Movement patterns of Mediterranean moray and European conger in a coastal MPA

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Movement patterns of Mediterranean moray and European conger in a coastal MPA Ana Filipa Silva1*, Bernardo R. Quintella2, 3, Tadeu J. Pereira1, 3, Ana Filipa Belo3, José L. Costa1, 3 and Pedro R. Almeida3 1 MARE, Portugal 2 FCUL, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Portugal 3 MARE, Departamento de Biologia, Portugal The Pessegueiro Island Marine Protected Area (MPA), SW coast of Portugal, was implemented in 2011 with the purpose of protect biodiversity and prevent over-exploitation of commercially important fish species. Amongst those species are the Mediterranean moray (Muraena helena) and the European conger (Conger conger). In this context, the aim of this study was to assess the importance of this MPA as a refuge/feeding area for these species and to evaluate its location and size adequacy. The study was carried out during the summer of 2013 and a total of 19 morays and 6 congers were tagged with acoustic transmitters. An array of 19 automatic receivers was deployed with a sampling design that spatially covered the entire MPA. The data from the receivers was analysed through multivariate statistics (PERMANOVA), Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and Network Analysis. Results showed that the Pessegueiro Island MPA is an important zone for both species since the tagged morays and congers spent 48% of the time within the area (average residency index). Also, KDE and Network Analysis showed that both species displayed relatively reduced home ranges, 20 ha in average for morays and 30 ha for congers, and the movements performed were limited to adjacent areas. Activity was more intense during night time for both species. Regarding morays, lunar cycle and sea conditions also seemed to influence their movement patterns. The data collected in this study highlight the importance of this MPA for the target species. Keywords: acoustic telemetry, activity patterns, Conger conger, Movement patterns, Muraena helena, Pessegueiro Island MPA Conference: XV European Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 7 Sep - 11 Sep, 2015. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Life Cycles, Migration and Connectivity Citation: Silva A, Quintella BR, Pereira TJ, Belo A, Costa JL and Almeida PR (2015). Movement patterns of Mediterranean moray and European conger in a coastal MPA. Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XV European Congress of Ichthyology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2015.03.00091 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 18 Nov 2015; Published Online: 19 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: MD. Ana Filipa Silva, MARE, Lisboa, Portugal, afilipamsilva@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Ana Filipa Silva Bernardo R Quintella Tadeu J Pereira Ana Filipa Belo José L Costa Pedro R Almeida Google Ana Filipa Silva Bernardo R Quintella Tadeu J Pereira Ana Filipa Belo José L Costa Pedro R Almeida Google Scholar Ana Filipa Silva Bernardo R Quintella Tadeu J Pereira Ana Filipa Belo José L Costa Pedro R Almeida PubMed Ana Filipa Silva Bernardo R Quintella Tadeu J Pereira Ana Filipa Belo José L Costa Pedro R Almeida Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.