Estuarine and adjacent inshore habitats have long been recognised as important nursery areas for fishes before they disperse to coastal habitats. Assessing nursery function supports spatial and fisheries management, yet work commonly focusses on singular habitat types. Re-considering how juvenile fish connect habitats may improve our understanding of nursery function and the scales that recruits are supplied to coastal fisheries. This study quantified the juvenile movements of two harvested fishes in south-eastern Australia, luderick (Girella tricuspidata) and yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis). Acoustic tags were used to track 33 luderick and 20 yellowfin bream from seagrass meadows for up to ~400 days in Jervis Bay Marine Park. Both species had relatively small home ranges (< 7 km2) and exhibited site attachment to seagrass meadows where they were released. Most luderick and yellowfin bream were detected moving 100’s metres to kilometres to reefs adjacent to seagrass, alt
Developing an ecological understanding on the linkages between patch types in coastal seascapes is a key goal in seascape ecology. Many reef-associated fish worldwide have complex life-histories, using vegetated nursery habitats as juveniles before undergoing ontogenetic habitat shifts to reefs. Currently, there is limited quantitative information on the spatiotemporal scales that fish connect patch types through ontogeny, particularly in temperate seascapes. Better quantifying this connectivity is essential to improving our understanding on the processes structuring fish populations, identifying critical habitats, and designing management strategies. In this thesis, I investigate the movement of reef-associated fish at both juvenile and adult life-stages to better quantify seascape connectivity and its importance for marine management and conservation.
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