Movement patterns of bonefish (Albula spp.) inhabiting reef flats in Culebra, Puerto Rico: from ecological connectivity to sustainable use of a recreational fishery 25 April 2015 UPR Sea Grant R-21-1-12
Start Date: 01 February 2012 End Date: 31 January 2015
Andy J. Danylchuk and Jack Finn Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003 A: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Objectives The objectives of our study were to: 1) quantify the spatial ecology of bonefish inhabiting coastal waters of Culebra, PR; and 2) examine the impacts of catch-and-release on the physiological stress and post-release mortality of bonefish. Over the past three years we have successfully accomplished both objectives. Prior to our study, no formal scientific research had been done on the movement patterns and catch-and-release of bonefish in the Caribbean Basin. Advancement of the Field Our research has greatly advanced the understanding the movement patterns of bonefish inhabiting small isolated reef flats typical to islands in the Caribbean. Fixed-station acoustic telemetry, including the first-ever fine-scale positioning system used for bonefish, resulted in over 4.2 million reliable detections used to model movement patterns. Although the analyses of the movement data will continue for the 12-18 months, current syntheses of the data demonstrate that bonefish have incredibly high fidelity to their site of capture. In many cases, individual bonefish tracked for over two years rarely moved to neighboring reef flats. At a fine scale, we are also able to quantify foraging patterns and related drivers that provide direct indicators of essential habitat for bonefish. This work advances the field of spatial ecology for bonefish and highlights the need for the protection of both key habitats and movement corridors. For this work we also developed network modeling techniques that are advancing the broader field of acoustic telemetry for marine fishes and other organisms. Our research has also advanced the understanding of the response of bonefish to catch-andrelease recreational angling. Adopting a rapid assessment approach we have used on other species, we determined that the larger bonefish typical of the reef flats of Culebra as equally susceptible to angling stress when compared to smaller bonefish in The Bahamas. Air exposure had a strong effect on physiological stress and post-release behavior and mortality. Larger fish also typically have longer fight times, and fight duration and intensity may be an important predictor of physiological stress and survival relative to other sport fish. This aspect of our work represents the first catch-and-release assessment of bonefish outside The Bahamas, and adds great depth to the development of best practices for the sustainability of angling-based tourism focused on bonefish.
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