Is this normal for a sculpin?

[Dashrynn]

looking through my photos from today's dive i found some weird things on a sculpin, it could be two things, sensors or parasites. No idea but im leaning towards it being a part of the sculpin. But if its the other, then perhaps this is an interesting find?

sorry low light is all i could manage in 5 ft of viz. Anymore and the photos would come out with back scatter.

[Grateful Diver]

They're parasites, and yes ... it's common.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[dwashbur]

And for some reason they usually seem to be found in abundance on great sculpins, which is what you have here.

[Chevayea]

Yep, I always see them on great sculpin too. if you look really close they are a round little "mouth-like" thing attached to the sculpin. Gross!

[Dusty2]

They are fish lice. They appear on most bottom dwelling types but the great sculpin seems to be the most afflicted by them. I assume it's because the great spends so much time laying dead still on the bottom and makes an ideal target