Small home range in southern Australia's largest resident reef fish, the western blue groper (Achoerodus gouldii): implications for adequacy of no-take marine protected areas

2012 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Bryars ◽  
Paul Rogers ◽  
Charlie Huveneers ◽  
Nicholas Payne ◽  
Ian Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Fish Length ◽  
Narrow Strip ◽  
Permanent Resident ◽  
High Site ◽  
Small Home Range

No-take marine protected areas (MPAs) represent an effective biodiversity conservation tool for a range of species including resident reef fishes that are intrinsically vulnerable to overfishing and other localised impacts. The western blue groper (Achoerodus gouldii) is the largest permanent-resident reef teleost in southern Australian waters and has the second-oldest recorded age of any labrid at 70 years. Acoustic telemetry was used to investigate whether adult A. gouldii can be effectively protected within adequately sized no-take MPAs. Ten passive acoustic receivers tracked the movements of 15 A. gouldii individuals (69–112-cm total length; 7–31-kg weight) at a site off north-western Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Most of the fish displayed high site fidelity (91–100% residence time for 10 of the 11 fish with useful data) for a narrow strip of fringing coastal reef (~1-km length by ~40-m width) throughout a 12-month period. Mean home-range along-shore length and area were estimated at 1076 ± 83 m (s.e.), and 45 188 ± 3497 m2, respectively (n = 11 fish with useful data). Comparison with other resident temperate-reef teleosts indicated no relationship between fish length and home-range area, and that A. gouldii has a relatively small home range. The high site fidelity and small home range of adult A. gouldii individuals makes localised populations amenable to a high level of protection within no-take MPAs.

Site Utilization by Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) in Off-Shore Gravel Habitat as Determined by Acoustic Telemetry: Implications for the Design of Marine Protected Areas

2003 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Lindholm ◽  
Peter Auster
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Acoustic Telemetry ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Individual Fish ◽  
High Site ◽  
Demersal Fishes

We quantified the site utilization of offshore gravel habitat by Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) using acoustic telemetry. An omni-directional receiver was deployed inside Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary during Summer 2001 in an area that excluded commercial fishing for demersal fishes. Fish were collected using hook and line, tagged externally with coded acoustic pingers, and released on the seafloor using an “elevator” within the range of the receiver. Observations were made over 120 days. The total number of days that individual fish were recorded was up to 120 days and a total of 37% of all tagged fish showed high site fidelity to the study area.

scholarly journals Green morays (Gymnothorax funebris) have sedentary ways in mangrove bays, but also ontogenetic forays to reef enclaves

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Kendall ◽  
Laughlin Siceloff ◽  
Ashley Ruffo ◽  
Arliss Winship ◽  
Mark E. Monaco
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
History Of ◽  
High Site ◽  
Single Night ◽  
Exploratory Movements ◽  
Moray Eel

AbstractSurprisingly, little is known about basic life history of the largest moray eel species in the Caribbean region, the green moray eel (Gymnothorax funebris). Sixteen eels were captured from the mangrove fringe in multiple bays on St. Croix, USVI, implanted with coded acoustic transmitters, and their movements were tracked for up to 11 months using an array of 37 stationary acoustic receivers. They exhibited high site fidelity in the bays during their residence, using the same general parts of individual bays and did not switch bays except for one individual. There was no relationship between eel size (mean TL = 83 cm, range = 54–126 cm) and home range size (mean area of 95% KUD = 5.8 ha ± 0.7 SE). Most individuals were more frequently detected at night than during the day suggesting greater nocturnal activity. Several of the larger eels (mean TL = 93 cm ± 5.9 SE) showed clear and permanent emigration tracks out of the mangrove estuary to coral reef habitats offshore. For some individuals, these habitat shifts were preceded by exploratory movements away from the eel’s typical home range the night before emigration. All final emigration events took place nocturnally, happened during a single night, and occurred during months from December to May. Mean emigration speed was 3.4 km/h. This study is the first documentation of an ontogenetic habitat shift in moray eels, as well as the first determination of home range size for this species and their site fidelity in mangrove habitats.

