Homing and home range of the European spiny lobster, Palinurus elephas (Decapoda, Palinuridae) acoustically tracked

Abstract A specific study has been carried out for the first time to investigate the homing capability and daily home range of the spiny lobster Palinurus elephas by means of ultrasonic telemetry. Nine lobsters collected in the Capo Gallo — Isola delle Femmine marine protected area (northwestern Sicily, central Mediterranean) were tagged with miniaturized transmitters and released at a single site inside the protected area. The lobsters were monitored with the purpose of calculating their horizontal and vertical positions, analysing their movement patterns to assess their homing capability, and calculating their daily home range. Five lobsters moved back close to the capture sites within the first 20 hours after release (‘homed’). The remaining four lobsters ‘relocated’ to a different refuge. Homed lobsters had a larger home range than relocated lobsters. This study provides the first description of a homing pattern with high spatial resolution in the wild European spiny lobster as inferred by ultrasonic telemetry.

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Movements and residence time of spiny lobsters, Palinurus elephas released in a marine protected area: an investigation by ultrasonic telemetry

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s002531540601407x ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 86 (5) ◽

pp. 1101-1106 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

V.M. Giacalone ◽

G. D'Anna ◽

C. Pipitone ◽

F. Badalamenti

Keyword(s):

Marine Protected Area ◽

Marine Reserve ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Release Site ◽

Diel Activity ◽

Ultrasonic Telemetry ◽

Central Mediterranean ◽

Entire Duration ◽

Western Sicily ◽

North Western

Marine reserves and restocking initiatives are sometimes used as a tool to enhance spiny lobster stocks. In such initiatives it is crucial to follow the movement of lobsters once they are released at sea in restocking experiments.This paper presents the results of the application of an ultrasonic telemetry system to the monitoring of 11 lobsters (90±14 mm mean carapace length) released in the Capo Gallo-Isola delle Femmine Marine Reserve in north-western Sicily, central Mediterranean. The system comprised transmitters glued onto the lobster carapace, and manual as well as automated receivers to locate tagged animals. The data (i.e. number of detected signals) were tested to assess any difference in the diel activity of lobsters. The field study lasted 79 days in total. Lobsters remained in the study area for periods ranging from a few hours to the entire duration of the study. The longest distance travelled by a tagged lobster was 2.2 km. The number of signals varied significantly across the day, with the highest value recorded in the full-light hours (1000–1500), but they were not sufficient to assess clearly the diel activity of the released lobsters.The interpretation of data suggests that: (1) released lobsters preferred a deeper habitat than that of the release site; and (2) the lobsters that reached a rough rocky area with available shelters settled there, while those that did not meet such a habitat soon moved out of hydrophone detecting range.

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Spillover effects of a Mediterranean marine protected area on the European spiny lobster Palinurus elephas (Fabricius, 1787) resource

Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

10.1002/aqc.1213 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 21 (6) ◽

pp. 564-572 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Maria Cristina Follesa ◽

Rita Cannas ◽

Alessandro Cau ◽

Danila Cuccu ◽

Alice Gastoni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Area ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Spillover Effects ◽

Palinurus Elephas

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Body growth and mortality of the spiny lobster Palinurus elephas within and outside a small marine protected area

Fisheries Research ◽

10.1016/j.fishres.2010.10.008 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 106 (3) ◽

pp. 543-549 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Daniele Bevacqua ◽

Paco Melià ◽

Maria C. Follesa ◽

Giulio A. De Leo ◽

Marino Gatto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Area ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Body Growth ◽

Palinurus Elephas

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Erratum to “Body growth and mortality of the spiny lobster Palinurus elephas within and outside a small marine protected area” [Fish. Res. 106 (2010) 543–549]

Fisheries Research ◽

10.1016/j.fishres.2011.01.005 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 108 (2-3) ◽

pp. 404

Author(s):

Daniele Bevacqua ◽

Paco Melià ◽

Maria C. Follesa ◽

Giulio A. De Leo ◽

Marino Gatto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Area ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Body Growth ◽

Palinurus Elephas

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Increased predation of juvenile European spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas) in a marine protected area

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1080/00288330.2005.9517324 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 447-453 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

