Spawning migration movements of Mutton Snapper in Tortugas, Florida: Spatial dynamics within a marine reserve network

A marine reserve’s effectiveness for sustaining transient spawning reef fish populations is dependent on inclusion of fish spawning aggregations and consideration of the natural spatial boundaries of the populations themselves. Seasonal migrations of Mutton Snapper Lutjanus analis between protected nearshore areas and spawning grounds on Riley’s Hump in Dry Tortugas, Florida, were assessed from 2008 to 2012 by acoustic telemetry. