MATOS - Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System

Project Title: Virginia Marine Resources Commission migration study of Cobia and Striped Bass

MATOS Project Code: VMRCAS

Data Type: Tracker

Project Duration: April 2019 - on-going

Project Description: With changing climate conditions, stock health concerns, and increasing fishing pressure on many different species in Virginia’s waters, The VMRC has begun an effort to increase our understanding of the movement patterns of particularly valuable species both in the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. The initial goal of this project is to acoustically tag and monitor adult cobia and striped bass, with the potential to move into more data-poor species, such as red and black drum. This project was made possible by a grant from the Office of the Virginia Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources and was initiated as a complement to the work being done to maintain an acoustic array backbone throughout the Chesapeake Bay alongside the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

Objectives:

Observe Migratory Patterns Post-Spawn

Principal Investigator:	Ethan Simpson (Virginia Marine Resources Commission)
Email:	ethan.simpson@mrc.virginia.gov

Point of Contact:	Ethan Simpson
Email:	ethan.simpson@mrc.virginia.gov

VMRC Acoustic Study