David Díaz ◽

Mikel Zabala ◽

Cristina Linares ◽

Bernat Hereu ◽

Pere Abelló

Keyword(s):

Protected Area ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Palinurus Elephas

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Assessment of coastal fish assemblages before the establishment of a new marine protected area in central Mediterranean: its role in formulating zoning proposal

Mediterranean Marine Science ◽

10.12681/mms.1788 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 11 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

G. LA MESA ◽

E. SALVATI ◽

S. AGNESI ◽

L. TUNESI

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Protected Area ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Scuba Diving ◽

Northwestern Part ◽

Total Density ◽

Central Mediterranean ◽

Italian Law ◽

Depth Ranges

The fish assemblages of the coastal area of the promontory of Cape Milazzo (Italy, Central Mediterranean), which has been recently designated by the Italian Law to become a national marine protected area (MPA), were characterized by visual censuses carried out over different habitats (rocky algal reef, Posidonia oceanica meadow and soft bottom) and depth ranges (0-3, 4-7, 12-16 and 24-30 m) to identify areas of major concern for the MPA zoning. The study area was divided into 6 sectors to assess spatial-related differences in the assemblage parameters, such as species composition and richness, and the size structure of species of recreational (e.g. SCUBA diving) interest. Fifty-eight taxa (56 species and 2 genera) and 20 families of fishes were totally recorded. Species composition was significantly affected by habitat and depth, whereas no significant changes were detected among sectors. Conversely, species richness and total density of fish showed no significant differences among sectors, habitat types and depth ranges. The majority of species of recreational value was recorded only off the northwestern part of the promontory. The implementation of fishing ban in such an area, characterized by the presence of a rocky bank, would contribute to the recovery of populations of some emblematic species (e.g. groupers and other large predator) and to the enhancement of environmentally sustainable activities such as scuba diving. Throughout the investigated area and, especially, in the eastern and southwestern coasts of the promontory, several species were almost exclusively represented by small and medium sized individuals, a likely consequence of an intense fishing pressure.

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Diel variation in home range size and precise returning ability after spawning migration of coral reef grouper Epinephelus ongus: implications for effective marine protected area design

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps12779 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 606 ◽

pp. 119-132

Author(s):

A Nanami ◽

H Mitamura ◽

T Sato ◽

T Yamaguchi ◽

K Yamamoto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coral Reef ◽

Home Range ◽

Protected Area ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Spawning Migration ◽

Diel Variation ◽

Epinephelus Ongus

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Temporal and spatial migration of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) inside and outside a marine protected area and evidence for the role of prior experience in homing

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2014-0036 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 71 (11) ◽

pp. 1704-1712 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Corey J. Morris ◽

John M. Green ◽

Paul V.R. Snelgrove ◽

Curtis J. Pennell ◽

L.M. Neil Ollerhead

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Protected Area ◽

Gadus Morhua ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Atlantic Cod ◽

Prior Experience ◽

Migration Route ◽

Marine Waters ◽

Acoustic Tracking ◽

Capture Site

Despite efforts to protect the resident Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) population in Gilbert Bay, Labrador, its abundance has decreased since the area was designated a Marine Protected Area (MPA). As part of an effort to understand the reasons for the decline, tracking of cod tagged with surgically implanted ultrasonic transmitters was conducted to determine the migratory behavior of cod in relation to MPA boundaries. Acoustic tracking used a network of data-logging receivers deployed in Gilbert Bay and contiguous marine waters, permitting year-round monitoring of fish movements over several years. Acoustic tracking indicated that 93% of mature migratory cod >55 cm total length homed to the overwintering area where they were initially tagged. During summer months some individuals moved to the mouth of the bay and marine waters outside the MPA. Collectively, the home range of the Gilbert Bay cod encompassed an area within about 40 km of their overwintering and spawning site, but included a large area (∼270 km2) outside the MPA. Eleven percent of tagged cod released outside their home range returned to the capture site within 1 year after tagging. In contrast, fish transplanted 15 or 25 km from the capture site, but still within their home range, exhibited 100% success in homing, suggesting the importance of prior experience with the migration route for successful homing. This study documents the importance of knowledge concerning the migratory and homing behavior of resident fish populations for their conservation and management.

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