Snapper Pagrus auratus (Sparidae) home range dynamics : acoustic tagging studies in a marine reserve

The home-range size and location of reef-associated snapper Pagrus auratus: Sparidae were investigated by use of a radio acoustic-positioning telemetry (RAPT) system. Tags were surgically implanted in 5 snapper that were subsequently monitored every minute for a period of 5 mo, and then intermittently over another 7 mo. Site fidelity was high amongst these fish, with home ranges not exceeding 650 m in diameter or 139 600 m2 in area. Eleven other snapper received tags by feeding and were tracked for periods of up to 2.5 d. Site fidelity was also high for these fish, with standardised estimates of home-range size not differing between the 2 groups. Home ranges overlapped considerably, indicating that the fish were not territorial. The location of the home ranges generally remained stable throughout the entire tracking period, although 1 fish relocated its home range by ~220 m. A new method of home-range estimation was developed, which matched the level of detail provided by the RAPT system, to directly estimate the time spent in an area. The relevance of this method and the residential behaviour of these fish are discussed, with reference to the general understanding of animal behaviour, previous investigations into snapper movement, and the selective capacity that may be imposed by marine reserves on fish behaviour.

[1]  J. Blaxter,et al.  Observations on the Swimming Speeds of Fish , 1959 .

[2]  L. Paul.  An evaluation of tagging experiments on the New Zealand snapper, Chrysophrys auratus (Forster), during the period 1952 to 1963 , 1967 .

[3]  J. Crossland.  Snapper tagging in north‐east New Zealand, 1974: Analysis of methods, return rates, and movements , 1976 .

[4]  Thomas W. Schoener,et al.  An empirically based estimate of home range , 1981 .

[5]  D. J. Anderson,et al.  The Home Range: A New Nonparametric Estimation Technique , 1982 .

[6]  C. Lowe,et al.  Movements, distribution and growth rates of the white goatfish Mulloides flavolineatus in a fisheries conservation zone , 1993 .

[7]  C. Attwood,et al.  Variation in Dispersal of Galjoen (Coracinus capensis) (Teleostei: Coracinidae) from a Marine Reserve , 1994 .

[8]  Christopher G. Lowe,et al.  Movements and dispersal patterns of blue trevally (Caranx melampygus) in a fisheries conservation zone , 1996 .

[9]  S. Wilson,et al.  Comparative efficacy of clove oil and other chemicals in anaesthetization of Pomacentrus amboinensis, a coral reef fish , 1997 .

[10]  Dirk Zeller,et al.  Home range and activity patterns of the coral trout Plectropomus leopardus (Serranidae) , 1997 .

[11]  John W. Eaton,et al.  GNU octave : a high-level interactive language for numerical computations : Octave version 2.0.17 (stable) , 1997 .

[12]  J. Ginsberg,et al.  Edge effects and the extinction of populations inside protected areas , 1998, Science.

[13]  Michael Roberts,et al.  Applications and performance of Radio-Acoustic Positioning and Telemetry (RAPT) systems , 1998 .

[14]  Jane Lubchenco,et al.  MARINE RESERVES ARE NECESSARY BUT NOT SUFFICIENT FOR MARINE CONSERVATION , 1998 .

[15]  D. A. Scruton,et al.  A coded acoustic telemetry system for high precision monitoring of fish location and movement : Application to the study of nearshore nursery habitat of juvenile Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) , 1998 .

[16]  R. Babcock,et al.  Retention and in situ detectability of visible implant fluorescent elastomer (VIFE) tags in Pagrus auratus (Sparidae) , 1998 .

[17]  Nick T. Shears,et al.  Changes in community structure in temperate marine reserves , 1999 .

[18]  R. Millar,et al.  Detection of spatial variability in relative density of fishes: comparison of visual census, angling, and baited underwater video , 2000 .

[19]  Løkkeborg,et al.  Food-search strategy in ling (Molva molva L.): crepuscular activity and use of space. , 2000, Journal of experimental marine biology and ecology.

[20]  R. Millar,et al.  Modified hooks reduce incidental mortality of snapper (Pagrus auratus: Sparidae) in the New Zealand commercial longline fishery , 2001 .

[21]  H. Oxenford,et al.  Home range size and use of space by Bermuda chub Kyphosus sectatrix (L.) in two marine reserves in the Soufrière Marine Management Area, St Lucia, West Indies , 2001 .

[22]  Darren M. Parsons,et al.  Evidence for long‐term site fidelity of snapper (Pagrus auratus) within a marine reserve , 2001 .

[23]  N. Shears,et al.  Marine reserves demonstrate top-down control of community structure on temperate reefs , 2002, Oecologia.

[24]  Stephan B. Munch,et al.  Sustaining Fisheries Yields Over Evolutionary Time Scales , 2002, Science.

[25]  Gary R. Carvalho,et al.  Loss of microsatellite diversity and low effective population size in an overexploited population of New Zealand snapper (Pagrus auratus) , 2002, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[26]  R. Millar,et al.  Protection of exploited fish in temperate regions: high density and biomass of snapper Pagrus auratus (Sparidae) in northern New Zealand marine reserves , 2003 .

[27]  C. Walters,et al.  Quantitative fisheries stock assessment: Choice, dynamics and uncertainty , 2004, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries.

[28]  Donald L. Kramer,et al.  Implications of fish home range size and relocation for marine reserve function , 1999, Environmental Biology of Fishes.

[29]  Christopher G. Lowe,et al.  Movement Patterns, Habitat Utilization, Home Range Size and Site Fidelity of Whitesaddle Goatfish, Parupeneus Porphyreus, In a Marine Reserve , 2000, Environmental Biology of Fishes.

[30]  N. Polunin,et al.  Are marine reserves effective in management of reef fisheries? , 1991, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries.

[31]  J. Zeldis,et al.  Evidence of daily spawning in natural populations of the New Zealand snapper Pagrus auratus (Sparidae) , 1993, Environmental Biology of Fishes.