Movements of Hatchery-Reared Dusky Groupers Released in a Northeast Atlantic Coastal Marine Protected Area
No-take areas are key instruments to promote the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), particularly concerning the protection of endangered species such as the dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus). However, despite the establishment of no-take areas and the prohibition of catching this s...
Published in: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10070904 |
id |
ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2077-1312/10/7/904/ |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2077-1312/10/7/904/ 2023-08-20T04:08:41+02:00 Movements of Hatchery-Reared Dusky Groupers Released in a Northeast Atlantic Coastal Marine Protected Area Ana Filipa Silva Bárbara Horta e Costa José Lino Costa Esmeralda Pereira João Pedro Marques João J. Castro Pedro G. Lino Ana Candeias-Mendes Pedro Pousão-Ferreira Inês Sousa Luís Bentes Jorge M. S. Gonçalves Pedro Raposo de Almeida Bernardo Ruivo Quintella agris 2022-06-30 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10070904 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Marine Biology https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jmse10070904 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Journal of Marine Science and Engineering; Volume 10; Issue 7; Pages: 904 Epinephelus marginatus acoustic biotelemetry tracking ranging behavior MPA restocking trials Text 2022 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10070904 2023-08-01T05:33:57Z No-take areas are key instruments to promote the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), particularly concerning the protection of endangered species such as the dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus). However, despite the establishment of no-take areas and the prohibition of catching this species in a southwestern Portuguese MPA (SACVMP—‘Sudoeste Alentejano’ and ‘Costa Vicentina’ Marine Park) since 2011, there is still no evidence of population recovery. By using acoustic biotelemetry, this work aimed to evaluate the feasibility of restocking hatchery-reared adult dusky groupers in two no-take areas within the SACVMP. In 2019 and 2021, thirty groupers were tagged with acoustic transmitters and the site attachment and movements of the groupers were assessed in the releasing sites (no-take areas). None of the tagged fish settled down in either of the areas, leaving the no-take areas mainly at dusk and night. Some individuals displayed extended movements of more than a hundred kilometers along the Portuguese coast which was rarely reported for this species. At least in some coastal stretches, those movements were performed close to the shore, which may evidence the importance of coastal MPAs to protect and promote the connectivity of species more associated with rocky reef habitats. Following studies should focus on the conditions that promote site attachment and fidelity by hatchery-reared dusky groupers so that future large-scale restocking programs can be successful in MPAs with appropriate habitats. Text Northeast Atlantic MDPI Open Access Publishing Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 10 7 904 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
op_collection_id |
ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
Epinephelus marginatus acoustic biotelemetry tracking ranging behavior MPA restocking trials |
spellingShingle |
Epinephelus marginatus acoustic biotelemetry tracking ranging behavior MPA restocking trials Ana Filipa Silva Bárbara Horta e Costa José Lino Costa Esmeralda Pereira João Pedro Marques João J. Castro Pedro G. Lino Ana Candeias-Mendes Pedro Pousão-Ferreira Inês Sousa Luís Bentes Jorge M. S. Gonçalves Pedro Raposo de Almeida Bernardo Ruivo Quintella Movements of Hatchery-Reared Dusky Groupers Released in a Northeast Atlantic Coastal Marine Protected Area |
topic_facet |
Epinephelus marginatus acoustic biotelemetry tracking ranging behavior MPA restocking trials |
description |
No-take areas are key instruments to promote the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), particularly concerning the protection of endangered species such as the dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus). However, despite the establishment of no-take areas and the prohibition of catching this species in a southwestern Portuguese MPA (SACVMP—‘Sudoeste Alentejano’ and ‘Costa Vicentina’ Marine Park) since 2011, there is still no evidence of population recovery. By using acoustic biotelemetry, this work aimed to evaluate the feasibility of restocking hatchery-reared adult dusky groupers in two no-take areas within the SACVMP. In 2019 and 2021, thirty groupers were tagged with acoustic transmitters and the site attachment and movements of the groupers were assessed in the releasing sites (no-take areas). None of the tagged fish settled down in either of the areas, leaving the no-take areas mainly at dusk and night. Some individuals displayed extended movements of more than a hundred kilometers along the Portuguese coast which was rarely reported for this species. At least in some coastal stretches, those movements were performed close to the shore, which may evidence the importance of coastal MPAs to protect and promote the connectivity of species more associated with rocky reef habitats. Following studies should focus on the conditions that promote site attachment and fidelity by hatchery-reared dusky groupers so that future large-scale restocking programs can be successful in MPAs with appropriate habitats. |
format |
Text |
author |
Ana Filipa Silva Bárbara Horta e Costa José Lino Costa Esmeralda Pereira João Pedro Marques João J. Castro Pedro G. Lino Ana Candeias-Mendes Pedro Pousão-Ferreira Inês Sousa Luís Bentes Jorge M. S. Gonçalves Pedro Raposo de Almeida Bernardo Ruivo Quintella |
author_facet |
Ana Filipa Silva Bárbara Horta e Costa José Lino Costa Esmeralda Pereira João Pedro Marques João J. Castro Pedro G. Lino Ana Candeias-Mendes Pedro Pousão-Ferreira Inês Sousa Luís Bentes Jorge M. S. Gonçalves Pedro Raposo de Almeida Bernardo Ruivo Quintella |
author_sort |
Ana Filipa Silva |
title |
Movements of Hatchery-Reared Dusky Groupers Released in a Northeast Atlantic Coastal Marine Protected Area |
title_short |
Movements of Hatchery-Reared Dusky Groupers Released in a Northeast Atlantic Coastal Marine Protected Area |
title_full |
Movements of Hatchery-Reared Dusky Groupers Released in a Northeast Atlantic Coastal Marine Protected Area |
title_fullStr |
Movements of Hatchery-Reared Dusky Groupers Released in a Northeast Atlantic Coastal Marine Protected Area |
title_full_unstemmed |
Movements of Hatchery-Reared Dusky Groupers Released in a Northeast Atlantic Coastal Marine Protected Area |
title_sort |
movements of hatchery-reared dusky groupers released in a northeast atlantic coastal marine protected area |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10070904 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
Northeast Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Northeast Atlantic |
op_source |
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering; Volume 10; Issue 7; Pages: 904 |
op_relation |
Marine Biology https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jmse10070904 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10070904 |
container_title |
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
904 |
_version_ |
1774721099805753344 |