Ocean Heat Content Reveals Secrets of Fish Migrations

Luo, Jiangang; Ault, Jerald S.; Shay, Lynn K.; Hoolihan, John P.; Prince, Eric D.; Brown, Craig; Rooker, Jay R.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0141101

Cited by 31 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Sea surface temperature corrected Kalman filter tracks were further refined with the fine‐scale geolocation method of Luo et al () which incorporated OHC estimated from Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and a genetic algorithm (GA‐OHC). The concept of the OHC method, originally developed for use in hurricane intensity forecasts, integrates the thermal energy from the depths associated with the 26°C isotherm (D26) to the ocean surface following the equation of Palmen ().

OHC = c_{normalp} ρ {false\int}_{D 26}^{0} (T_{z} - 26^{^{\circ}}) d z,

where c p is the specific heat constant of water, ρ is seawater density, and T z is water temperature at depth z (Luo et al, ). In fisheries applications, the 26°C isotherm can be modified to any water temperature range, specifically by the lower bound of an animal's thermal range, such as the 20°C isotherm that we used in this study for tarpon since 99% of temperatures recorded by the tags were above this isotherm (Luo & Ault, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migrations and movements of Atlantic tarpon revealed by two decades of satellite tagging

et al. 2019

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Understanding large‐scale migratory behaviours, local movement patterns and population connectivity are critical to determining the natural processes and anthropogenic stressors that influence population dynamics and for developing effective conservation plans. Atlantic tarpon occur over a broad geographic range in the Atlantic Ocean where they support valuable subsistence, commercial and recreational fisheries. From 2001 through 2018, we deployed 292 satellite telemetry tags on Atlantic tarpon in coastal waters off three continents to document: (a) seasonal migrations and regional population connectivity; (b) freshwater and estuarine habitat utilization; (c) spawning locations; and (d) shark predation across the south‐eastern United States, Gulf of Mexico and northern Caribbean Sea. These results showed that some mature tarpon make long seasonal migrations over thousands of kilometres crossing state and national jurisdictional borders. Others showed more local movements and habitat use. The tag data also revealed potential spawning locations consistent with those inferred in other studies from observations of early life stage tarpon leptocephalus larvae. Our analyses indicated that shark predation mortality on released tarpon is higher than previously estimated, especially at ocean passes, river mouths and inlets to bays. To date, there has been no formal stock assessment of Atlantic tarpon, and regional fishery management plans do not exist. Our findings will provide critical input to these important efforts and assist the multinational community in the development of a stock‐wide management information system to support informed decision‐making for sustaining Atlantic tarpon fisheries.

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OHC = c_{normalp} ρ {false\int}_{D 26}^{0} (T_{z} - 26^{^{\circ}}) d z,

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migrations and movements of Atlantic tarpon revealed by two decades of satellite tagging

et al. 2019

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“…Individual likelihood surfaces for each depth level were then multiplied together for an overall profile likelihood at that time point. (5) Ocean Heat Content (OHC) was obtained by integrating the heat content of the water column above the minimum daily temperature to the most shallow depth recorded by the tag for both the tag profiles and HYCOM fields (Luo et al, 2015). All observation-based likelihoods were formed using integrated likelihood calculations (Le Bris et al, 2013).…”

Section: Geolocation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Archival Tag Data and a High-Resolution Oceanographic Model to Estimate Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) Movements in the Western Atlantic

