MATOS - Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System

Project Title: The spatial and temporal distribution of winter flounder in the Boston Harbor estuary and adjacent waters.

MATOS Project Code: DMFBOSWF

Data Type: Data

Project Duration: April 2021 - October 2025

Project Description: Using a multifaceted approach, the purpose of this study is to improve the understanding of spatial and temporal habitat use by winter flounder in the Boston Harbor estuary and the adjacent waters of Massachusetts Bay. Data on habitat utilization will enhance the ability to protect critical life stages while giving resource managers the ability to be more specific in time of year (TOY) recommendations. One component of the study will be to determine the time and location of spawning through the tracking of gravid adults using acoustic telemetry. Fish will be caught inside Boston Harbor using bottom trawl and rod and reel equipment, then externally tagged with V13-1H transmitter. Forty acoustic receivers will be strategically placed inside the Boston Harbor estuary to create a fine-scale array to track movements. A pre-existing array of over 100 receivers that are spread out around the Massachusetts coast will complement the Boston Harbor array and detect tagged winter flounder movement

Objectives:

Determine time and location of spawning
Document site fidelity, immigration, and emigration in an urban estuary
Document costal movements of winter flounder after leaving the estuary

Management Benefits:

Update TOY restrictions used to manage winter flounder in the Boston Harbor and MA Bay estuaries
Add to body of knowledge of GOM winter flounder

Principal Investigator:	William Hoffman (Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries)
Email:	bill.hoffman@mass.gov

Point of Contact:	William Hoffman
Email:	bill.hoffman@mass.gov

Collaborators:

Dr. Adrian Jordaan and Katrina Zarrella-Smith (Umass-Amherst)

Participating Organizations:

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
University of Massachusetts - Amherst

MADMF GOM Winter Flounder Studies