Home range size, habitat use, and the effects of habitat breaks on the movements of temperate reef gamefishes in a Southern California Marine Protected Area

Acoustic telemetry methods coupled with a GIS were used to quantify the home range and site fidelity of barred sand bass at the Catalina Marine Science Center Marine Life Refuge (CMLR) located at Santa Catalina Island, California. Additionally, the edge response and spatial use of habitats was examined for acoustically tagged barred sand bass, California sheephead, kelp bass, and ocean whitefish in the CMLR. Barred sand bass utilized soft-sediment habitat within close proximity to rocky reefs and had home ranges that averaged 10,003 m2. Barred sand bass, California sheephead, and ocean whitefish exhibited a positive rock/soft-sediment edge response, while kelp bass exhibited a negative edge response. Results suggest that deep soft-sediment habitat may restrict movements of California sheephead and kelp bass, whereas rocky and shallow soft-sediment habitats may facilitate the movements of all 4 species. Results from this study are important for designing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) with geographic boundaries that are optimized for biological relevance.