Movements of lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) in southeast Alaska: potential for increased conservation and yield from marine reserves

Abstract

Residence time and movement rates of lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) were recorded in an area closed to fishing in southeast Alaska to evaluate the potential effects of reserves on mortality, egg production, and fishery yield. In 1999, 43 lingcod were tagged with sonic transmitters, and an array of receivers moored in the reserve recorded signals transmitted from tagged fish for 14 months. Most of the tagged fish frequently left the reserve but were only absent for short time periods. Tagged fish showed a high degree of site fidelity. Models generated from the tag data provided a way to predict the effects of marine reserves on yield and eggs per recruit for a cohort of female lingcod. Model results indicated that for lingcod stocks with low abundance, marine reserves could improve egg production while having a small effect on fishery yield. For more abundant stocks, if a portion of the stock is protected in reserves, fishing rates could be increased outside reserves without reducing egg production relative to egg production levels in the absence of reserves.