2018

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Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) populations are considered "vulnerable" globally and "endangered" in the northeast Atlantic by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Much of our knowledge of this species comes from surface observations in coastal waters, yet recent evidence suggests the majority of their lives may be spent in the deep ocean. Depth preferences of basking sharks have significantly limited movement studies that used pop-up satellite archival transmitting (PSAT) tags as conventional light-based geolocation is impossible for tagged animals that spend significant time below the photic zone. We tagged 57 basking sharks with PSAT tags in the NW Atlantic from 2004 to 2011. Many individuals spent several months at meso-and bathy-pelagic depths where accurate light-level geolocation was impossible during fall, winter and spring. We applied a newly-developed geolocation approach for the PSAT data by comparing three-dimensional depth-temperature profile data recorded by the tags to modeled in situ oceanographic data from the high-resolution HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). Observation-based likelihoods were leveraged within a state-space hidden Markov model (HMM). The combined tracks revealed that basking sharks moved from waters around Cape Cod, MA to as far as the SE coast of Brazil (20 • S), a total distance of over 17,000 km. Moreover, 59% of tagged individuals with sufficient deployment durations (>250 days) demonstrated seasonal fidelity to Cape Cod and the Gulf of Maine, with one individual returning to within 60 km of its tagging location 1 year later. Tagged sharks spent most of their time at epipelagic depths during summer months around Cape Cod and in the Gulf of Maine. During winter months, sharks spent extended periods at depths of at least 600 m while moving south to the Sargasso Sea, the Caribbean Sea, or the western tropical Atlantic. Our work demonstrates the utility of applying advances in oceanographic modeling to understanding habitat use of highly Braun et al. Oceanographic Modeling of Shark Movements migratory, often meso-and bathy-pelagic, ocean megafauna. The large-scale movement patterns of tagged sharks highlight the need for international cooperation when designing and implementing conservation strategies to ensure that the species recovers from the historical effects of over-fishing throughout the North Atlantic Ocean.

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“…The most probable track for the PSAT-tagged spearfish was constructed using the HMMoce package for R (Braun, Galuardi, & Thorrold, 2018). This approach leverages light levels, sea surface temperature (SST), depth-temperature profiles, and bathymetry Observation-based likelihoods were calculated at 12-hour resolution on a 9 km grid from remotely sensed SST, light-based longitude, and depth-temperature profile data collected by the tags, using three separate likelihood calculations: (a) An SST likelihood was generated for tag-based SST values compared to daily 1 km remotely sensed SST from Level-4 GHRSST products (Chao & Li, 2009);(b) light-based longitude likelihood was derived using estimates of longitude from GPE2 software (Wildlife Computers, Inc.); and (c) ocean heat content (OHC; Braun, Skomal, & Thorrold, 2018;Luo et al, 2015) was obtained by integrating the heat content of the water column above the 18°isotherm to the most shallow depth recorded by the tag. Tag-based OHC was compared to OHC calculations performed on daily reanalysis model depth-temperature products from the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM, 0.08°resolution; Bleck, 2002;Chassignet et al, 2007).…”

Section: Geolocation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement and thermal niche of the first satellite‐tagged Mediterranean spearfish (Tetrapturus belone)

Arostegui

Braun

Gaube

2018

Fisheries Oceanography

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The Mediterranean spearfish (Tetrapturus belone) is one of the least‐studied istiophorid billfishes, with little known of its biology, ecology, and behavior. To assess the species’ movement and thermal niche, we analyzed telemetry data from, to our knowledge, the first and only Mediterranean spearfish ever outfitted with a pop‐up satellite archival transmitting tag. Throughout a 29‐day deployment during July and August 2015, the fish travelled in Italian waters of the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian Seas, spending on average 93% of each 24‐hr period above 30 m and exhibiting a diel activity pattern comprised of daytime vertical movement and nighttime near‐surface residency. The preferred thermal niche was 26–28°C, but the spearfish experienced temperatures as low as 14.2°C during descents. Vertical distribution was limited throughout the deployment with more time spent at depth in areas where the thermocline was comparatively deeper and weaker, consistent with habitat compression experienced by other billfishes.

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Ocean Heat Content Reveals Secrets of Fish Migrations

Cited by 31 publications

References 51 publications

Migrations and movements of Atlantic tarpon revealed by two decades of satellite tagging

Migrations and movements of Atlantic tarpon revealed by two decades of satellite tagging

Integrating Archival Tag Data and a High-Resolution Oceanographic Model to Estimate Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) Movements in the Western Atlantic

Movement and thermal niche of the first satellite‐tagged Mediterranean spearfish (Tetrapturus belone)

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