Movement Patterns and Home Ranges of Fishes of the Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve

There is evidence of spillover of adult fish from marine reserves as a function of reserve size and the spatial extent of fish movements. My goal is to understand the movement patterns of fishes of Redfish Rocks to determine optimal reserve size needed to balance protection with spillover, and to contribute to characterization of baseline ecology prior to closure. I am using acoustic telemetry to evaluate movement patterns of six valuable groundfish species. Surgically implanted acoustic tags transmit coded signals identifying each fish and its depth, which are recorded when the fish swims within range of an acoustic receiver.  An array of receivers is collecting data to test three hypotheses; (1) The no-take marine reserve at Redfish Rocks provides different degrees of protection to different fishes due to species-specific differences in home range size and movement patterns. (2) The rate of movement between Redfish Rocks and Island Rock, similar habitat outside the reserve, is species-dependent. (3) Habitat associations within the reserve are species-specific. By elucidating these spatial relationships, this work will provide information essential to the effective management of a network of marine reserves in Oregon state waters, and the larger network of protected areas along the west coast.