Annual migrations,diving behavior,and thermal biology of Atlantic bluefin tuna, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus thynnus</Emphasis>, on their Gulf of Mexico breeding grounds

Electronic tags were used to examine the biology of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus L.) on their breeding grounds in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The hypothesis that movement patterns, diving behavior, and thermal biology change during different stages of the breeding migration was tested. Mature Atlantic bluefin tuna tagged in the western Atlantic and the GOM, were on their breeding grounds from February to June for an average of 39 ± 11 days. The bluefin tuna experienced significantly warmer mean sea surface temperatures (SSTs) within the GOM (26.4 ± 1.6°C) than outside the GOM (20.2 ± 1.9°C). As the bluefin tuna entered and exited the GOM, the fish dove to daily maximum depths of 568 ± 50 and 580 ± 144 m, respectively, and exhibited directed movement paths to and from the localized breeding areas. During the putative breeding phase, the bluefin tuna had significantly shallower daily maximum depths (203 ± 76 m), and exhibited shallow oscillatory dives during the night. The movement paths of the bluefin tuna during the breeding phase were significantly more residential and sinuous. The heat transfer coefficients (K) were calculated for a bluefin tuna in the GOM using the recorded ambient and body temperatures. The K for this fish increased rapidly at the high ambient temperatures encountered in the GOM, and was significantly higher at night in the breeding phase when the fish was exhibiting shallow oscillatory dives. This suggests that the fish were behaviorally and physiologically thermoregulating in the Gulf of Mexico. This study demonstrates that the movement patterns, diving behavior, and thermal biology of Atlantic bluefin tuna change significantly at different stages of the breeding migration and can be used to define spawning location and timing. Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Chinstrap penguins alter foraging and diving behavior in response to the size of their principle prey, Antarctic krill

Penguins may exhibit plasticity in their diving and foraging behaviors in response to changes in prey availability. Chinstrap penguins are dependent predators of Antarctic krill in the Scotia Sea region, but krill populations have fluctuated in recent years. We examined the diet of chinstrap penguins at Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, in relation to their diving and foraging behavior using time-depth recorders over six breeding seasons: 2002–2007. When krill were smaller, more chinstrap penguins consumed fish. In these years, chinstrap penguins often exhibited a shift to deep dives after sundown, and then resumed a shallower pattern at sunrise. These night dives were unexpectedly deep (up to 110 m) and mean night dive depths sometimes exceeded those from the daytime. The average size of krill in each year was negatively correlated to mean night dive depths and the proportion of foraging trips taken overnight. Based on these patterns, we suggest that when krill were small, penguins increasingly targeted myctophid fish. The average krill size was negatively correlated to the time chinstrap penguins spent foraging which suggests that foraging on smaller krill and fish incurred a cost: more time was spent at sea foraging.     

Going deep: common murres dive into frigid water for aggregated,persistent and slow-moving capelin

Owing to the necessity of delivering food to offspring at colonies, breeding seabirds are highly constrained in their foraging options. To minimize constraints imposed by central-place foraging and to optimize foraging behavior, many species exhibit flexible foraging tactics. Here we document the behavioral flexibility of pursuit-diving common murres Uria aalge when foraging on female capelin Mallotus villosus in the northwest Atlantic. Quite unexpectedly, being visual foragers, we found that common murres dived throughout the day and night. Twenty-one percent of recorded dives (n = 272 of 1,308 dives) were deep (≥50 m; maximum depth = 152 m, maximum duration = 212 s), bringing murres into sub-0°C water in the Cold Intermediate Layer (CIL; 40–180 m) of the Labrador Current. Deep dives occurred almost exclusively during the day when murres would have encountered spatially predictable aggregations of capelin between 100 and 150 m in the water column. Temperatures within the CIL shaped trophic interactions and involved trade-offs for both predators and prey. Sub-0°C temperatures limit a fish’s ability to escape from endothermic predators by reducing burst/escape speeds and also lengthening the time needed to recover from burst-type activity. Thus, while deep diving may be energetically costly, it likely increases certainty of prey capture. Decreased murre foraging efficiency at night (indicated by an increase in the number of dives per bout) reflects both lower light conditions and changing prey behavior, as capelin migrate to warmer surface waters at night where their potential to escape from avian predators could increase.     

