MATOS - Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System

Project Title: Migration Patterns of Resident Hudson River Striped Bass

MATOS Project Code: HRSB04

Data Type: Data

Project Duration: May 2004 - November 2005

Project Description: Hudson River striped bass show highly variable migration patterns, as seen through tagging studies and otolith microchemical analyses (Clark 1968; Secor 1999). Recent studies have shown resident, estuarine, and ocean migratory contingents in the Hudson River (Secor et al. 2001). These contingent behaviors play a dominant role in the exposure of these fish to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (Secor and Zlokovitz 1999). We describe a study of seasonal migrations of contaminated resident striped bass to better understand the likelihood of angler consumption of these fish. We investigated the resident contingent of Hudson River striped bass, focusing on the seasonal patterns of migration by these fish. Seasonal migrations of resident fish were measured using both manual tracking (four seasonal campaigns) and remote data-logging receiver arrays (three intercept sites) over a 12-month period (October 2004-November 2005). Results published in Wingate and Secor, 2007.

Objectives:

At what rates do fish travel between summer spawning and feeding grounds and overwintering habitat?
How do temperature and flow influence seasonal migration patterns?
What is the degree of homing to localized up-estuary regions?
Is there a downstream winter migration to Haverstraw Bay as suggested by past tagging studies?
What is the seasonal period of residency in the freshwater tidal portion of the Hudson River?

Principal Investigator:	David Secor (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science)
Email:	secor@umces.edu

Point of Contact:	Mike O'Brien
Email:	obrien@umces.edu

Funding:

Hudson River Foundation Grant #010/03A

UMCES Resident Hudson Striped Bass Migration