Season and site fidelity determine home range of dispersing and resident juvenile Greenland cod (Gadus ogac) in a Newfoundland fjord

We used acoustic telemetry to track age 1 juvenile Greenland cod Gadus ogac in Newman Sound, Newfoundland, from October 2010 to November 2012, in 2 consecutive 1 yr experiments. Using single (Year 1) and reciprocal (Year 2) transplant study designs, we investigated seasonal dispersal, home range area, and potential homing behaviour between coves ~3.5 km apart. We tracked individuals moving at metre to kilometre scales, using a network of 26 to 32 hydrophones. We converted tag detections to position estimates in order to calculate seasonal home ranges and individual movement patterns. Home range increased significantly with season (pre-winter, winter, and post-winter) in both study years. Mean seasonal home range area ranged from 0.29 to 3.47 km2 in Year 1 and 0.43 to 1.72 km2 in Year 2. In contrast, fish size-at-capture, capture location, and release location had no significant effect on seasonal home range. Increased movement distance during the winter and post-winter season suggests a...