Volume 59
Swimming Deep: New Evidence of Acanthurid Larval Dispersal at Depth in the Eastern Caribbean
Authors
Fanning, P., Oxenford, A., Cowen, R.K. Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: November, 2006
Pages: 642
Event: Proceedings of the Fifty Nine Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Belize City
Country: Belize
Abstract
A total of 893 Acanthurid larvae were collected in 32 pelagic samples at 24 locations during the FAO Lesser Antilles Pelagic Ecosystem (LAPE) Project survey (April-May 2006). Large catches of acanthurid larvae (in excess of 100 individuals in a single sample) were collected to the windward (NE) of the Lesser Antilles island chain more than 350 km from the nearest reef and to the leeward (NW) of the islands over 50 km from reef habitat. More than 75% of the total numbers caught, and all the large catches, were between 50 and 150 m depth. Depths of acanthurid larvae catches ranged from 38 to 576 m indicating strong swimming capabilities. This has important implications for hydrodynamic oceanographic modeling of reef fish larval dispersal and connectivity of Caribbean coral reefs pointing to the large role larval behavior likely plays in moderating the dispersal outcome coupled with vertically stratified flows