MATOS - Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System

Project Title: Movement and Habitat Selection by Migratory Marine Fishes within the Maryland Wind Energy Area and Adjacent Reference Sites

MATOS Project Code: MDWEA

Data Type: Data

Project Duration: November 2016 - December 2018

Project Description: Baseline information is needed on the extent of fish migration corridors within BOEM-leased Wind Energy Areas. This two-year biotelemetry study deployed a beforeafter-gradient approach to evaluate migration behavior and habitat selection of two model migratory fishes, Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrhynchus and striped bass Morone saxatilis, in the Maryland Wind Energy Area (MD WEA). The MD WEA is located in the migration corridors for both species during periods of spring, fall and winter. Detected individuals within the MD WEA originated broadly, from Maine to South Carolina. During summer, Atlantic sturgeon were rarely detected and striped bass were absent in the MD WEA, suggesting a potential window for wind turbine construction. Dynamic habitat models identified cross-shelf gradients in depth and temperature that were predictive of seasonal incidence and whether test species distributions were within MD WEA or in adjacent shelf regions. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.6hdr7sqx3

Objectives:

Develop a predictive habitat model for across habitats centered on the MD WEA
Habitat and fish size correlates of seasonal habitat incidence and transit time
Regional selection of MD WEA versus adjacent inshore and offshore areas
Depth of occurrence for tagged Potomac River striped bass
Striped bass and Atlantic sturgeon seasonal incidence and transit rates within the MD WEA
Implant 40 Potomac River striped bass (total length > 80 cm) with depth transponding transmitters
Deploy and maintain twenty VEMCO Acoustic Release receivers in a quasi-central composite design

Principal Investigator:	Dave Secor (Mid - Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System)
Email:	secor@umces.edu

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

Collaborators:

Helen Bailey (UMCES-CBL)
Ellie Rothermel (UMCES-CBL)

Participating Organizations:

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory

Funding:

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Citations:

Rothermel, E. et al. 2020: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234442

External URL: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GOVPUB-I-e41f0ebd0487ba48b521a21a7ae45ec5

UMCES BOEM Offshore Wind Energy