Abstract. For species that are closely managed, understanding population resilience to environmental and anthropogenic disturbances (i.e., recovery trajectories across broad spatial areas) can guide which suite of management actions are available to mitigate any impacts. During January 2010, an extreme cold event in south Florida caused widespread mortality of common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, a popular sport fish. Interpretation of trends using fishery-independent monitoring data in five south Florida estuaries showed that changes in catch rates of adult snook (>500 mm standard length) varied between no effects postevent to large effects and 4-yr recoveries. The reasons for the variation across estuaries are unknown, but are likely related to differences in estuary geomorphology and habitat availability (e.g., extent of deep rivers and canals) and differences in the proportions of behavior contingents (i.e., segments of the population that use divergent movement tactics) that place snook in different areas of the estuary during winter. Emerging awareness of the presence of behavior contingents, identification of overwintering sites, and improvements of abundance indices in remote nursery habitats should provide a better understanding of population resilience to disturbance events for snook. Given that changes in the frequency of short-lived, severe cold events are currently unknown, the findings and management actions described here for a tropical species living at the edge of its distribution should be useful to scientists forecasting the effects of climate change.

Data collected to determine specific reproductive traits, including spatial and temporal patterns, are an area of need for improved understanding of factors that contribute to productivity in fish populations. We used passive acoustic telemetry to study the movements of 271 common snook Centropomus undecimalis on the east coast of Florida from 2008 to 2011 to assess spatial dynamics during the spawning seasons. Common snook were detected in 6 inlets from Port Canaveral to Palm Beach Inlet during the summer months when water temperature exceeded 23°C, with peak densities between July and August. Individual residency times in an aggregation were over 7.5 times shorter than the spawning season which, together with asynchronous arrival dates and frequent migrations away from the aggregation, indicates high rates of turnover. Nearly half of the tagged common snook were observed at multiple (2 to 5) spawning sites during a single season and showed varying degrees of fidelity to a spawning site. Area of residence, sex and size are influential factors in spawning traits of common snook. Females migrated earlier, made more trips, and spent longer periods in aggregations compared to males. Larger fish showed greater site fidelity to a single aggregation site. Each year a portion of the population was not detected in an inlet, implying that some common snook skip spawning or that spawning may occur outside of inlets. Findings highlight the need for a combined approach to management that includes updating the stock assessment, using more accurate measures of spawning effort and the protection of spawning areas from physical disturbance. KEY WORDS: Acoustic monitoring • Fish spawning • Fisheries management • Reproductive patterns • Centropomus undecimalis Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher This authors' personal copy may not be publicly or systematically copied or distributed, or posted on the Open Web, except with written permission of the copyright holder(s). It may be distributed to interested individuals on request.

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Marine fish movement plays a critical role in ecosystem functioning and is increasingly studied with acoustic telemetry. Traditionally, this research has focused on single species and small spatial scales. However, integrated tracking networks, such as the Integrated Tracking of Aquatic Animals in the Gulf of Mexico (iTAG) network, are building the capacity to monitor multiple species over larger spatial scales. We conducted a synthesis of passive acoustic monitoring data for 29 species (889 transmitters), ranging from large top predators to small consumers, monitored along the west coast of Florida, USA, over 3 yr (2016-2018). Space use was highly variable, with some groups using all monitored areas and others using only the area where they were tagged. The most extensive space use was found for Atlantic tarpon Megalops atlanticus and bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas. Individual detection patterns clustered into 4 groups, ranging from occasionally detected long-distance movers to frequently detected juvenile or adult residents. Synchronized, alongshore, long-distance movements were found for Atlantic tarpon, cobia Rachycentron canadum, and several elasmobranch species. These movements were predominantly northbound in spring and southbound in fall. Detections of top predators were highest in summer, except for nearshore Tampa Bay where the most detections occurred in fall, coinciding with large red drum Sciaenops ocellatus spawning aggregations. We discuss the future of collaborative telemetry research, including current limitations and potential solutions to maximize its impact for understanding movement ecology, conducting ecosystem monitoring, and supporting fisheries management.