scholarly journals Fishing-gear restrictions and biomass gains for coral reef fishes in marine protected areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 401-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart J. Campbell ◽  
Graham J. Edgar ◽  
Rick D. Stuart-Smith ◽  
German Soler ◽  
Amanda E. Bates
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes ◽  
Fishing Gear

Contrasting effects of marine protected areas on the abundance of two exploited reef fishes at the sub-tropical Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. NARDI ◽  
G.P. JONES ◽  
M.J. MORAN ◽  
Y.W. CHENG
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Coral Trout ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Equivalent Control ◽  
Houtman Abrolhos Islands

A unique assemblage of tropical and temperate marine organisms characterizes the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, four clusters of islands and reefs off the coast of mid-Western Australia. Four reef observation areas or marine protected areas (MPAs) were established in 1994 to examine their value in protecting vulnerable reef fish species, including the sub-tropical wrasse, Choerodon rubescens, and the coral trout, Plectropomus leopardus. In 1993 and 1994 (prior to protection), population densities and body sizes were monitored at two island groups (Easter and Wallabi). At each location, the MPAs and the equivalent ‘control’ areas to remain open to fishing were monitored by underwater visual censuses. These closed and open areas were subsequently monitored four more times between 1995 and 2002 to assess long-term trends in abundance and population structure. Populations of the wrasse, C. rubescens, did not appear to respond to protection, exhibiting irregular fluctuations in both closed and open areas throughout the study. In contrast, although there were no significant increases for P. leopardus for the first three years of closure, after eight years of protection there were significantly larger numbers of P. leopardus in the closed areas. There was a three-fold increase at the Easter Group and a seven-fold increase at the Wallabi Group, relative to open fishing areas, attributed primarily to reduced fishing mortality. Significant closed areas (17% of the P. leopardus habitat) provided substantial stock-wide impacts. The data also indicate that the MPAs can be effective where some forms of fishing (such as lobster fishing) are permitted which are compatible with the objectives of the MPA. While MPAs are clearly an effective tool for increasing the local abundance of some reef fishes, the spatial and temporal scales required for their success may vary among species.

Community assemblages of commercially important coral reef fishes inside and outside marine protected areas in the Philippines

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard N. Muallil ◽  
Melchor R. Deocadez ◽  
Renmar Jun S. Martinez ◽  
Samuel S. Mamauag ◽  
Cleto L. Nañola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes ◽  
Commercially Important ◽  
Community Assemblages

Strong homing does not predict high site fidelity in juvenile reef fishes

Coral Reefs ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Streit ◽  
David R. Bellwood
Keyword(s):  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
High Site

scholarly journals A Practical Approach to Monitoring Marine Protected Areas: An Application to El Bajo Espíritu Santo Seamount Near La Paz, Mexico

Oceanography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Héctor Villalobos ◽  
◽  
Juan Zwolinski ◽  
Carlos Godínez-Pérez ◽  
Violeta González-Máynez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Practical Approach ◽  
Target Strength ◽  
Sustainable Resources ◽  
Underwater Cameras ◽  
Baseline Information

Worldwide, marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly created to protect and restore selected parts of the ocean and to enhance recreation, fishing, and sustainable resources. However, this process has outpaced the development and implementation of methods for assessing and monitoring these habitats. Here, we combine data from an echosounder, a conductivity-temperature-depth probe, and underwater cameras to efficiently survey El Bajo Espíritu Santo Seamount, located in the southwest Gulf of California, Mexico. Results include a bathymetric map detailing a ridge with three peaks; oceanographic profiles showing a 35 m deep mixed layer and anoxic conditions below 200 m; mean target strength estimates for Pacific creolefish, Paranthias colonus (–34.8 dB re 1 m2, for mean total length ~33 cm), and finescale triggerfish, Balistes polylepis (–39.8 dB re 1 m2, 38 cm); baseline estimates of biomass for both species (55.7 t, 95% CI = 30.3–81.2 t and 38.9 t, 95% CI = 21.1–56.6 t, respectively) found only in the oxygenated water near the top of the seamount; and indications that these reef fishes grazed on zooplankton in the mixed layer. We conclude that acoustic-optical sampling is a practical approach for obtaining baseline information on MPAs to efficiently monitor changes resulting from natural and anthropogenic processes.

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