PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF TIME SPENT AT TEMPERATURE RELATIVE TO THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE FOR YELLOWFIN TUNA MONITORED WITH POP-UP SATELLITE ARCHIVAL TAGS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO

SUMMARY Data from yellowfin tuna monitored with pop-up satellite archival tags in the Gulf of Mexico were evaluated for vertical habitat use. The proportions of time spent at temperature relative to the surface temperature (Delta T) were calculated and ranked by increasing depth for periods of darkness and daylight. Percentiles were tabulated for each of the observed frequency distributions. The percentiles of mean Delta T indicated that about 25% of darkness and 4% of daylight periods were spent at surface temperature (i.e. Delta T = 0). The tabulated percentiles represent major input variables used in habitat standardization models. RESUME

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