Acoustic telemetry, in which transmitters projecting ultrasonic signals carrying unique identification codes are deployed on marine and aquatic animals and detected and logged by acoustic receivers, is becoming a common tool in fisheries science. Collaboration among researchers using this technology has led to the development of telemetry networks that are capable of detecting transmitters at coastwide and even continental scales through the combined coverage of all members' receivers. Two grassroots telemetry networks in the northwest Atlantic and Caribbean, the Atlantic Cooperative Telemetry (ACT) Network and the FACT Network, began as small-scale efforts among neighboring researchers and have expanded to include shared databases of tagged animals along entire coastlines. A third telemetry network, the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN), has brought additional capacity to the ACT and FACT networks and has provided a focus for telemetry activities in Canadian waters. It has also improved the power and efficiency of telemetry research globally through collaborative, standardized methods for storing, sharing, and processing data. When used in combination with other data collected by traditional fishery research methods and emerging technologies, such as remote sensing and autonomous vehicles, data collected through acoustic telemetry networks can address fundamental but previously unanswered questions about key habitat areas and data-poor species and can yield new insights into the ecology of species that are thought to be well known. Here, we provide an overview of acoustic telemetry networks, including a history of the ACT Network, FACT Network, and OTN and a review of recent and current research that has been made possible through the connections enabled by these networks.

The FACT Network (originally the Florida Atlantic Coast Telemetry working group), established in 2007, is a grassroots collaboration that is dedicated to improving the conservation and management of aquatic animals by facilitating data sharing amongst researchers using acoustic telemetry technology, providing a community for scientists, and building stakeholder partnerships. Founded along the eastern Florida coastline, FACT quickly grew in both membership and geographical range to include 93 partner groups along a large portion of the southern U.S. Atlantic seaboard and western Caribbean. This rapid expansion was facilitated by adapting FACT's policies and procedures to meet the growing needs of its members, including implementing an online data sharing system capable of exchanging information with other compatible systems designed by the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN). Less than 13 months from its inception, the FACT database housed 129.5 million detections and metadata for 5,979 tags from 101 projects (85 FACT projects and 16 OTN-based projects). Twice-yearly meetings allow FACT members to interact, building relationships between individuals, which in turn promotes collaboration and data sharing. The success of FACT is attributable to a combination of biogeographical factors; partnerships with the Animal Tracking Network, OTN, and Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association; and active membership. In a survey of FACT members, data management services and belonging to a community ranked highest as reasons for joining the network. Future success of the FACT Network will depend on how effectively it can adapt to changing needs and conditions in the scientific landscape. In this paper, we describe the origins, philosophy, and management approach of the FACT Network, with the hope that this information can provide insights into the benefits (and limitations) of future acoustic tracking networks in other regions.

Data from the Integrated Tracking of Aquatic Animals in the Gulf of Mexico (iTAG) network, and sister networks, were used to evaluate fish movements in the Florida Keys-an extensive reef fish ecosystem just north of Cuba connecting the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. We analysed ~2 million detections for 23 species, ranging from reef fish such as Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus, Serranidae) to migratory apex predators such as white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias, Lamnidae). To facilitate comparisons across species, we used an eco-evolutionary movement strategy framework that identified measurable movement traits and their proximate and ultimate drivers. Detectability was species-specific and quantified with a detection potential index. Life stages detected in the study area varied by species and residency varied with life stage. Four annual movement types were identified as follows: high site-fidelity residents, range residents, seasonal migrants and general migrants. The endangered smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata, Pristidae), a seasonal migrant, exhibited the greatest within-ecosystem connectivity. Site attachment, stopover and deep-water migration behaviours differed between individuals, species and annual movement types. All apex predators were migratory. General migrants were significantly larger than fish in the other movement types, a life-history and movement trait combination that is common but not exclusive, as many small pelagics also migrate.Most teleosts exhibited movements associated with spawning. As concerns grow over habitat and biodiversity loss, multispecies movescapes, such as presented here, are expected to play an increasingly important role in informing ecosystem-based and non-extractive fisheries management strategies.

The assumption for hermaphroditic fish species that mature individuals of the terminal sex arise directly from mature individuals of the primary sex has led to the use of sex ratios as a proxy for age at maturity (A 50). The timing of transition and deficient energy reserves, however, can result in a delay between transition and spawning. To test the assumption of female maturity and investigate the relationship between maturation and energy reserves, common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, a protandrous hermaphrodite, were collected from rivers, estuaries, inlets and offshore habitats on the east coast of Florida during 2010-2015. Immature females were observed every month, with lowest proportions during the peak spawning months of July and August. When calculated based on sex ratio, A 50 (8.1 years) overestimated the age at which 50% of the female population was, in fact, mature (4.1-4.9 years). Best-fit models indicate that mesenteric fat index (I F) and hepato-somatic index (I H) were significantly affected by gonad phase, month and size and weakly by habitat. In post hoc analysis, immature female I F did not differ significantly from developing and regenerating females, but immature female I H was significantly lower than that for all mature phases except animals in the regressing phase. Although immature females may have sufficient energy in terms of fat, it appears that energy is not allocated to reproductive processes, as evidenced by lower I H. Nonetheless, approximately 95% of females were spawning-capable during peak spawning months, suggesting that the energy threshold at which immature females reach maturity is met by most females each spawning cycle.