Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T11:18:53.721Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Behavior of dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) around drifting FADs as observed from automated acoustic receivers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2008

Marc Taquet ,
Laurent Dagorn ,
Jean-Claude Gaertner ,
Charlotte Girard ,
Riaz Aumerruddy ,
Gorka Sancho  and
David Itano
Marc Taquet
Affiliation:
IFREMER, CRH – HMT, Av. J. Monnet, BP 171, 34203 Sète Cedex, France
Laurent Dagorn
Affiliation:
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, CRH, Av. Jean Monnet, BP 171, 34203 Sète Cedex, France
Jean-Claude Gaertner
Affiliation:
Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille, LMGEM, UMR CNRS 6117, rue de la Batterie des Lions, 13007 Marseille, France
Charlotte Girard
Affiliation:
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, CRH, Av. Jean Monnet, BP 171, 34203 Sète Cedex, France
Riaz Aumerruddy
Affiliation:
Seychelles Fishing Authority, PO Box 449, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles
Gorka Sancho
Affiliation:
College of Charleston, Grice Marine Laboratory, 205 Fort Johnson Rd., Charleston, SC 29412, USA
David Itano
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii, JIMAR, Pelagic Fisheries Research Program, 1000 Pope Rd. MSB 312, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Get access

Abstract

To study the behavior of dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) around drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs), we tagged individuals with long-lived, coded sonic transmitters and attached automated sonic receivers to drifting FADs in two regions of the Western Indian Ocean. Among the three tagging methods used in this study (surgery, external hooks, underwater bait without capture), the latest resulted in residence times significantly shorter than the other ones, likely due to regurgitation. Dolphinfish tagged with the two other methods usually stayed several days associated to FADs (Kaplan-Meier survival analysis 5.09 days, mean 6.25 days, SD 4.39 days, maximum 15.26 days), drifting with them. There was no significant difference in the residence times of dolphinfish in equatorial and tropical areas. While associated to FADs, dolphinfish spent most of their time close to floating object (<365 m). The total time spent away from FADs was low (median 8%), and likely corresponded to making feeding excursions. Dolphinfish did not form a single school while associated to a given FADs, but formed multiple small schools. FADs are likely to be sites with exchanges of individuals between schools. These results are discussed in regards to the possibility of FADs acting as ecological traps and the validity of meeting-point hypotheses as an explanation for fish aggregations under floating objects.

Keywords

DolphinfishFADAcoustic taggingUltrasonic telemetryBehavior of fishEcological trapMeeting pointIndian Ocean
Type
Research Article
Information
Aquatic Living Resources , Volume 20 , Issue 4: Fish Aggregating Devices as Instrumented Observatories of Pelagic Ecosystems , October 2007 , pp. 323 - 330
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD, 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beardsley, G.L., 1967, Age, growth and reproduction of the dolphin, Coryphaena hippurus, in the Straits of Florida. Copeia 1967, 2, 441-451. CrossRef
Brill, R.W., Block, B.A., Boggs, C.H., Bigelow, K.A., Freund, E.V., Marcinek, D.J., 1999, Horizontal movements and depth distribution of large adult yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) near the Hawaiian Islands, recorded using ultrasonic telemetry: implications for the physiological ecology of pelagic fishes. Mar. Biol. 133, 395–408. CrossRef
Dagorn, L., Holland, K.N., Itano, D.G., 2007, Behaviour of yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye (T. obesus) tuna in a network of fish aggregating devices (FADs). Mar. Biol. 151, 595–606. CrossRef
Dagorn L., Pincock D., Girard C., Holland K., Taquet M., Sancho G., Itano D., Aumeeruddy R. 2007. Satellite-linked acoustic receivers to observe behavior of fishes in remote areas. Aquat. Living Resour. 20, 307–312.
Dempster, T., Kingsford, M.J., 2003, Homing of pelagic fish to fish aggregating devices (FADs): an investigation of the role of sensory cues. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 258, 213–222. CrossRef
Dempster T., Taquet M., 2004, Analysis of the literature on fish aggregation devices (FAD) research; gaps in current knowledge and future research directions for studies of FAD-associated fish. Rev. Fish. Biol. Fish. 14, 21–42.
Fonteneau, A., 2003, Prospects for management of FAD fisheries in the Indian Ocean. IOTC Proc. 6, 30–47.
Fonteneau A., Pallares P., Pianet R., 2000, A worldwide review of purse seine fisheries on FADs. In: Le Gall J.-Y., Cayré P., Taquet M. (eds.), Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons. IFREMER, Actes Colloq. 28, pp. 15–34.
Girard, C., Benhamou, S., Dagorn, L., 2004, FAD: Fish Aggregating Device or Fish Attracting Device? A new analysis of yellowfin tuna movements around floating objects. Anim. Behav. 67, 319–326. CrossRef
Girard, C., Dagorn, L., Taquet, M., Aumeeruddy, R., Peignon, C., Benhamou, S., 2007, Homing abilities of dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) displaced from fish aggregating devices (FADs) determined using ultrasonic telemetry. Aquat. Living Resour. 20, 313–321. CrossRef
Heupel, M.R., Simpfendorfer, C.A., Hueter, R.E., 2004, Estimation of shark home ranges using passive monitoring techniques. Environ. Biol. Fishes 71, 135–142. CrossRef
Holland, K.N., Brill, R.W., Chang, R.K.C., 1990, Horizontal and vertical movements of yellowfin and bigeye tunas associated with Fish Aggregating Devices. Fish. Bull. 88, 493–507.
Klimley, A.P., Holloway, C.F., 1999, School fidelity and homing synchronicity of yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares. Mar. Biol. 133, 307–317. CrossRef
Marsac F., Cayre P., 1998, Telemetry applied to behaviour of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares, Bonnaterre, 1788) movements in a network of fish aggregating devices. Hydrobiologia 371/372, 155–171.
Marsac F., Fonteneau A., Menard F., 2000, Drifting FADs used in tuna fisheries: an ecological trap? In: Le Gall J.-Y., Cayre P. and Taquet M. (eds.), Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons. IFREMER, Actes Colloq. 28, pp. 537–552.
Meyer, C.G., Holland, K.N., 2000, Movement patterns, habitat utilization, home range size and size fidelity in the white-saddle goatfish, Parupeneus porphyreus, in a marine reserve. Environ. Biol. Fish. 59, 235–242. CrossRef
Ohta, I., Kakuma, S., 2005, Periodic behaviour and residence time of yellowfin and bigeye tuna associated with fish aggregating devices around Okinawa Islands, as identified with automated listening stations. Mar. Biol. 146, 581–594. CrossRef
Ohta I, Kakuma S., Kanashiro K., 2001, Aggregating behaviour of yellowfin and bigeye tuna tagged with coded ultrasonic transmitters around FADs in Okinawa, Japan. Proc. Symp. Tagging and Tracking Marine Fish with Electronic Devices, February 7-11, 2000. University of Hawaii, pp. 131-145.
Pincock D.G., Voegeli F.A. 1990, Quick course in underwater telemetry system. Vemco Limited.
Romanov, E.V., 2002, By-catch in the tuna purse-seine fisheries of the Western Indian Ocean. Fish. Bull. 100, 90–105.
Schaefer, K.M., Fuller, D.W., 2002, Movements, behaviour, and habitat selection of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the eastern equatorial Pacific, ascertained through archival tags. Fish. Bull. 100, 765–788.
Topping, D.T., Lowe, C.G., Caselle, J.E., 2006, Site fidelity and seasonal movement patterns of adult California sheephead Semicossyphus pulcher (Labridae): an acoustic monitoring study. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 326, 257–267. CrossRef
Taquet M., 2004, Le comportement agrégatif de la dorade coryphène (Coryphaena hippurus) autour des objets flottants. Thèse de Doctorat, Université de Paris 6, Océanologie biologique.
Taquet, M., Sancho, G., Dagorn, L., Gaertner, J.C., Itano, D., Aumeeruddy, R., Wendling, B., Peignon, C., 2007, Characterization of fish aggregations associated with drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the Western Indian Ocean through underwater visual census. Aquat. Living Resour. 20, 331–341. CrossRef
Winger, P.D., Walsh, S.J., 2001, Tagging of Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua) with intragastric transmitter: effects of forced insertion and voluntary ingestion on retention, food consumption and survival. J. Appl. Ichthyol. 17, 234–239. CrossRef