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Recruitment and Habitat Use of Early Life Stage Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) in South Carolina Estuaries

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Abstract

Our study was designed to examine early life stage tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) recruitment, habitat use, and residency in coastal environments near the northern limit of their distribution in the western Atlantic Ocean. We employed a multi-faceted approach to (1) collect ingressing larval tarpon on nighttime flood tides at multiple sites, (2) document larval and juvenile tarpon use of natural high marsh pools, and (3) examine juvenile tarpon movement and behavior in managed marsh impoundments, all in the North Inlet-Winyah Bay estuarine system of South Carolina, USA. The timing of recruitment (June through November) and size of larvae (mean ± standard deviation = 23 ± 3 mm standard length [SL]) during estuarine ingress was similar to that reported from other subtropical locations in the region. Soon after recruiting into the system, larval and small juvenile tarpon (47 ± 25 mm SL) co-occurred in high marsh pools from July to November, and large juveniles (201 ± 34 mm SL) were also present in marsh impoundments during this same time period. An increase in tarpon length over time during their residency in high marsh pools and the relatively large size they attain in marsh impoundments indicate these environments may function as favorable nursery habitats. As water temperatures decreased during October and November, juvenile tarpon emigrated from these estuarine habitats. Tarpon appear to use a variety of estuarine habitats in coastal South Carolina from summer through late fall during their early life stage development. The fate of these individuals after they leave estuarine habitats at the onset of winter in this region is currently unknown.

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Acknowledgements

We thank A. Adams and J. Wilson from BTT for their suggestions and guidance with the development and execution of this project. We would also like to thank the faculty, staff, and students from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center (J. Collington, J. Dozier, H. Evans, B. Gamble, J. Lee, F. Sim, Z. Simpson), USC Baruch Marine Field Laboratory (D. Allen, S. Forehand, M. Kennedy, P. Kenny, T. Thomas), Cornell College Rogers Fellowship in Environmental Studies program (R. Bulger, J. Dean, J. Tesensky), and Wofford College (K. Dickson, D. Kusher, K. Moorhouse) for their assistance with this study. This manuscript was improved by reviews from L. Rozas and two anonymous reviewers.

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  1. Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, University of South Carolina, PO Box 1630, Georgetown, SC, 29442, USA

    Marvin M. Mace III, Matthew E. Kimball & Eric R. Haffey

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  1. Marvin M. Mace III
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Correspondence to Marvin M. Mace III.

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This research was conducted in accordance with the guidelines set forth in University of South Carolina IACUC Animal Care and Use Protocols #2154-100810-040814, #2264-101032-080315, and #2273-101047-093015.

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Funding for this research was provided by the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT).

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Communicated by Josianne G. Støttrup

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Mace, M.M., Kimball, M.E. & Haffey, E.R. Recruitment and Habitat Use of Early Life Stage Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) in South Carolina Estuaries. Estuaries and Coasts 41, 841–854 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0304-4

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