Use of satellite tags to reveal the movements of spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias in the western North Atlantic Ocean

Marine Ecology Progress Series

James A. Sulikowski¹  Nathan B. Furey¹  G. Walter Ingram Jr.¹  Walter Bubley¹  Benjamin Galuardi¹  William B. Driggers III¹  Paul C. W. Tsang¹ 

关键词: Spiny dogfish;    Movement;    Depth preferences;    Tracking;   

DOI  :  10.3354/meps08821

学科分类：海洋学与技术

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: The use of popup satellite archival transmitting tags (PSAT) has helped to reveal horizontal and vertical movements of large, highly migratory fishes to assist in the management of their stocks. We tested the efficacy of a significantly smaller satellite tag, the X-tag, to track the movements of 3 spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Tag retention rates for this study ranged between 65 and 189 d. The sharks occupied waters with temperatures ranging from 5.2 to 14.9°C and had estimated average horizontal speeds between 1.36 and 2.49 km h^–1. The sharks initially moved east into offshore waters after tagging in the Gulf of Maine and then into southern waters off the coast of New Jersey, USA. Diel depth patterns indicated that each shark was equally active during both day and night. Our results suggest that spiny dogfish are more mobile, both vertically and horizontally, than previously thought and that smaller PSATs can provide useful information on the movement patterns of a relatively small species of shark.

【 授权许可】

Unknown