LOVE ISOLATION OF OLIVE ROCKFISH POPULATIONS 



Table 4. — Summary of published observations on rockfish, Sebastes spp., movements m the northeast Pacific. 



tions are quite patchy within a kelp bed and some 

 fish may remain within a very limited area for 

 extended periods. In kelp beds, individuals of S. 

 serranoides may move about more than those of 

 S. mystinus. Miller and Houk noted that S. ser- 

 ranoides individuals were not seen as consis- 

 tently as those of S. mystinus in kelp-bed tran- 

 sects in Monterey Bay. As S. mystinus preys 

 primarily on plankton and animals on plant sur- 

 faces (Gotshall et al. 1965; Hallacher 1977; Love 

 and Ebeling 1978), it seems likely that this 

 species spends much of its time waiting for prey 

 to drift by. Sebastes serranoides feeds somewhat 

 more on moving prey (Love and Ebeling 1978) 

 and so may forage more widely. 



Some seasonal movement of rockfish may also 

 occur, at least north of Pt. Conception. A number 

 of studies report that rockfish numbers on shal- 

 low water reefs seem to decrease during winter 

 (Miller and Geibel 1973; Mouiton 1977; Burge 

 and Schultz^). Increased turbulence may drive 

 the fish into deeper water or into reef shelters 

 where they are less visible. Ebeling (see footnote 

 5) observed no winter decrease in rockfish abun- 

 dance at Naples Reef. The waters of the Santa 

 Barbara Channel are considerably less turbulent 



"Burge, R. T., and S. A, Schultz. 1973. The marine envi- 

 rormient in the vicinity of Diablo Cove with special reference to 

 abalones and bony fishes. Calif. Dep. Fish Game, Mar. Res. 

 Tech. Rep. 19, 433 p. 



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