Abstract

Essential fish habitat is an important designation used to protect habitats that are necessary for the completion of life cycles for marine species. Measuring the areas of submerged habitat used by reef fishes for reproduction is critical for any ecosystem-based management approach in fisheries management and marine conservation. Surveys and mark recapture methods are commonly used to achieve this goal by providing empirical evidence of habitat use patterns. We propose that these investigations could be augmented and, in some cases, substituted for species that produce sound during reproductive behaviors, with non-invasive passive acoustic techniques. Given the difficulties and costs of conducting in-situ observa-tions and mark-recapture studies, this alternative was useful for some grouper species.

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