Environmental preferences of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) at the northern extent of its range

We used acoustic telemetry to examine the small-scale movement patterns of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the California Bight at the northern extent of their range. Oceanographic profiles of temperature, oxygen, currents and fluorometry were used to determine the relationship between movements and environmental features. Three yellowfin tuna (8 to 16 kg) were tracked for 2 to 3 d. All three fish spent the majority of their time above the thermocline (18 to 45 m in depth) in water temperatures >17.5 °C. In the California Bight, yellowfin tuna have a limited vertical distribution due to the restriction imposed by temperature. The three fish made periodic short dives below the thermocline (60 to 80 m), encountering cooler temperatures (>11 °C). When swimming in northern latitudes, the depth of the mixed layer largely defines the spatial distribution of yellowfin tuna within the water column. Yellowfin prefer to spend most of their time just above the top of the thermocline. Oxygen profiles indicated that the tunas encountered oceanic water masses that ranged most often from 6.8 to 8.6 mg O₂ l⁻¹, indicating no limitation due to oxygen concentrations. The yellowfin tuna traveled at speeds ranging from 0.46 to 0.90 m s⁻¹ (0.9 to 1.8 knots h⁻¹) and frequently exhibited an oscillatory diving pattern previously suggested to be a possible strategy for conserving energy during swimming. Received: 14 February 1997 / Accepted: 14 April 1997     

Diel vertical movements of adult male dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in the western central Atlantic as determined by use of pop-up satellite archival transmitters

The vertical movements of six adult male dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) (95–120 cm estimated fork length), caught using standard sportfishing methods, were investigated using high-rate single-point pop-up satellite archival transmitters from 2005 to 2011 in the western central Atlantic. Data revealed a diel activity pattern within the mixed surface layer with dives below the thermocline suggesting temperature is not a barrier to vertical movements for short periods of time. Dolphinfish were tracked for periods of 4.96–30.24 day (Σ = 83.37 day), reaching depths >200 m, and in temperatures ranging from 16.20 to 30.87 °C. The six tags allowed comprehensive vertical movement analyses by time of day, duration at depth, and based on vertical movement patterns. The longest (>60 min), deepest (>30 m), and most extensive vertical movement patterns occurred during night rather than day, with the most time spent near the surface during the day. Dolphinfish spent 66 % of their time in the surface layer (0–9.9 m) and only one individual spent 8 % of the monitoring period diving >8 °C from the maximum surface temperatures recorded while tracked. Two tags were analyzed based on lunar phase and revealed contrasting relationships between vertical movements during new and full phases. Our results suggest dolphinfish vertically shift between surface and at-depth feeding strategies to exploit aggregating epipelagic and mesopelagic prey items leading to predictable diel vertical movements.     

Seasonal changes in the diving parameters of king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus)

Contrasting conditions at-sea are likely to affect the foraging behaviour of seabirds. However, the effect of season on the dive parameters of penguins is poorly known. We report here on an extensive study of the diving behaviour of king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) over the bird's complete annual cycle at the Crozet Islands. Time-depth recorders were used to record dive duration, bottom duration, post-dive interval, ascent rate and descent rate in breeding adults during different seasons in 1995 and 1996. Seasons included summer (n=6, incubation; n=6, chick brooding), autumn and winter (n=5 and n=3, respectively, chick at the crèche stage), and spring (n=4, birds at the post-moult stage). In all seasons dive duration increased with dive depth, but, for a given depth, dives were longer in winter (6.8 min when averaged over the 100-210 m depth layer) than in spring (4.6 min) and summer (4.4 min). The time spent at the bottom of the dives, which probably represents a substantial part of the feeding time, was much longer in winter (2.5 min per dive for dives over the 100-210 m layer) than during other seasons (1.0-1.4 min), i.e. there was a 2.5-fold augmentation for similar diving depths. Ascent and descent rates increased with increasing dive depth, but no difference in the relationships between rates of ascent and descent and dive depth was found among seasons. Furthermore, for all dive depths, ascent and descent rates were independent of the bottom duration. In all seasons post-dive intervals increased with dive duration and with dive depth, but they were longer in spring (2.3 min for dives over the 100-210 m layer) and summer than in autumn and winter (1.6-1.8 min). The diving efficiency decreased with increasing dive depth and was higher in autumn and winter (0.22-0.29) than in summer and spring (0.15-0.18). The large increase in bottom and dive duration from spring to winter is in agreement with the seasonal drop in prey density, with penguins spending more time searching for prey. In contrast, the consistency of the vertical velocity during contrasting conditions at-sea suggests that the transit time to depth is an important component of the foraging behaviour (scanning of the water column) that is independent of the prey availability. The time budget of the penguins during diving in a fluctuating environment appears to vary primarily during the bottom phase of the dives, with bottom duration increasing with diminishing prey supplies, while post-dive intervals shorten in the same time.     

