Habitat Utilization and Vertical Distribution of the Great Barracuda Sphyraena barracuda (Edwards 1771) in the Western North Atlantic Using Electronic Archival Tags

摘要

The Great Barracuda Sphyraena barracuda is a large predatory teleost commonly seen in the tropics of the Western North Atlantic. Using pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs), two large Great Barracuda (101 and 104 cm FL) were tagged off South Florida for a 15-day deployment period. Great Barracuda 88094 traveled 471 km minimum straight-line distance (MSLD) over the deployment duration, while Great Barracuda 88095 traveled 1231 km MSLD. Great barracuda 88094 achieved a maximum depth of 145.2 m, while 88095 to a maximum depth of 186.9 m, although such movements were for short time durations. The data obtained indicate significant differences in diel behavior, with both individuals utilizing deeper depths during nighttime periods. The results of this study show that great barracuda are capable of travelling great distances over short periods of time, with short-duration movements to depths greater than 100 meters.