Migrations and movements of Atlantic tarpon revealed by two decades of satellite tagging

Understanding large‐scale migratory behaviours, local movement patterns and population connectivity are critical to determining the natural processes and anthropogenic stressors that influence population dynamics and for developing effective conservation plans. Atlantic tarpon occur over a broad geo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fish and fisheries (Oxford, England) England), 2020-03, Vol.21 (2), p.290-318
Main Authors: Luo, Jiangang, Ault, Jerald S., Ungar, Bruce T., Smith, Steven G., Larkin, Michael F., Davidson, Thomas N., Bryan, David R., Farmer, Nicholas A., Holt, Scott A., Alford, A. Scott, Adams, Aaron J., Humston, Robert, Marton, Adam S., Mangum, David, Kleppinger, Russell, Requejo, Angel, Robertson, Julian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropogenic factors
Brackishwater environment
Coastal waters
Decision making
Developmental stages
Estuaries
Fisheries
Fisheries management
Fishery management
Freshwater
Habitat selection
Habitat utilization
Habitats
Human influences
Information management
Information systems
Inland water environment
Inlets
Inlets (topography)
Inlets (waterways)
Interspecific relationships
Larvae
Local movements
Management information systems
Marine fishes
Migrations
population connectivity
Population dynamics
Predation
Regional planning
Rivers
Satellites
shark predation
Sharks
Spawning
spawning habitats
sportfish
Stock assessment
Tagging
Telemetry
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Summary:Understanding large‐scale migratory behaviours, local movement patterns and population connectivity are critical to determining the natural processes and anthropogenic stressors that influence population dynamics and for developing effective conservation plans. Atlantic tarpon occur over a broad geographic range in the Atlantic Ocean where they support valuable subsistence, commercial and recreational fisheries. From 2001 through 2018, we deployed 292 satellite telemetry tags on Atlantic tarpon in coastal waters off three continents to document: (a) seasonal migrations and regional population connectivity; (b) freshwater and estuarine habitat utilization; (c) spawning locations; and (d) shark predation across the south‐eastern United States, Gulf of Mexico and northern Caribbean Sea. These results showed that some mature tarpon make long seasonal migrations over thousands of kilometres crossing state and national jurisdictional borders. Others showed more local movements and habitat use. The tag data also revealed potential spawning locations consistent with those inferred in other studies from observations of early life stage tarpon leptocephalus larvae. Our analyses indicated that shark predation mortality on released tarpon is higher than previously estimated, especially at ocean passes, river mouths and inlets to bays. To date, there has been no formal stock assessment of Atlantic tarpon, and regional fishery management plans do not exist. Our findings will provide critical input to these important efforts and assist the multinational community in the development of a stock‐wide management information system to support informed decision‐making for sustaining Atlantic tarpon fisheries.
ISSN:1467-2960
1467-2979
DOI:10.1111/faf.12430