GPS and time-depth loggers reveal underwater foraging plasticity in a flying diver,the Cape Cormorant

Knowledge on how divers exploit the water column vertically in relation to water depth is crucial to our understanding of their ecology and to their subsequent conservation. However, information is still lacking for the smaller-bodied species, due mostly to size constraints of data-loggers. Here, we report the diving behaviour of a flying diving seabird, the Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis, weighing 1.0–1.4 kg. Results were obtained by simultaneously deploying small, high resolution and high sampling frequency GPS and time-depth loggers on birds breeding on islands off Western South Africa (34°S, 18°E) in 2008. In all, dive category was assigned to all dives performed by 29 birds. Pelagic dives occurred almost as frequently as benthic dives. Pelagic dives were shallow (mean: 5 m) and took place over seafloors 5–100 m deep. Benthic dives were deeper, occurring on seafloors mainly 10–30 m deep. Dive shape was linked to dive category in only 60% of dives, while the descent rate, ascent rate and bottom duration/dive duration ratio of a dive best explained its dive category. This shows that only the concomitant use of tracking and depth tags can adequately classify diving strategies in a diver like the Cape Cormorant. Diet was mainly Cape Anchovy Engraulis encrasicolis, suggesting that birds probably displayed two contrasted strategies for capturing the same prey. Flexible foraging techniques represent an important key to survival inside the highly productive but heterogeneous Benguela upwelling ecosystem.     

Comparison of diving behavior and foraging habitat use between chinstrap and gentoo penguins breeding in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Chinstrap, Pygoscelis antarctica, and gentoo, P. papua, penguins are sympatric species that inhabit the Antarctic Peninsula. To evaluate differences in the foraging habitat of these two species, we recorded their foraging locations and diving behavior using recently developed GPS-depth data loggers. The study was conducted on King George Island, Antarctica during the chick-guarding period of both species, from December 2006 to January 2007. The area used for foraging, estimated as the 95% kernel density of dive (>5 m) locations, overlapped partially between the two species (26.4 and 68.5% of the area overlapped for chinstrap and gentoo penguins, respectively). However, the core foraging area, estimated as the 50% kernel density, was mostly separate (12.8 and 25.0% of the area overlapped for chinstrap and gentoo penguins, respectively). Chinstrap penguins tended to use off-shelf (water depth > 200 m) regions (77% of the locations for dives >5 m), whereas gentoo penguins mainly used on-shelf (water depth < 200 m) areas (71% of dive locations). The data on foraging locations, diving behavior, and bathymetry indicated that gentoo penguins often performed benthic dives (28% of dives >5 m), whereas chinstrap penguins almost always used the epipelagic/mid-water layer (96% of dives >5 m). Diving parameters such as diving bottom duration or diving efficiency differed between the species, reflecting differences in the use of foraging habitat. The diving parameters also suggested that the on-shelf benthic layer was profitable foraging habitat for gentoo penguins. Conversely, the relationship between trip duration, date, and stomach content mass suggested that the chinstrap penguins went further from the colony to forage as the season progressed, possibly reflecting a reduction in prey availability near the colony. Our results suggest that chinstrap and gentoo penguins segregated their foraging habitat in the Antarctic coastal marine environment, possibly due to inter- and intra-specific competition for common prey resources.     

