High offshore migration rates and multiple movement phenologies of acoustically tagged Greenland halibut (<i>Reinhardtius hippoglossoides</i>) in the Eastern Canadian Arctic

Understanding spatiotemporal movements of targeted species is fundamental to fisheries management. In the Arctic, Greenland halibut ( Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) fisheries are managed as separate stocks, and potential future fisheries growth requires improved understanding of broadscale movements and migration phenologies. We tagged Greenland halibut in the community fishery of Pond Inlet, Nunavut, Canada with acoustic transmitters to assess inshore and offshore movements over 4 years. Fish tagged in summer showed longer residency in Pond Inlet (54 ± 27 days) compared to offshore (2 ± 3 days) southern Baffin Bay/northern Davis Strait. Winter-tagged fish also showed high residency in Pond Inlet (92 ± 47 days) and minimal overlap with summer-tagged fish (December–April vs. June–November). Offshore migrations were detected in the majority of summer-tagged (70%) and winter-tagged fish (83%). Few summer-tagged fish returned to Pond Inlet in subsequent years, while most winter-tagged fish returned to Pond Inlet. These complex movements indicate Greenland halibut as a highly migratory species, which should be considered when developing management policies for both offshore and inshore fisheries.