The overall goal of this project is: to use genetic tags, quantify hatchery contribution through the collection of white seabass over two consecutive years from recreational (southern california)…

The overall goal of this project is: to use genetic tags, quantify hatchery contribution through the collection of white seabass over two consecutive years from recreational (southern california) and commercial (southern california and baja california, mexico) fisheries. A total of 400 genetic samples will be analyzed per fishery per year, with approximately half being aged in order to understand patterns of hatchery contribution across year classes. All white seabass heads will be frozen until genetic tagging results are available, so that potential discrepancies between CWT and genetic tag assignment can be investigated (e.g., by x-raying heads to locate CWT that are otherwise undetectable). To further understand why the previous two methods might not be in agreement (i.e., for WSB whose genetic assignment identifies a single parent rather that a parent pair from the hatchery broodstock), a third approach based on stable isotope analysis of otolith core regions will be undertaken to…