308 
Fishery Bulletin 106(3) 
Table 1 
Total numbers of juvenile sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria ) released and recovered in southeast Alaska, 1985-2005, by release age 
(age 0, age 1, and age 2). Also shown are numbers of recoveries of fish with known recovery year, with accurate recovery location 
and accurate recovery depth, for fish at liberty longer than one year. 
Year 
Age 0 
Age 1 
Age 2 
Total 
releases 
Total 
recoveries 
Accurate 
recovery location 
Accurate 
recovery depth 
1985 
0 
6168 
0 
6168 
853 
1986 
0 
240 
936 
1176 
68 
2 
1 
1987 
0 
7916 
0 
7916 
314 
8 
7 
1988 
1762 
2142 
1 
3905 
153 
26 
20 
1989 
0 
530 
1 
531 
35 
47 
41 
1990 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
65 
53 
1991 
789 
2580 
1 
3370 
154 
56 
39 
1992 
0 
1658 
0 
1658 
68 
57 
47 
1993 
0 
568 
26 
594 
48 
66 
59 
1994 
0 
1190 
8 
1198 
44 
31 
27 
1995 
0 
986 
0 
986 
75 
50 
42 
1996 
0 
1735 
0 
1735 
62 
46 
42 
1997 
0 
58 
0 
58 
4 
59 
55 
1998 
0 
1174 
0 
1174 
37 
43 
38 
1999 
0 
859 
5 
864 
41 
61 
56 
2000 
0 
559 
178 
737 
41 
40 
31 
2001 
0 
105 
1 
106 
3 
41 
34 
2002 
0 
471 
2 
473 
8 
37 
29 
2003 
766 
0 
0 
766 
0 
56 
49 
2004 
0 
290 
1 
291 
0 
40 
34 
2005 
0 
610 
0 
610 
3 
29 
26 
Totals 
3317 
29,839 
1160 
34,316 
2011 
860 
730 
bers of strong year classes would move westward if 
cohort density affected migration. 
Results 
Over 34,000 juvenile sablefish were tagged and released 
in southeast Alaska from 1985 to 2005 (Table 1). Most 
(87%) were tagged and released at age 1. A total of 2011 
sablefish tagged as juveniles were recovered, most by 
the commercial fishery and a few by research vessels. 
Of these 2011 recoveries, 860 fish had a known recovery 
year, accurate recovery information, and were at liberty 
for at least one year, thus qualifying for area-based 
analyses; 730 fish also had known recovery depth and 
qualified for depth-based analyses (Table 1). Of the 860 
fish recovered, most (85%) were caught by longline, 8% 
by pots, 6% by bottom trawl, and the remainder (1%) by 
jig, purse seine, sport fishing gear, or by unknown gear. 
The largest percentage (45%) of recoveries occurred in 
the eastern Gulf of Alaska (Table 2). Large percentages 
of tagged fish also were recovered in the central Gulf of 
Alaska (30%) and farther westward (18%). About half 
(51%) of recoveries occurred at depths 501-700 m and 
nearly all (93%) recoveries occurred at depths from 201 
to 1000 m. 
Sablefish tagged as juveniles in southeast Alaska 
were recovered as far west as 177°E along the Aleutian 
Islands, as far north as 60°N in the eastern Bering 
Sea, and as far south as 48.5°N off Vancouver Island 
(Fig. 1). Most recoveries were located along the upper 
continental slope or in cross-shelf gullies such as Spen- 
cer and Seward Gullies. Having originated in coastal 
bays, these fish had to cross the continental shelf to 
reach these areas. Fish recovered in Chatham Strait 
may have moved there by way of inland waters or may 
have migrated first to outer coastal waters before mov- 
ing into the strait. 
Recovery locations by depth and area 
Generally, young fish were more common at shallower 
depths and older fish were more common at greater 
depths. In depths shallower than 200 m, the most 
common ages of tagged juvenile sablefish recoveries 
were 3 and 4 years, and in depths greater than 200 m, 
the most common ages were 5-8 years (Fig. 2). Median 
recovery age increased with depth from shallow (2 years) 
