Homing behaviour of temperate Australian rockpool fishes following experimental displacement.
CSIRO Marine Research, CLEVELAND, AUSTRALIA
THEME: ASFB
The movements and homing ability of 20 intertidal rockpool fishes in southeastern NSW, Australia was investigated between September 1999 and August 2001 by relocating tagged fish to other rockpools at distances of <5 m and 10-20 m. Eleven species showed homing ability, which may be due to topographical cues learned during high tide feeding excursions within the intertidal zone. Displacement distance and time at liberty did not influence the proportion of fish homing indicating that 20 m is probably within the home range of most species examined. After a period of around 120 days there is a dramatic decrease in the number of fish homing, but fish are capable of homing up to 214 days at liberty. Fish size did not influence the proportion of fish homing, except for Lepidoblennius haplodactylus, which showed a reduced tendency to home with increasing size. This study has provided the first quantitative evidence of homing ability in Australian rockpool fishes, although the fate or whereabouts of fish that never returned to rockpools could not be determined. Possible explanations include relocation to rockpools near release points, or mortality due to tagging artefacts.
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