Abstract

Forty-two fishes in the commercially important grouper-snapper complex were tagged with VEMCO V16 acoustic tags at seven locations, including spawning aggregation sites off the coast of Belize from April 2000 through January 2003. Of these, there were 15 Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus, FLave = 61.3 cm), 8 yellowfin grouper (Mycteroperca venenosa, FLave = 65.6 cm), 5 black grouper (M. bonaci, FLave = 65.0 cm), 12 mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis, FLave = 58.4 cm), and 2 cubera snapper (L. cyanopterus, FLave = 61.5 cm). Following tagging, fishes were released and their subsequent movements were recorded by an array of VEMCO VR2 acoustic receivers that were permanently moored near the shelf edge at a depth of ~25 m. V16 tags had a nominal range of 0.5 km and a life expectancy of 6 months, allowing researchers to track horizontal fish movements at and between spawning sites throughout their individual spawning seasons including the time of arrival and departure in relation to water temperature. Fish tracking data collected by the VR2 array were examined in relation to the reef geomorphology, as indicated by bathymetric maps created from satellite imagery and in situ bathymetric mapping using a Lowrance LCX-17M, single beam echosounder and integrated GPS. The data suggests that many groupers and snappers show high site fidelity both in and out of the spawning season. Though capable of making long migrations, snappers and groupers demonstrate a preference for residing near spawning aggregations during their spawning season.

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