Temporal activity of dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) related to environmental and human factors inside a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area

PEREÑIGUEZ-LÓPEZ, JOSÉ M.; HERNÁNDEZ-ANDREU, RAMÓN; HACKRADT, CARLOS; BELTRAMINO, LUCAS E.; ABECASIS, DAVID; GARCÍA-CHARTON, JOSÉ A.; CALÓ, ANTONIO; JIMÉNEZ-MONTALBÁN, PEDRO; FÉLIX-HACKRADT, FABIANA; ROJO, IRENE; CIANCIO, JAVIER E.; CUADROS, AMALIA; GIACALONE, VINCENZO; MOURRE, BAPTISTE; VENERUS, LEONARDO A.; SÁNCHEZ-CARNERO, NOELA

Arendal

Conferencia; 5th International Conference on Fish Telemetry; 2019

Institute of Marine Research

MPAs have been proved as the most effective management measure for the recovery of grouper populations. However, further knowledge is required about how environmental and human factors affect crucial aspects of their life cycle such as feeding or breeding. In this study, we examined the temporal activity patterns of dusky groupers (Epinephelus marginatus), an emblematic, top-predator marine fish species, in the Cabo de Palos - Islas Hormigas marine reserve (SE Spain), in which the species abundance and biomass have experienced a steep increase in the last decade. We tagged 16 individuals using VEMCO V13-AP acoustic tags, eight of them in a seamount where an intense scubadiving activity occurs (a "Buffer Zone"), and the other eight in a seamount in which no human activity is allowed (a "No-Take Zone"). The number of detections and acceleration was used as a proxy for activity. By means of GLMM, we related the observed behavioural patterns to some environmental (water temperature, currents, amount of light, the period of the day, animal depth, lunar phase, storm conditions) and human (scuba-diving activity) factors. Superimposed to the environmental determinants of grouper activity, diver presence may exert a considerable influence on fish behaviour. Ultimately, our goal is to shed new light on the elements that shape the behaviour of dusky groupers to help decision-makers to design appropriate MPA networks for the recovery of this and other species with similar life-history traits and ecological needs.