Large-scale space use of large juvenile and adult smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata: implications for management

  • J Graham
    Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, St. Teresa, Florida 32358, USA
  • AM Kroetz
    Riverside Technology, Inc. for NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Panama City, Florida 32408, USA
  • GR Poulakis
    Charlotte Harbor Field Laboratory, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Port Charlotte, Florida 33954, USA
  • RM Scharer
    Charlotte Harbor Field Laboratory, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Port Charlotte, Florida 33954, USA
  • JK Carlson
    NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Panama City, Florida 32408, USA
  • S Lowerre-Barbieri
    Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program, University of Florida, 7922 NW 71st Street, Gainesville, Florida 32653, USA
  • D Morley
    South Florida Regional Laboratory, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Marathon, Florida 33050, USA
  • EA Reyier
    Herndon Solutions Group, LLC, NASA Environmental and Medical Contract, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899, USA
  • RD Grubbs
    Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, St. Teresa, Florida 32358, USA

抄録

<jats:p>The smalltooth sawfish <jats:italic>Pristis pectinata</jats:italic> is an endangered species endemic to the Atlantic Ocean. The only known viable populations occur in the USA along both coasts of Florida and in the western Bahamas. Little is known about habitat use and movement ecology of large juvenile and adult smalltooth sawfish. Although Critical Habitat—a management designation in the USA—has been identified for small juveniles, it has yet to be identified for these life stages. Between May 2016 and April 2019, we used passive acoustic telemetry and 3 large data sharing networks of receivers to track movements of 43 large juvenile and adult smalltooth sawfish. During this study, 24 females and 19 males were implanted with transmitters with estimated 4 or 10 yr battery lives. These tagged individuals were detected off the southeastern USA on 461 receivers ranging from off the coast of Brunswick, Georgia, to the lower Florida Keys, and along the Gulf coast to Apalachee Bay, Florida. Seasonal migrations were undertaken by 58% (43% mature; 57% immature) of the tagged individuals, with the remainder being apparent residents of their tagging locations. Tagged sawfish from both size classes and of both sexes migrated, which indicates that neither sex nor length is a predictor of whether a sawfish will migrate or not. Although both coasts of Florida were used for migration, most individuals consistently used the same coast when they migrated. The areas surrounding Boca Grande, Cape Canaveral, and the lower Florida Keys were heavily visited sites that could be further evaluated as potential Critical Habitat for these life stages. Understanding the movement patterns of this Critically Endangered species is essential for creating policies to protect areas important for promoting growth of the population.</jats:p>

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