SEMINAR: MBF 602 seminar-Steven Saul Friday, April 23rd, 2010 3:00pm S/A seminar room CHANGE IN TIME!

[Cary Rios <crios@rsmas.miami.edu>]

Please note the change in time for our student seminar.............

 

An individual-based homing model of ontogenetic migration in a coral reef fish using a biased random walk

 

 

Migration is an important component of the life history and ecological niche of coral reef fish.  On the West Coast of Florida, the interaction between ontogenetically migrating reef fish and fishing effort contributes to an important component of fishing mortality.  As a result, a biased random walk model with homing was developed to represent one possible ontogenetic migratory process that red grouper (Epinephelus morio) may utilize on the West Florida Shelf.  This model is used to generate data in a spatially explicit individual-based bioeconomic simulation which represents the interaction between fisher behavior and fish population dynamics.  The rational behind incorporating the migration component to the bioeconomic model was to establish an age structured population properly distributed across space and time.  The model does not pretend to represent precise pathways that reef fish use to ontogenetically migrate, but rather was developed to obtain plausible results consistent with the observations derived from tagging data.  Movement from nursery to reef habitat is modeled using a biased random walk while homing behavior is modeled as a function of preferential habitat.  Time at large and release location from conventional tagging data were used to parameterize the model, while linear movement speed, distance, and fish length were used to validate model results.  Linear movement speed was exponentially distributed (μ=0.24 km/day) and most fish completed migration within a year.  Results suggest you can represent the general movement of tagged fish using very simple assumptions.  No attempt was made to model the detailed distribution of fish mortality which is likely to drive the spatial distribution of recaptures. 

 

 

 

Steven Saul

Entered PhD Program in 2006

Advised by Dr. David Die

 

Cary Rios
Graduate Studies Office
University of Miami
Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science
4600 Rickenbacker Cswy
S/A 132
Miami, FL 33149
Locator Code: VK
P. 305.421.4920
F. 305.421.4771
http://www.rsmas.miami.edu
crios@rsmas.miami.edu

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