Abstract

Most large Caribbean reef fish species form transient spawning aggregations at specific times and locations. Though reef fish spawning aggregation sites from many areas have been described and mapped, there has been no comprehensive geospatial analysis of the similarities and differences among them. The aim of this study was to analyze the locations of all known transient reef fish spawning aggregation sites in relation to 1. shelf edges and 2. reef bending points using remote sensing and field-collected position data. Our analysis includes both published and previously unpublished data from the Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Honduras, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Virgin Islands. Satellite-derived images of coral reef environments can receive the bottom reflectance in the depths up to 30 meters in clear water. The locations of many spawning aggregation sites are visible in these images, while some are deeper. To test our assumption that location of shelf edges could be fairly delineated using satellite images, we compared the positions of shelf edges from field-collected data, to shelf edges derived from satellite images. This study forms part of an ongoing project focusing on the geomorphologic, geospatial, and oceanographic aspects of transient reef fish spawning aggregation sites

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