EPA's Vessel General Permit and Small Vessel General

Reproduction
Yelloweye rockfish are live bearers with internal fertilization. Copulation occurs between
September and April, with fertilization taking place later as latitude increases (Hitz 1962,
DeLacy et al. 1964, Westrheim 1975, O'Connell 1987, Wyllie Echeverria 1987, Lea et al. 1999).
Puget Sound yelloweyes mate between winter and summer, giving birth from spring to late
summer (Washington et al. 1978). Gestation lasts roughly 30 days (Eldridge et al. 2002).
Although yelloweye rockfish were once believed to reproduce annually, evidence exists that
indicate the potential for multiple births per year (MacGregor 1970, Washington et al. 1978).
Females produce more eggs as they grow older and larger, with each individual producing
roughly 300 eggs per year per gram of body weight (1.2-2.7 million eggs per year)(MacGregor
1970, Hart 1973b). In addition, older females of several rockfish species may be capable of
provisioning their offspring better than their younger counterparts, meaning that they may be
more a more influential component in a given year’s recruitment success (Sogard et al. 2008).
Growth and development
Larvae are born at 4-5 mm in length and maintain a pelagic existence for the first 2 months of
life, before moving to nearshore habitats and settling into rocky reef habitat at about 25 mm in
length (DeLacy et al. 1964, Matarese et al. 1989, Moser 1996a, Love et al. 2002). Yelloweye
growth is thought to vary by latitudinal gradient, with individuals in more northerly regions
growing faster and larger. Year class strength appears to be most strongly linked to survival of
the larval stage (Laidig et al. 2007). In general, sexual maturity appears to be reached by 50% of
individuals by 15-20 years of age and 40-50 cm in length (Yamanaka and Kronlund 1997). As
with other rockfish, yelloweyes can be long-lived (reported oldest age is 118 years)(Munk 2001).
Maximum size has been reported as 910 cm, but assymptotic size in Alaskan waters for both
males and females was estimated to be 690 cm and 659-676 mm along British Columbia
(Clemens and Wilby 1961, Westrheim and Harling 1975, Rosenthal et al. 1982, Love et al. 2005,
Yamanaka et al. 2006).
Movement
Individuals shift to deeper habitats as they age. Juveniles tend to begin life in shallow rocky
reefs and graduate to deeper rocky habitats as adults. Once adult habitat is established,
individuals tend to remain at a particular site (Love 1978, Coombs 1979, DeMott 1983).
Foraging
As with other rockfish species, yelloweye rockfish prey upon different species and size classes
throughout their development. Larval and juvenile rockfish prey upon phyto- and zooplankton
(Lee and Sampson 2009). Adult yelloweyes eat other rockfish (including members of their own
species), sand lance, gadids, flatfishes, shrimp, crabs, and gastropods (Love et al. 2002,
Yamanaka et al. 2006).
Status and trends
Yelloweye rockfish were proposed for listing on April 23, 2009 (73 FR 18516). Yelloweye
rockfish abundance has been variable in the Puget Sound region over the past 60 years, ranging
from less than 1% to greater than 3% of samples, although Wallace (2001) documented large
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