Movement patterns and habitat selection of ocean whitefish, Caulolatilus princeps, in a Southern California marine reserve

California groundfishes are managed using broad species complexes, although many non-groundfish species are managed similarly due to their perceived associations with groundfishes. This study integrates acoustic telemetry and a GIS to quantify movement patterns of one such species, the ocean whitefish (Caulolatilus princeps) at the Catalina Marine Science Center Marine Life Refuge (CMLR) located at Santa Catalina Island, California. Seventeen ocean whitefish were tagged with continuous pulse acoustic transmitters (2 month battery life) and actively tracked over multiple 24-hr periods to quantify fine-scale movement patterns. Post-release survivorship was high, and individuals exhibited limited behavioral effects of post-release stress. Home ranges based on 95% kernel utilization distributions averaged 20,439 +/- 28,492 (+/- SD) m2. These fish were active during the day, using sand habitat at depths averaging 21 +/- 8 m, but were inactive at night, taking refuge near rocky reefs at depths averaging 15 +/- 7 m. Seventeen additional fish were tagged with coded acoustic transmitters (1-year battery life) and passively tracked using VR1 receivers. Approximately 75% of these fish exhibited long-term (1 year) fidelity to home ranges in the study area. However, both short and long-term movements show that ocean whitefish frequently cross the boundaries of the reserve. Differences in behavior between ocean whitefish and groundfish that occupy the same reefs suggest that management of the recreational fishery for ocean whitefish should be implemented separately.