Diving behaviour of female northern rockhopper penguins, Eudyptes chrysocome moseleyi, during the brooding period at Amsterdam Island (Southern Indian Ocean)

The pattern and characteristics of diving in 14 female northern rockhopper penguins, Eudyptes chrysocome moseleyi, were studied at Amsterdam Island (37°50′S; 77°31′E) during the guard stage, using electronic time–depth recorders. Twenty-nine foraging trips (27 daily foraging trips and two longer trips including one night) with a total of 16 572 dives of ≥3 m were recorded. Females typically left the colony at dawn and returned in the late afternoon, spending an average of 12 h at sea, during which they performed ∼550 dives. They were essentially inshore foragers (mean estimated foraging range 6 km), and mainly preyed upon the pelagic euphausiid Thysanoessa gregaria, fishes and squid being only minor components of the diet. Mean dive depth, dive duration, and post-dive intervals were 18.4 m (max. depth 109 m), 57 s (max. dive duration 168 s), and 21 s (37% of dive duration), respectively. Descent and ascent rates averaged 1.2 and 1.0 ms⁻¹ and were, together with dive duration, significantly correlated with dive depth. Birds spent 18% of their total diving time in dives reaching 15 to 20 m, and the mean maximum diving efficiency (bottom time:dive cycle duration) occurred for dives reaching 15 to 35 m. The most remarkable feature of diving behaviour in northern rockhopper penguins was the high percentage of time spent diving during daily foraging trips (on average, 69% of their time at sea); this was mainly due to a high dive frequency (∼44 dives per hour), which explained the high total vertical distance travelled during one trip (18 km on average). Diving activity at night was greatly reduced, suggesting that, as other penguins, E. chrysocome moseleyi are essentially diurnal, and locate prey using visual cues. Received: 9 December 1998 / Accepted: 3 March 1999     

Linking marine predator diving behavior to local prey fields in contrasting habitats in a subarctic glacial fjord

Foraging theory predicts that animals will adjust their foraging behavior in order to maximize net energy intake and that trade-offs may exist that can influence their behavior. Although substantial advances have been made with respect to the foraging ecology of large marine predators, there is still a limited understanding of how predators respond to temporal and spatial variability in prey resources, primarily due to a lack of empirical studies that quantify foraging and diving behavior concurrently with characteristics of prey fields. Such information is important because changes in prey availability can influence the foraging success and ultimately fitness of marine predators. We assessed the diving behavior of juvenile female harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) and prey fields near glacial ice and terrestrial haulout sites in Glacier Bay (58°40′N, ?136°05′W), Alaska. Harbor seals captured at glacial ice sites dived deeper, had longer dive durations, lower percent bottom time, and generally traveled further to forage. The increased diving effort for seals from the glacial ice site corresponded to lower prey densities and prey at deeper depths at the glacial ice site. In contrast, seals captured at terrestrial sites dived shallower, had shorter dive durations, higher percent bottom time, and traveled shorter distances to access foraging areas with much higher prey densities at shallower depths. The increased diving effort for seals from glacial ice sites suggests that the lower relative availability of prey may be offset by other factors, such as the stability of the glacial ice as a resting platform and as a refuge from predation. We provide evidence of differences in prey accessibility for seals associated with glacial ice and terrestrial habitats and suggest that seals may balance trade-offs between the costs and benefits of using these habitats.     

Temperature, salinity and prey availability shape the marine migration of Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, in a macrotidal estuary

The influence of salinity, temperature and prey availability on the marine migration of anadromous fishes was determined by describing the movements, habitat use and feeding behaviours of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). The objectives were to determine whether char are restricted to the upper water column of the inter-/subtidal zones due to warmer temperatures. Twenty-seven char were tracked with acoustic temperature/pressure (depth) transmitters from June to September, 2008/2009, in inner Frobisher Bay, Canada. Most detections were in surface waters (0–3 m). Inter-/subtidal movements and consecutive repetitive dives (maximum 52.8 m) resulted in extreme body temperature shifts (−0.2–18.1 °C). Approximately half of intertidal and subtidal detections were between 9–13 °C and 1–3 °C, respectively. Stomach contents and deep diving suggested feeding in both inter-/subtidal zones. We suggest that char tolerate cold water at depth to capture prey in the subtidal zone, then seek warmer water to enhance feeding/digestion physiology.     

