MATOS - Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System

Project Title: Fine scale tracking of juvenile sheepshead around an oyster farm in North Carolina

MATOS Project Code: NCSheep

Data Type: Data

Project Duration: July 2020 - December 2020

Project Description: Juvenile sheepshead (~100 mm, N=27) were tagged with acoustic transmitter tags in Cedar Island Bay, North Carolina. They were captured, tagged, and released within an oyster culture farm. The goal is to determine residency time of this model species around an oyster farm, and to determine how fish might use the surrounding habitats. A 9-receiver VPS array was used for fine scale tracking around the lease, and additional receivers were placed in strategic areas around the bay to determine larger scale movements.

Objectives:

habitat use

Management Benefits:

Ecosystem services of oyster culture
Juvenile sheepshead movement patterns

Principal Investigator:	James Morley (East Carolina University)
Email:	morleyj19@ecu.edu

Point of Contact:	James Morley
Email:	morleyj19@ecu.edu

Collaborators:

Andrew McMains (East Carolina University)
Joel Fodrie (University of North Carolina-CH)

Participating Organizations:

East Carolina University
Coastal Studies Institute
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Institute of Marine Sciences

Funding:

North Carolina Sea Grant

External URL: www.morleylab.com

ECU & UNC Juvenile sheepshead habitat use