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Movement patterns and water quality preferences of juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) in a Florida estuary

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Abstract

Acoustic telemetry was used to examine the size of daily activity space, small-scale movement patterns, and water quality preferences of juvenile bull sharks in the Caloosahatchee River, Florida. Movement pattern analysis included rate of movement, swimming depth, linearity, direction, tidal influence, diel pattern, and correlation with environmental variables. Manual tacking occurred before and after a large freshwater influx which divided the sharks into two groups based on movement patterns. The first group displayed increased rate of movement, distance traveled, and space utilization at night, and movements correlated with salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. The second group had an increased rate of movement, distance traveled, and space utilization during the day, and movements correlated with temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and pH. These juvenile bull sharks displayed distinct diel movement patterns that were influenced by physical factors, which may account for the distribution of this top-level predator in the Caloosahatchee River.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mote Marine Laboratory staff C. Simpfendorfer, B. Yeiser and A. Ubeda for their help with field efforts and data collection. We thank student volunteer interns M. Espinoza, K. Reiss, J. Price and A. Andyshak for field assistance. We would also like to express appreciation to C. Simpfendorfer, C. Wells, B. Blackwell, and M. Dachsteiner for their assistance with analysis, as well as anonymous reviewers for their manuscript comments. This research was funded in part by the South Florida Water Management District and the National Shark Research Consortium (NOAA Fisheries). L.A.O. was the recipient of the Mote Marine Laboratory and University of South Florida Graduate Fellowship in Elasmobranch Biology during the course of this work. Treatment of all animals in this study was conducted under ethical guidelines and approval for procedures was granted to M.R.H. by the MML IACUC Committee and to L.A.O. by the USF IACUC Committee under permit number 3020.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Science and Policy, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Lori A. Ortega & Philip Van Beynen

  2. Center for Shark Research, Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL, 34236, USA

    Michelle R. Heupel

  3. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia

    Michelle R. Heupel

  4. Department of Biology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Philip J. Motta

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  1. Lori A. Ortega
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Correspondence to Lori A. Ortega.

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Ortega, L.A., Heupel, M.R., Beynen, P.V. et al. Movement patterns and water quality preferences of juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) in a Florida estuary. Environ Biol Fish 84, 361–373 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-009-9442-2

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