Homing Behavior and Population Stratification in Central Puget Sound English Sole (Parophrys vetulus)

Abstract

Tag recovery data for a central Puget Sound English sole (Parophrys vetulus) tagging study in which fish captured at some locations were tagged and released at others suggested the homing of some fish back to their locations of capture. The occurrence of significant homing was verified through an analysis of tag recovery rates at locations of initial capture and locations of release during successive time intervals. The analysis also revealed that fish not displaced during tagging remained essentially at their locations of original capture. These observations evidenced ridged geographic stratification of the population represented by the tagged fish.Both tag recovery data and catch-per-unit-effort data suggested the migration of some English sole out of the area and/or depths of fishing during fall–winter months.