Nocturnal Depth Distribution of Western North Atlantic Swordfish (Xiphias gladius, Linnaeus, 1758) in Relation to Lunar Illumination

Swordfish are known to undergo large diel vertical movements from surface waters at night to > 300 m depth during the day. Evidence presented over the past several deeades suggests the lunar cycle affects these vertical migrations. This study collected data concurrently from 7 swordfish throughou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Gulf and Caribbean Research
Main Authors: Loefer, Joshua K., Sedberry, George R., McGovern, John C.
Format: Text
Language:unknown
Published: The Aquila Digital Community 2007
Subjects:
swordfish
North Atlantic Ocean
lunar illumination
nocturnal depth distribution
Marine Biology
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://aquila.usm.edu/gcr/vol19/iss2/10
https://doi.org/10.18785/gcr.1902.10
https://aquila.usm.edu/context/gcr/article/1419/viewcontent/Pages_from_vol19.2_11.pdf
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Summary:Swordfish are known to undergo large diel vertical movements from surface waters at night to > 300 m depth during the day. Evidence presented over the past several deeades suggests the lunar cycle affects these vertical migrations. This study collected data concurrently from 7 swordfish throughout 3 consecutive lunar cycles using pop-up satellite archival tags. All individuals demonstrated an inverse relationship between recorded nocturnal depths and lunar illumination.

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