Abstract

Understanding how animals move across time and space provides information on various aspects of animals including their different behaviors (i.e., foraging, resting, breeding), ontogenetic shifts, habitat use, species interactions, species growth and survival, population distribution/abundance and biodiversity (Dingle and Drake 2007, Danylchuck et al. 2011; Pittman et al. 2014). At a local scale fish utilize small areas known as “home ranges” whereby they partake in daily activities; such as feeding, resting and breeding. Within a home range, fish select core areas that are used for specific purposes such as feeding and resting (Pittman and McAlpine 2003). These home ranges can comprise of different benthic (i.e coral reefs, seagrass beds and sand patches) and pelagic habitats, as well as mangroves, lagoons and estuaries. Home ranges can be influenced by diel/crepuscular periods, seasonal changes or ontogenetic shifts (Powell 2000, Pittman and McAlpine 2003, Hitt et al. 2011a). Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) are highly mobile fish important to recreational fisheries along the Atlantic Ocean, especially the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Islands (Ault 2008; Hammerschlag et al. 2012, Luo and Ault 2012). Little is known about small-scale movements or space use of juvenile tarpon in Caribbean ecosystems. This study aims to fulfill those gaps using acoustic telemetry in Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

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