No Evidence of Site Fidelity in Atlantic Croakers or Spot in the Shore Zone of Lower Delaware Bay

Abstract

AbstractWe conducted a mark–recapture study over a 98‐d period from June 20 through September 26, 2013, in lower Delaware Bay, USA, to examine movement and site fidelity of the Atlantic Croaker Micropogonias undulatus and Spot Leiostomus xanthurus. A secondary objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of visible implant elastomer (VIE) tagging for these species. Fish were tagged at five shore‐zone sites along approximately 5 km of gradually sloping sandy beach and at a site along 300 m of riprap‐hardened shoreline. Additional tagging occurred in an adjacent area (~36 ha) of nearshore habitat. Atlantic Croakers and Spot (15 individuals per species) were also tagged and held in the laboratory for 2 months to examine tag retention and fish survival. In total, 133 Atlantic Croakers and 253 Spot were tagged and released. The VIE tagging was shown to be a highly effective technique for studying the movement of these species; tag retention rates were 100% and 98% in Atlantic Croakers and Spot, respectively, and no mortality was observed among tagged fish held in the laboratory. No tagged fish were recaptured in shore‐zone or nearshore sampling, indicating a lack of site fidelity by either species in these habitats. These results demonstrate the need for more extensive research on the movements of shore‐zone nekton in the U.S. mid‐Atlantic region.