Abstract

An array of 65 VEMCO VR2 acoustic receivers was deployed in three phases between May and July 2008 in the Dry Tortugas, Florida, USA. The array covers approximately 800 km 2 and is designed to capture small scale movement and long range migrations of reef fishes in water 5 – 50 meters deep. In July 2008, eight mutton snapper, Lutjanus analis and three groupers (two red grouper, Epinephulus morio and one Nassau grouper, E. striatus) were successfully tagged with VEMCO V16 coded transmitters at Riley’s Hump, an offshore spawning aggregation site within the Tortugas South Ecological Reserve. These fish were captured in fish traps and tags were surgically implanted in situ at 33 – 40 msw. In addition, eight mutton snapper and six black grouper, Mycteroperca bonaci, were acoustically tagged inshore, within the Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) and in open use areas south of the DRTO in May 2008. Preliminary data collected from a towed tracking system (VR28) indicated postoperative fishes were present and active within the array. The objectives for 2009 will be to continue to tag mutton snapper at Riley’s Hump and expand tagging efforts to include fish captured within the Tortugas North Ecological Reserve. Data analyses should provide a clear story of adult fish movements and habitat utilization, including spawning migratory movements, and establish the degree of connectivity between habitats and the network of management areas in the Dry Tortugas.

PDF Preview