A reliable finding of Pleurogrammus azonus (Hexagrammidae) off the coast of Kamchatka with notes on the permanence of its habitation in the northern part of distribution range

Pleurogrammus azonus was reliably found off the coast of Kamchatka. A morphological description of a specimen caught in Kronotsky Bay is given in comparison with representatives of the species from other parts of its distribution range. P. azonus can be encountered in the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk near Kamchatka in both spring-summer and winter periods, which implies the presence of a permanent local aggregation, strongly dependent on recruitment from more southern areas it inhabits. In catches, it is represented by fish of 24−35 cm fork length, which may exceed the closely related P. monopterygius by population size. P. azonus entered the waters off the Pacific coast of Kamchatka presumably due to migrations of individual adults from nearby areas on the Sea of Okhotsk side of the peninsula, as well as Shumshu and Paramushir islands.