Life Sciences Commons^™

First Insights Into The Vertical Habitat Use Of The Whitespotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus Narinari Revealed By Pop‐Up Satellite Archival Tags, L. R. Brewster, B. V. Cahill, M. N. Burton, C. Dougan, J. S. Herr, L. Issac Norton, S. A. Mcguire, M. Pico, E. Urban-Gedamke, K. Bassos-Hull, J. P. Tyminski, R. E. Hueter, Bradley M. Wetherbee, Mahmood S. Shivji, N. Burnie, M. J. Ajemian

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The whitespotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari is a tropical to warm‐temperate benthopelagic batoid that ranges widely throughout the western Atlantic Ocean. Despite conservation concerns for the species, its vertical habitat use and diving behaviour remain unknown. Patterns and drivers in depth distribution of A. narinari were investigated at two separate locations—western North Atlantic (Islands of Bermuda) and Eastern Gulf of Mexico (Sarasota, Florida, USA). Between 2010 and 2014, seven pop‐up satellite archival tags (PSATs) were attached to A. narinari using three methods: a through‐tail suture; external tail‐band; and through‐wing attachment. Retention time ranged from 0–180 days, with tags attached via …

Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans) Horizontal Movements In The Western South Atlantic, Eduardo W. Wanick

HCNSO Student Capstones

Blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) have been documented to undertake long – and sometimes transoceanic – migrations, according to electronic pop-up satellite archival tag (PSAT) data obtained primarily in the western North Atlantic, with additional reported deployments from selected locations in the Pacific. Information on the movements of blue marlin in the South Atlantic, however, is lacking, despite evidence of spawning aggregations off the coast of Brazil during the Southern Hemisphere’s late spring and summer. Additionally, there are no reported long-term PSAT tag deployments on blue marlin in the western South Atlantic. Therefore, their movements in that large area …

Habitat Utilization And Vertical Distribution Of The Great Barracuda Sphyraena Barracuda (Edwards 1771) In The Western North Atlantic Using Electronic Archival Tags, Noah R. Hansen, David W. Kerstetter

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The Great Barracuda Sphyraena barracuda is a large predatory teleost commonly seen in the tropics of the Western North Atlantic. Using pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs), two large Great Barracuda (101 and 104 cm FL) were tagged off South Florida for a 15-day deployment period. Great Barracuda 88094 traveled 471 km minimum straight-line distance (MSLD) over the deployment duration, while Great Barracuda 88095 traveled 1231 km MSLD. Great barracuda 88094 achieved a maximum depth of 145.2 m, while 88095 to a maximum depth of 186.9 m, although such movements were for short time durations. The data obtained indicate significant differences …

Feeding Ecology And Habitat Utilization Of The Great Barracuda Sphyraena Barracuda (Edwards 1771) In Southeast Florida, Noah R. Hansen

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Great barracuda Sphyraena barracuda is a large predatory teleost found circumglobally, other than the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The species is commonly caught by both recreational and commercial fishermen as bycatch while targeting other, more economically or recreationally valuable fishes. This species also exhibits an ontogenetic shift in habitat, with juveniles inhabiting mangrove and seagrass habitats, while adults live near offshore reefs and associated structure.

This thesis consists of two separate studies of S. barracuda: 1) feeding ecology along an ontogenetic gradient and 2) habitat utilization of as derived through electronic tagging. The first chapter of this thesis describes the …