Oceanographic influences on the dive behavior of juvenile loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the North Pacific Ocean

Satellite telemetry data from 17 juvenile loggerhead turtles (43.5–66.5 cm straight carapace length) were used in conjunction with oceanographic data to analyze the influence of regional and seasonal oceanography on dive behavior in the North Pacific Ocean. Combined dive behavior for all individuals showed that turtles spent more than 80% of their time at depths <5 m, and more than 90% of their time at depths <15 m. Multivariate classifications of dive data revealed four major dive types, three representing deeper, longer dives, and one representing shallower dives shorter in duration. Turtles exhibited variability in these dive types across oceanographic regions, with deeper, longer dives in the Hawaii longline swordfish fishing grounds during the first quarter of the year, as well as in the Kuroshio Extension Bifurcation Region and the region near the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Turtles in the Kuroshio Extension Bifurcation Region also exhibited dive variability associated with mesoscale eddy features, with turtles making deeper, longer dives while associated with the strongest total kinetic energy. Turtles in the central North Pacific exhibited seasonality in dive behavior that appeared to reflect synchronous latitudinal movements with the North Pacific Subtropical Front and the associated seasonal, large-scale oceanography. Turtles made deeper, longer dives during the first quarter of the year within this region, the reported time and area where the highest loggerhead bycatch occurs by the longline fishery. These results represent the first comprehensive study of dive data for this species in this region. The increased understanding of juvenile loggerhead dive behavior and the influences of oceanography on dive variability should provide further insight into why interactions with longline fisheries occur and suggest methods for reducing the bycatch of this threatened species.     

The spatial ecology of juvenile loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Indian Ocean sheds light on the “lost years” mystery

While our understanding of the early oceanic developmental stage of sea turtles has improved markedly over recent decades, the spatial context for this life history stage remains unknown for Indian Ocean loggerhead turtle populations. To address this gap in our knowledge, 18 juvenile loggerheads were satellite tracked from Reunion Island (21.2°S, 55.3°E) between 2007 and 2011. Nine turtles swam north toward Oman (20.5°N, 58.8°E), where one of the world’s largest rookeries of loggerheads is located. Three individuals traveled south toward South Africa and Madagascar, countries that also host loggerhead nesting grounds. Fourteen of the transmitters relayed diving profiles. A dichotomy between diurnal and nocturnal diving behavior was observed with a larger number of shorter dives occurring during the day. Diving behavior also differed according to movement behavior as individuals spent more time in subsurface waters (between 10 and 20 m) during transit phases. The study provides an understanding of the oceanic movement behavior of juvenile loggerheads in the Indian Ocean that suggests the existence of an atypical trans-equatorial developmental cycle for the species at the ocean basin scale in the Indian Ocean. These results address a significant gap in the understanding of loggerhead oceanic movements and may help with the conservation of the species.     

Feeding behavior of adult <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vinciguerria nimbaria</Emphasis> (Phosichthyidae), in the tropical Atlantic (0°–4°N, 15°W)

