WGOA Cod Tagging Study

The AEB and Alaska Fisheries Science Center are collaborating on a project to examine the seasonal movements of Pacific cod captured in the WGOA during spawning. The AEB chartered a pot vessel during March 2021 for a research cruise. The team released 25 satellite and 957 conventionally tagged Pacific cod in 8 subareas of the WGOA. Stationary tags were released in 3 areas to record temperature and light levels for up to one year. In addition, 155 biological specimens were collected for length, weight, age structure, genetic samples, maturity and stomach content, as well as 183 fish for length and maturity information only. AEB/AFSC have a tag recapture program and have started preliminary analysis. Another round of tagging is expected to occur in 2022.