No Evidence of Site Fidelity in Atlantic Croakers or Spot in the Shore Zone of Lower Delaware Bay

Abstract

We conducted a mark–recapture study over a 98-d period from June 20 through September 26, 2013, in lower Delaware Bay, USA, to examine movement and site fidelity of the Atlantic Croaker Micropogonias undulatus and Spot Leiostomus xanthurus. A secondary objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of visible implant elastomer (VIE) tagging for these species. Fish were tagged at five shore-zone sites along approximately 5 km of gradually sloping sandy beach and at a site along 300 m of riprap-hardened shoreline. Additional tagging occurred in an adjacent area (~36 ha) of nearshore habitat. Atlantic Croakers and Spot (15 individuals per species) were also tagged and held in the laboratory for 2 months to examine tag retention and fish survival. In total, 133 Atlantic Croakers and 253 Spot were tagged and released. The VIE tagging was shown to be a highly effective technique for studying the movement of these species; tag retention rates were 100% and 98% in Atlantic Croakers and Spot, respectively, and no mortality was observed among tagged fish held in the laboratory. No tagged fish were recaptured in shore-zone or nearshore sampling, indicating a lack of site fidelity by either species in these habitats. These results demonstrate the need for more extensive research on the movements of shore-zone nekton in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region.

Received February 21, 2017; accepted July 16, 2017Published online September 7, 2017

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Rachel Dixon, Max Davidson, and Anna Gruszkiewicz for field and laboratory assistance. This research was supported by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR; Award Number NA09NOS4780219) to T. E. Targett. This is Publication Number 17-017 of the NOAA–CSCOR Mid-Atlantic Shorelines project.