Adult Vinciguerria nimbaria are the main prey of tuna during the tuna fishing season (late autumn and winter) in the equatorial Atlantic (0–4°N, and ~15°W). V. nimbaria trophic behavior in the fishing grounds was studied in relation to hydrobiological factors to determine its role in the trophic food web. Sampling stations spaced by 20 nautical miles were set up along a 15°W north–south transect from 4°N to 0°40S. At each station, the temperature and vertical fluorescence profiles were recorded. Nitrate and chlorophyll a analyses were performed on water sampled at different levels in the euphotic zone. Vertical plankton hauls were carried out at depths of 0–100 and 0–200 m using a standard WP2 net fitted with a 200-μm mesh gauze. Vinciguerria nimbaria adults were collected using a young-fish mid-water trawl net (10 × 15 m opening mouth, 10 mm cod end mesh). The weight of the stomach contents, the stomach fullness index, the number of prey, the frequency of occurrence and the prey preponderance were recorded for 20 fish from each haul. An oligotrophic typical tropical structure (TTS) was found between 1° and 4°N where small zooplankton was relatively abundant above or near the thermocline. In the TTS, V. nimbaria behaved as an epipelagic fish, feeding on the dominant small prey during the daytime. In turn, it was a prey for tuna. In the equatorial zone, where zooplankton was more abundant than in the north equatorial zone, V. nimbaria behaved as a mesopelagic fish and as an opportunistic mesozooplankton feeder. It consumed a wide range of sizes of food, feeding on the most abundant species of zooplankton as well as the largest zooplankton species, possibly while migrating towards the surface in the late afternoon or in the deep layer.     

Depth distribution and temperature preferences of wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) off Baja California Sur, Mexico

The depth distribution and temperature preferences of wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) were quantified in the eastern North Pacific using archival tags. One hundred and eight data-loggers were deployed on wahoo (105?C165-cm fork length) from 2005 to 2008 at three locations off of the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico (Alijos Rocks, 25°00??N/115°45??W; Magdalena Bay Ridge, 25°55??N/113°21??W; Hurricane Bank, 16°51??N/117°29??W). Twenty-five tagged individuals (23%) were recaptured within close proximity (<20?km) of their release sites. Collectively, depth and temperature data from 499?days revealed a predominant distribution within the upper mixed layer, with an average (±SD) depth of 18?±?4?m during the day and 17?±?6?m at night. Wahoo spent 99.2% of the daytime and 97.9% of night above the thermocline, and the greatest depth achieved by any fish was 253?m. Mean dive duration (3.8?±?2.9 vs. 2.3?±?0.8?min) and the vertical rate of movement (3.8?±?1.3 vs. 3.0?±?0.5?m?min^?1) were greater at night when compared to day. Ambient temperatures obtained from tag records ranged from 11.1 to 27.9°C, with an average of 25.0?±?1.1°C. These data identify the importance of the warm, upper mixed layer for the wahoo. High recapture rates proximal to the deployment sites suggest seasonal site fidelity and reveal the economic importance of this resource to both commercial and recreational fisheries of the region.     

Depth and muscle temperature of Pacific bluefin tuna examined with acoustic and pop-up satellite archival tags

Six Pacific bluefin tuna were tracked with ultrasonic telemetry and two with pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) in the eastern Pacific Ocean in 1997, 1998, and 1999. Both pressure and temperature ultrasonic transmitters were used to examine the behavior of the 2- to 4-year-old bluefin tuna. The bluefin spent over 80% of their time in the top 40 m of the water column and made occasional dives into deeper, cooler water. The mean slow-oxidative muscle temperatures of three fish instrumented with pressure and temperature transmitters were 22.0–26.1 °C in water temperatures that averaged 15.7–17.5 °C. The thermal excesses in slow-oxidative muscle averaged 6.2–8.6 °C. Variation in the temperature of the slow-oxidative muscle in the bluefin was not correlated with water temperature or swimming speeds. For comparison with the acoustic tracking data we examined the depth and ambient temperature of two Pacific bluefin tagged with pop-up satellite archival tags for 24 and 52 days. The PSAT data sets show depth and temperature distributions of the bluefin tuna similar to the acoustic data set. Swimming speeds calculated from horizontal distances with the acoustic data indicate the fish mean speeds were 1.1–1.4 fork lengths/s (FL s⁻¹). These Pacific bluefin spent the majority of their time in the top parts of the water column in the eastern Pacific Ocean in a pattern similar to that observed for yellowfin tuna. Received: 4 April 2000 / Accepted: 25 October 2000     

Movements and environmental preferences of the shortfin mako, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Isurus oxyrinchus</Emphasis>, in the southeastern Pacific Ocean

