Ultrasonic tracking of activity and movement patterns of female cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus, in Broad Cove, Conception Bay, Newfoundland

Ultrasonic tracking using a fixed hydrophone array system was conducted in Conception Bay, Newfoundland, to study the activity and movement patterns of female cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus, (Walbaum 1792).;Fish were active diurnally, commencing activity on average 55 minutes after sunrise and ceasing activity about 60 minutes after sunset. Fish were assumed active whenever positional information was obtained on movement. The active period, ranging from 11 to 16.5 hrs, corresponded to the interim between daily onset and cessation of activity and was interrupted by periods of inactivity lasting between 5 and 15 minutes. Several factors influenced the activity of female cunner. As daylength shortened, cunner had a corresponding decrease in the duration of their diurnal activity. Increases in water temperature resulted in a decrease in the length of inactivity bouts. At temperatures below 5;Female cunner exhibited limited movements, remaining within 80 m of their original point of capture. The home range areas of 8 female cunner ranged in size from 300 to 2353 m;As water temperatures increased, both on a daily and seasonal basis, females occupied smaller home ranges. Home range areas were larger during the afternoon than the morning. Size of home range area were not affected by sea state, but increased as cloud cover increased. Seasonally the largest home ranges occurred in June-July, followed by October-November, and lastly August-September. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...