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Quantifying the activity and movement of perch in a temperate lake by integrating acoustic telemetry and a geographic information system

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Abstract

The horizontal movement patterns of perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) were studied by means of an automatic positioning system in a small Mediterranean temperate lake in northeastern Spain. Seven perch (247–265 mm in fork length, 243–271 g in weight) were implanted surgically with ultrasonic transmitters (38 mm long, 3.5 g in water) and their positions monitored approximately every 180 s using a radio-linked acoustic positioning (VRAP) system. Fish positions were integrated into a geographic information system database with information on date, time, slope and bottom depth. As a measure of the intensity of movement, the swimming speed was calculated. The Minimum Convex Polygon area was obtained as a measure of the area of activity. The data dispersion was calculated as r 2 (the mean squared distance from the center of activity). The tagged perch showed individual variations in activity levels, but all had a circadian pattern, being less active at night (average speed 6.0 cm s−1) than during the day (average speed 10.4 cm s−1). They exhibited two peaks of activity, at sunrise and sunset. Two patterns of movement emerged, the first characterised by movement between the limnetic and the littoral zones, the second restricted to the shoreline. Fish appeared to follow the same path, reducing the area of activity to a limited part of the lake. Also, fish returned to the same place after movements, showing site fidelity but only for a few days. Overall, although perch could be very abundant in open waters (limnetic zone), they demonstrated a high dependence on the littoral zone.

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  1. Institute of Aquatic Ecology and Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Girona, Facultat de Ciències, Campus de Montilivi, E-17071, Girona, Spain

    L. Zamora & R. Moreno-Amich

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  1. L. Zamora
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  2. R. Moreno-Amich
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Zamora, L., Moreno-Amich, R. Quantifying the activity and movement of perch in a temperate lake by integrating acoustic telemetry and a geographic information system. Hydrobiologia 483, 209–218 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021396016424

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