Temporal dynamics, residency and site fidelity of spawning aggregations of a herbivorous tropical reef fish Siganus sutor

Bijoux, Jude P., Dagorn, Laurent, Berke, Gregory, Cowley, Paul D., Soria, Marc, Gaertner, Jean-Claude, and Robinson, Jan (2013) Temporal dynamics, residency and site fidelity of spawning aggregations of a herbivorous tropical reef fish Siganus sutor. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 475. pp. 233-247.

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Abstract

The shoemaker spinefoot Siganus sutor is a fast-growing, short-lived, gonochorist and herbivorous reef fish that forms transient fish spawning aggregations (FSAs). In the Seychelles, FSAs of this species occur monthly between September and June around the full moon. To study the spawning aggregation dynamics of S. sutor, 39 reproductively active individuals were acoustically tagged and monitored at 3 known FSA sites (Paté Polite, Paté Désiré and Paté Dividi) off the west coast of Praslin island (Seychelles) between October 2010 and April 2011. The presence and absence of tagged fish at the 3 sites were monitored using moored arrays of passive acoustic receivers, while the density of fish at the FSAs was quantified using underwater visual census (UVC). Most tagged fish (87.0%) detected in more than 1 spawning period showed fidelity to single spawning sites. Predominantly, tagged individuals arrived at FSA sites at dawn and departed at dusk. Spawning residency times at FSA sites ranged from 0.02 to 16.1 d. At Paté Polite, residency times were higher in the first half of the spawning season. Residency times were often several-fold shorter than aggregation duration which, when combined with patterns in arrival and departure times, indicates high turnover of fish within aggregations. The findings of this study provide information needed for emerging co-management schemes that aim to sustain this socio-economically important fishery.

Item ID: 30189
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1616-1599
Keywords: fish spawning aggregation, Siganus sutor, acoustic telemetry, residency time, site fidelity, Seychelles
Funders: Marine and Coastal Science for Management (MASMA), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA)
Projects and Grants: MASMA Grant No. MASMA/OR/2008/06, GEF Grant No. SEY/SGP/OP4/Y3/RAF/2010/05
Date Deposited: 13 Nov 2013 05:39
FoR Codes: 06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0602 Ecology > 060205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl Marine Ichthyology) @ 100%
SEO Codes: 97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences @ 100%
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