Nine individuals of shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus, were tracked in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, off northern Chile, by means of pop-up satellite archival tags. No common pattern was observed in their trajectories, apart from a movement onshore of all the fish tracked during June–August. The average estimated rate of movement was of c. 27 km day⁻¹. Data were collected and processed for a total of 341 days, including 33 days for one recaptured fish specimen, allowing high-resolution archived data to be downloaded. The fish spent most of their time in the mixed layer but undertook dives down to 888 m. Ambient temperatures ranged between 4.6 and 24.1°C, and the sea surface temperatures recorded ranged from 13.4 to 24.1°C during the study period. No clear diel pattern in depth behavior was observed, but mean vertical distribution was deeper during the daytime. Moreover, a foraging pattern, consisting of rapid descents below the thermocline followed by slower ascents, was generally observed during daylight hours. Dissolved oxygen concentration and water temperature seem to be the main factors affecting the vertical range of the species in the area. This is the first study on electronic tagging of the shortfin mako in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and covers the longest total tracking period reported so far for this species.     

The influence of subsurface thermal structure on the diving behavior of northern fur seals (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Callorhinus ursinus</Emphasis>) during the breeding season

In the heterogeneous marine environment, predators can increase foraging success by targeting physical oceanographic features, which often aggregate prey. For northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus), two prevalent oceanographic features characterize foraging areas during summer in the Bering Sea: a stable thermocline and a subsurface “cold pool”. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of these features on foraging behavior by equipping fur seals from St. Paul Island (Alaska, USA) with time-depth recorders that also measured water temperature. Foraging bout variables (e.g., mean dive depth and percent time diving in a bout) were compared with respect to subsurface thermal characteristics (thermocline presence and strength and cold pool presence). Over 74% of bouts occurred in association with strong thermoclines (temperature change > 5°C). Few differences were found for dive behavior in relation to the presence of a thermocline and the cold pool, but for epipelagic bouts, a strong thermocline resulted in increased bottom times, number of dive wiggles, and percent time diving when compared to moderate thermoclines. There was also a positive relationship between mean dive depth and thermocline depth. The combination of increasing foraging effort in areas with strong thermoclines and diving to depths closely related to the thermocline indicates this feature is important foraging habitat for northern fur seals and may act to concentrate prey and increase foraging success. By recognizing the environmental features northern fur seals use to find prey, managers will be better equipped to identify and protect foraging habitat that is important to northern fur seals, and possibly other marine predators in the Bering Sea.     

Vertical movements, behavior, and habitat of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean, ascertained from archival tag data

The results presented in this report are based on analyses of 16,721 days of data downloaded from 96 archival tags recovered from bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus; 54–159 cm in length, 0.97–5.44 years of age) at liberty from 31 to 1,508 days in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean. Analyses of daily timed depth and temperature records resulted in the classification of the data into three daily behavior types: characteristic, associative (associated with floating objects), and other. There is a significant positive correlation between the proportion of time fish exhibit characteristic behavior and increasing length, and significant negative correlations between the proportion of time bigeye exhibit associative and other behavior with increasing length. For the smallest (54–80 cm) to largest (100–159 cm) length classes, the vertical habitats utilized when exhibiting non-associative behaviors were 99 and 98% of the time above the thermocline depth (60 m) during the night, at the same average depth of 34 m, and 60 and 72% of the time below the thermocline during the day at average depths of 163 and 183 m, respectively. For the same smallest to largest length classes, when exhibiting associative behavior, the average nighttime and daytime depths were 25 and 21, and 33 and 37 m, respectively. The apparent effects of the environment on the behavior of the fish are discussed.     

Movements and depth/temperature distribution of the ectothermic Scombrid, Acanthocybium solandri (wahoo), in the western North Atlantic

Pop-up satellite archival tags were deployed onto four wahoo during 2006 in the western North Atlantic (~26.5°N, 79.3°W), providing movement, depth, and temperature data collected over a total of 198?days. Straight-line distances between tag deployment and pop-off positions ranged from 162.5 to 1,960.0?km. Wahoo spent >90?% of their time in water <200?m, and >90?% of their time in water between 17.5 and 27.5?°C. Three fish made regular trips to depths >200?m. All four fish had significantly different depth distributions between the dark and light periods (Kruskal–Wallace test, p?相似文献