known species. They are soft-bodied animals that may have a hard external shell (formed by secreting calcium carbonate), a hard internal shell, or no shell at all. Mollusks include abalone, conch, oysters, and clams, as well as octopus and squid.
Crustaceans are a subcategory of invertebrates closely related to insects and spiders. They typically have a body covered with a hard shell or crust. Crustaceans include shrimp, krill, lobsters, and crabs.
Corals are known as colonial organisms because many individual creatures live and grow while connected to each other. The tiny, individual organisms that make up large coral colonies are called coral polyps. Stony, shallow-water corals—the kind that build reef habitat—are one type of coral. There are also soft corals and deep sea corals that live in dark, cold waters.
Learn more about corals
More Information
Corals
Sustainable Seafood
Endangered Species Conservation
Fun Facts About Intriguing Invertebrates
Fun Facts About Luscious Lobsters
Species Directory - Corals and Invertebrates
Species News
Feature Story
Celebrating Aquaculture Week: Farming from Tide to Table
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Feature Story
New Test Measures Toxin from Tires in Marine Life, Helping Understand Risk to Marine Species and Ecosystems
West Coast
Feature Story
Dive Surveys Reveal Promising Signs for Rockfish and Sea Stars off Washington Coast
West Coast
Feature Story
Meet The Cultured Abalone Farm, Shellfish Growers in California
West Coast
More News
Multimedia
Photo Gallery
Woods Hole Science Aquarium in Photos
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Photo Gallery
2025 Alaska Research Surveys Photo Gallery
Alaska
Photo Gallery
2024 Field Fresh Blog Photo Gallery
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Glider “Adrian” getting deployed from the R/V Laurence M. Gould. Credit: Andrew Titmus
Podcast
How Underwater Drones Are Transforming Fisheries Data Collection in Remote Areas
West Coast
All Multimedia
Research
Surveys in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
We conduct research and monitoring surveys to better understand the physical, biological, economic, and social components of marine ecosystems found in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean from the Canadian Scotian Shelf to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Peer-Reviewed Research
Oyster Cultch–Recruit Patterns Provide New Insight Into the Restoration and Management of a Critical Resource
Oyster recruitment may decline when cultch mass falls below a critical threshold.
Pacific Islands
Monitoring the Ecosystem in the Northeast
The most comprehensive, ongoing program exploring marine resources and oceanographic conditions in the Northwest Atlantic. Our analyses inform local and international fisheries management, protected species research, and climate science.
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Oceanographic Drivers of Shortfin Squid
We’re working with the commercial squid fishing industry to better understand how ocean conditions and processes influence the variability of shortfin squid catch in the Mid-Atlantic.
New England/Mid-Atlantic
More Research
Understanding Sustainable Seafood
Well-managed wild-capture fisheries and environmentally responsible marine aquaculture play an increasingly important role in our food supply, our health, and the environment.
Read More
Species
67
species match your filter criteria.
Acropora globiceps Coral
Acropora jacquelineae Coral
Acropora lokani Coral
Acropora pharaonis Coral
Acropora retusa Coral
Acropora rudis Coral
Acropora speciosa Coral
Acropora tenella Coral
Alaska Snow Crab
American Lobster
Anacropora spinosa Coral
Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab