Document Type

Article

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Publication Date

2009

Journal

Fishery Bulletin

Volume

107

Issue

3

First Page

373

Last Page

383

Abstract

Pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) have been used to study movements, habitat use, and postrelease survival of large pelagic vertebrates, but the size of these tags has historically precluded their use on smaller coastal species. To evaluate a new generation of smaller PSATs for the study of postrelease survival and habitat use of coastal species, we attached Microwave Telemetry, Inc., X-tags to ten striped bass (Morone saxatilis) 94-112 cm total length (TL) caught on J hooks and circle hooks during the winter recreational fishery in Virginia. Tags collected temperature and depth information every five minutes and detached from the fish after 30 days. Nine of the ten tags released on schedule and eight transmitted 30% to 96% (mean 78.6%) of the archived data. Three tags were physically recovered during or after the transmission period, allowing retrieval of all archived data. All eight striped bass whose tags transmitted data survived for 30 days after release, including two fish that were hooked deeply with J hooks. The eight fish spent more than 90% of their time at depths less than 10 m and in temperatures of 6-9 C, demonstrated no significant diel differences in depth or temperature utilization (P>0.05), and exhibited weak periodicities in vertical movements consistent with daily and tidal cycles.

Keywords

Chesapeake Bay; White Marlin; Recreational Fishery; Diving Behavior; North-Carolina; Temperature; Movements; Mortality; Migration; Release

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