demersal

adj

1. That lives near the bottom of a body of water.

   “Unlike the more demersal (bottom-dwelling) cod, pollock will pursue schools of small fishes at any depth, occasionally driving them to the surface of the water where frantic splashing can be seen as the prey attempt to escape.”

   “The young tend to occupy a pelagic habitat, but shift to a more demersal lifestyle with maturity.”

   “At a certain age, however, the Cape horse mackerel in the northern Benguela tend to adopt a more demersal lifestyle, thus entering into the bottom dead zone.”

2. Taking place near the bottom of a body of water.

   “demersal fishing [ = groundfishing⁠]”

noun

1. Any demersal organism, especially a groundfish.