Use of accelerometry to measure the dynamics of activity patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna after tagging and release
Abstract Research on the direct effects of capture and tagging on post-release behaviour is typically limited to short-term deployments. To investigate the initial and longer-term behavioural responses to capture and tagging, we deployed eight Cefas G7 tags (1Hz depth and temperature, and 20 Hz tria...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Movement Ecology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-025-00563-4 |
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| author | Jessica L. Rudd Kim Aarestrup Ghalia Abel Francisco Alemany Henrik Baktoft Francis C. T. Binney Samantha Birch Kim Birnie-Gauvin Barbara A. Block Martin A. Collins Owen M. Exeter Francesco Garzon Thomas W. Horton Alex Plaster David Righton Jeroen van der Kooij Matthew J. Witt Serena Wright Lucy A. Hawkes |
| author_facet | Jessica L. Rudd Kim Aarestrup Ghalia Abel Francisco Alemany Henrik Baktoft Francis C. T. Binney Samantha Birch Kim Birnie-Gauvin Barbara A. Block Martin A. Collins Owen M. Exeter Francesco Garzon Thomas W. Horton Alex Plaster David Righton Jeroen van der Kooij Matthew J. Witt Serena Wright Lucy A. Hawkes |
| author_sort | Jessica L. Rudd |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Research on the direct effects of capture and tagging on post-release behaviour is typically limited to short-term deployments. To investigate the initial and longer-term behavioural responses to capture and tagging, we deployed eight Cefas G7 tags (1Hz depth and temperature, and 20 Hz triaxial acceleration) for 21–94 hours and 12 Wildlife Computers MiniPATs (depth, temperature, light and triaxial acceleration, each at 0.2 Hz) for 110–366 days on Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) in the English Channel. Post-release, ABT exhibited a strong, highly active initial swimming response, consistent with patterns reported in previous bluefin tuna, billfish and elasmobranch tracking studies. Accelerometry tags revealed that activity (VeDBA g), tailbeat amplitude (g) and dominant stroke frequency (Hz) were greater (2.4, 3.2 and 1.4 times respectively) within the first hour post-release than the subsequent 24 hours, stabilising at lower levels within 5–9 hours. However, lower resolution accelerometry data (0.2 Hz), obtained from longer periods from MiniPATs, revealed that fish then maintained this reduced activity for 11 ± 7.9 days (mean ± 1 SD; range: 2–26 days), during which they displayed disrupted diel patterns of activity and allocated on average 5 minutes of each day to burst energy events, compared to 14 minutes (max 74 minutes) during “recovered” periods. Subsequently, their activity levels increased again and were characterised by higher magnitude acceleration events (which may constitute feeding events) and became more active during the day than at night. Year-long deployments revealed that consistent diel vertical migration, diurnal patterns of activity, and increased time allocation to fast starts are normal for ABT off the British Isles in summer months, and their absence at the start of data collection may be related to the effect of capture and tagging, which may be longer lasting, and more complex than previously appreciated. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-94201dc7ec4948b392a672bb07ec7f09 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2051-3933 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Movement Ecology |
| spelling | doaj-art-94201dc7ec4948b392a672bb07ec7f092025-08-20T03:25:19ZengBMCMovement Ecology2051-39332025-06-0113111910.1186/s40462-025-00563-4Use of accelerometry to measure the dynamics of activity patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna after tagging and releaseJessica L. Rudd0Kim Aarestrup1Ghalia Abel2Francisco Alemany3Henrik Baktoft4Francis C. T. Binney5Samantha Birch6Kim Birnie-Gauvin7Barbara A. Block8Martin A. Collins9Owen M. Exeter10Francesco Garzon11Thomas W. Horton12Alex Plaster13David Righton14Jeroen van der Kooij15Matthew J. Witt16Serena Wright17Lucy A. Hawkes18Hatherly Laboratories, University of ExeterNational Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of DenmarkHatherly Laboratories, University of ExeterInternational Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, GBYPNational Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of DenmarkGovernment of Jersey Marine Resources, Natural Environment, Howard Davis FarmCentre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture ScienceNational Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of DenmarkDepartment of Oceans, Stanford UniversityBritish Antarctic Survey, NERC, High CrossUniversity of ExeterHatherly Laboratories, University of ExeterHatherly Laboratories, University of ExeterGovernment of Jersey Marine Resources, Natural Environment, Howard Davis FarmCentre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture ScienceCentre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture ScienceHatherly Laboratories, University of ExeterCentre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture ScienceHatherly Laboratories, University of ExeterAbstract Research on the direct effects of capture and tagging on post-release behaviour is typically limited to short-term deployments. To investigate the initial and longer-term behavioural responses to capture and tagging, we deployed eight Cefas G7 tags (1Hz depth and temperature, and 20 Hz triaxial acceleration) for 21–94 hours and 12 Wildlife Computers MiniPATs (depth, temperature, light and triaxial acceleration, each at 0.2 Hz) for 110–366 days on Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) in the English Channel. Post-release, ABT exhibited a strong, highly active initial swimming response, consistent with patterns reported in previous bluefin tuna, billfish and elasmobranch tracking studies. Accelerometry tags revealed that activity (VeDBA g), tailbeat amplitude (g) and dominant stroke frequency (Hz) were greater (2.4, 3.2 and 1.4 times respectively) within the first hour post-release than the subsequent 24 hours, stabilising at lower levels within 5–9 hours. However, lower resolution accelerometry data (0.2 Hz), obtained from longer periods from MiniPATs, revealed that fish then maintained this reduced activity for 11 ± 7.9 days (mean ± 1 SD; range: 2–26 days), during which they displayed disrupted diel patterns of activity and allocated on average 5 minutes of each day to burst energy events, compared to 14 minutes (max 74 minutes) during “recovered” periods. Subsequently, their activity levels increased again and were characterised by higher magnitude acceleration events (which may constitute feeding events) and became more active during the day than at night. Year-long deployments revealed that consistent diel vertical migration, diurnal patterns of activity, and increased time allocation to fast starts are normal for ABT off the British Isles in summer months, and their absence at the start of data collection may be related to the effect of capture and tagging, which may be longer lasting, and more complex than previously appreciated.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-025-00563-4BiologgingPost-release behaviourAccelerometryRecovery period |
| spellingShingle | Jessica L. Rudd Kim Aarestrup Ghalia Abel Francisco Alemany Henrik Baktoft Francis C. T. Binney Samantha Birch Kim Birnie-Gauvin Barbara A. Block Martin A. Collins Owen M. Exeter Francesco Garzon Thomas W. Horton Alex Plaster David Righton Jeroen van der Kooij Matthew J. Witt Serena Wright Lucy A. Hawkes Use of accelerometry to measure the dynamics of activity patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna after tagging and release Movement Ecology Biologging Post-release behaviour Accelerometry Recovery period |
| title | Use of accelerometry to measure the dynamics of activity patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna after tagging and release |
| title_full | Use of accelerometry to measure the dynamics of activity patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna after tagging and release |
| title_fullStr | Use of accelerometry to measure the dynamics of activity patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna after tagging and release |
| title_full_unstemmed | Use of accelerometry to measure the dynamics of activity patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna after tagging and release |
| title_short | Use of accelerometry to measure the dynamics of activity patterns of Atlantic bluefin tuna after tagging and release |
| title_sort | use of accelerometry to measure the dynamics of activity patterns of atlantic bluefin tuna after tagging and release |
| topic | Biologging Post-release behaviour Accelerometry Recovery period |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-025-00563-4 |
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