Seasonal variation in age-specific movement patterns of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus inferred from conventional tagging and telemetry

By: , and 

Links

Abstract

We used 25 years of conventional tagging (n = 6173 recoveries) and 3 years of ultrasonic telemetry data (n = 105 transmitters deployed) to examine movement rates and directional preferences of four age classes of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus in North Carolina. Movement rates of tagged red drum were dependent on the age, region, and season of tagging. Age-1 and age-2 red drum tagged along the coast generally moved along the coast, while fish tagged in oligohaline waters far from the coast were primarily recovered in coastal regions in fall months. Adult (age-4+) red drum moved from overwintering grounds on the continental shelf through inlets into Pamlico Sound in spring and summer months and departed in fall. Few tagged red drum were recovered in adjacent states (0.6% of all recoveries); however, some adult red drum migrated seasonally from overwintering grounds in coastal North Carolina northward to Virginia in spring, returning in fall. Telemetered age-2 red drum displayed seasonal emigration from a small tributary, but upstream and downstream movements within the tributary were correlated with fluctuating salinity regimes and not season. Large-scale tagging and telemetry programs can provide valuable insights into the complex movement patterns of estuarine fish.

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype Other Report
Title Seasonal variation in age-specific movement patterns of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus inferred from conventional tagging and telemetry
Series number SEDAR 18-RD54
Year Published 2013
Language English
Publisher SouthEast Data, Assessment, and Review
Contributing office(s) Coop Res Unit Atlanta
Description 42 p.
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details