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Post-release activity of three coral reef fish species in a marine reserve: analysis and recommendations for telemetry studies

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Abstract

We studied the post-release activity of newly tagged fish and determined whether and for how long experimental protocol impacted their behavior. Our study focused on three species (Plectropomus leopardus, Chlorurus microrhinos and Scarus ghobban), including a total of 30 fish. Fish were kept outside their natural environment for several days before release for pre- and post-tagging surveys. Moreover, 47% of them were not released at their capture site. Half of all individuals (all species) showed a high level of side fidelity immediately upon release. During this period, they were detected in the same place, by a small and constant number of hydrophones. This site fidelity pattern was also observed for the other fish (50%; all species) but after 1 to 18 days of an unsettled pattern, during which the fish moved significantly along the reef slope (high activity). During this short period, the distances travelled were significantly higher than during the subsequent period of site fidelity (several km vs. a few hundred m). We hypothesize that these unsettled patterns might result from fish experimental displacement (homing behavior) and from post-capture captivity (the fish had to recover a niche within the ecosystem). Consequently, we suggest that fish be released where they were caught to limit the movements associated with homing behavior. Periods of captivity should be avoided as much as possible. If this is not possible, a minimum acclimatization period of two or three weeks should be taken into account when analyzing the data.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support for this study was provided by the ZoNeCo program (New Caledonia). We thank Richard Farman (Aquarium Director) for his assistance and the South Province of New Caledonia and the New Caledonian Economic Development Agency (ADECAL) for their administrative and technical support. Olivier Chateau would like to express very special thanks to Alain Gerbault and Franck Bouilleret for their help during the field trips.

Funding

Financial support for this study was provided by the ZoNeCo program (New Caledonia).

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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Olivier Chateau. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Olivier Chateau and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Olivier Chateau.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. 

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The authors have adhered to general guidelines for ethical use of animals in research and to the legal requirements and any other institutional guidelines promulgated in New Caledonia. 

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Chateau, O., Wantiez, L. Post-release activity of three coral reef fish species in a marine reserve: analysis and recommendations for telemetry studies. Environ Biol Fish 104, 15–26 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-020-01049-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-020-01049-5

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