Species and Habitat Outlines

Lingcod
TAXONOMY

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Osteichthyes
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Hexagrammidae

 

ECOLOGICAL DATA

Distribution: common in coastal waters.

Habitat: rocky areas or subtidal reefs, usually with strong currents; females congregate in deep waters late in year; males appear on shallow water, rocky bottom spawning grounds in Oct-Nov; females arrive in Jan; spawn in Jan and Feb; adhesive egg masses laid in rock crevice with strong current; males guard egg masses until hatching in late Mar; larvae dispersed by currents and remain in top 3 m for 2-3 months, feeding on plankton; larvae may form schools; move inshore, e.g. eelgrass and kelp beds, in late May and early Jun; mid to late Jun, at 70-80 mm begin demersal life; move to offshore reefs and rocky areas where they reside for several years before joining adult populations.

Tidal elevation: intertidal to subtidal depth exceeding 200 m.

Food: voracious piscivore; larvae feed on small copepods following absorbtion of yolk sac; prey on larger copepods, decapods, amphipods and euphausids as they grow; just prior to demersal life, begin to prey on juvenile herring and other small fish; prefers herring, sand lance, pollack cod and flounders.

Predators: greenling, sea perch, and sunflower star prey on eggs; adult lingcod and other fishes prey on young; sea lion on adults.

GROWTH RATE

Rapid growth; females sexually mature at 65-75 cm, 4-5 yr; males at 46-51 cm after 2 yr; maximum size for females is over 100 cm after 10-14 yr, males under 90 cm.

FISHERY

Important commercial fishery, 3,860 t valued at almost $3.1 million in 1986; important sport fishery, bag limit of 3 (including greenling); taken by divers.

REFERENCES

Beamish, R.J., and A. Cass. 1983. Lingcod. Underwater World. Fish. Oceans Can., Ottawa: 6 p.

Forrester, C.R. 1969. Life history information of some Canadian groundfish. Fish. Res. Board Can. Tech. Rep. 105: 17 p.

Hart, J.L. 1973. Pacific fishes of Canada. Fish. Res. Board Can. Bull. 180: 467-469.

Ilg, J., and J.M. Walton. 1979. An annotated bibliography of the lingcod, Ophiodon elongatus. Wash. Dep. Fish. Tech Rep. 51: 25 p.

Phillips, A.C., and W.E. Barraclough. 1977. On the early life history of the lingcod (Ophiodon elonatus). Fish. Mar. Serv. Dev. Tech. Rep. 756: 45 p.

Wilby, G.V. 1937. The ling cod, Ophiodon elongatus Girard. Biol. Board Can. Bull. 54: 24 p.

 

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