Residency,site fidelity and habitat use of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) at an offshore wind farm using acoustic telemetry |
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Affiliation: | 1. Ghent University, Department of Biology, Marine Biology Research Group, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000 Gent, Belgium;2. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models (MUMM), Marine Ecosystem Management Section, Gulledelle 100, 1200 Brussels, Belgium;1. Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA;2. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USA;1. Ghent University, Department Biology, Marine Biology Research Group, Krijgslaan 281 S8, 9000 Gent, Belgium;2. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Operational Directorate Natural Environment (OD Nature), Marine Ecology and Management, Gulledelle 100, 1200 Brussels, Belgium;1. Ege University, Faculty of Fisheries, 35100, İzmir, Turkey;2. İzmir Katip Çelebi University, Faculty of Fisheries, 35620, İzmir, Turkey;3. Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), C/ Miquel Marqués 21, 07190, Esporles, Illes Balears, Spain;1. SINTEF Ocean, 7465 Trondheim, Norway;2. NTNU Department of Engineering Cybernetics, 7491 Trondheim, Norway;3. School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia;4. Thelma Biotel AS, 7037 Trondheim, Norway;1. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 100 8th Avenue Southeast, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA;2. University of Florida IFAS Extension, Florida Sea Grant, 1303 17th Street West, Palmetto, FL, 34221, USA;3. Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, 135 San Lorenzo Avenue, Suite 860, Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA;4. Fisheries and Aquatic Science Program, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, 7922 Northwest 71st Street, Gainesville, FL, 32653-3071, USA |
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Abstract: | Because offshore wind energy development is fast growing in Europe it is important to investigate the changes in the marine environment and how these may influence local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. One of the species affected by these ecosystem changes is Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), a heavily exploited, commercially important fish species. In this research we investigated the residency, site fidelity and habitat use of Atlantic cod on a temporal scale at windmill artificial reefs in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Acoustic telemetry was used and the Vemco VR2W position system was deployed to quantify the movement behaviour. In total, 22 Atlantic cod were tagged and monitored for up to one year. Many fish were present near the artificial reefs during summer and autumn, and demonstrated strong residency and high individual detection rates. When present within the study area, Atlantic cod also showed distinct habitat selectivity. We identified aggregation near the artificial hard substrates of the wind turbines. In addition, a clear seasonal pattern in presence was observed. The high number of fish present in summer and autumn alternated with a period of very low densities during the winter period. |
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Keywords: | Artificial hard substrates Acoustic telemetry Residency Site fidelity Habitat use Wind farms North Sea |
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