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Aquaculture Environment Interactions

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AEI 10:21-34 (2018)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00251

Site fidelity of farmed gilthead seabream Sparus aurata escapees in a coastal environment of the Adriatic Sea

Tanja Šegvić-Bubić1,*, Pablo Arechavala-Lopez2, Ivan Vučić1, Igor Talijančić1, Leon Grubišić1, Iva Žužul1, Žarko Kovač1

1Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, PO Box 500, Šetalište Ivana Meštrovića 63, 21000 Split, Croatia
2Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (IMEDEA-CSIC/UIB), C/ Miquel Marquès 21, 07190 Esporles, Balearic Islands, Spain
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: A small escape incident of gilthead seabream Sparus aurata tagged with acoustic transmitters (N = 25) from a commercial farm located in a coastal bay of the eastern Adriatic Sea was simulated to enable evaluation of recapture strategies and escapee management. Over a 3 mo monitoring period, tagged individuals showed spatial distribution closely related to fish farms, where 76 and 68% of tagged fish were present at the farm during the second and third weeks post-release respectively. Upon initial release, escaped seabream had a small total home range (0.142 km2) that encompassed the farm site. Short-term residence differed among tagged fish. Few fish (28%) remained in the proximity of the fish farm for longer than 1 mo; most were likely angled or moved outside the acoustic array. Fish that moved elsewhere have the potential to cause substantial ecological and genetic impact, as they likely are able to quickly adapt to natural conditions. Considering the capture impact of the limited recreational fishery on this small-scale escape event, fish recapture by this type of fishery within 2 wk of escape could be feasible and is highly recommended.


KEY WORDS: Escapees · Telemetry · Residency · Home range · Diel activity · Coastal ecosystem · Management


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Cite this article as: Šegvić-Bubić T, Arechavala-Lopez P, Vučić I, Talijančić I, Grubišić L, Žužul I, Kovač Ž (2018) Site fidelity of farmed gilthead seabream Sparus aurata escapees in a coastal environment of the Adriatic Sea. Aquacult Environ Interact 10:21-34. https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00251

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