Abstract

A tag-recapture study of red hinds (Epinephelus guttatus) at a spawning aggregation site at the east end of the Bermuda platform commenced in June 1993. Specimens were captured at the site with handlines during the peak summer spawning period and were subsequently winded, tagged and released at the capture site. One year later (mean time at liberty = 360 days) a total of 12 tagged specimens were recaptured at the site (15.2% recovery rate) demonstrating site fidelity over an annual cycle. In the summer of 1994, a total of 110 specimens were captured at this same aggregation site and were subsequently tagged and released. Fifteen of 34 specimens (44%) released at the site were recaptured there with a mean time at liberty of 14 days. These data provide an estimate of residence time at the aggregation site during the spawning period. The remaining 76 specimens were released at various sites distant from the aggregation site. Fourteen of these specimens demonstrated return migration to the aggregation site from different directions covering distances ranging from 2.3 km in three days to 20.1 km in seven days. Three of the tagged specimens demonstrated return migration from different release sites in succession. The longest duration at liberty for a displaced specimen which returned to the aggregation site was 333 days. It is suggested that learned behaviour may play a role in the return migration movements. These results demonstrate that red hinds: 1) show a high degree of spawning aggregation site fidelity over time 2) appear to have a well-developed navigational ability as evidenced by return migration events covering up to 20.3 km from different release sites.

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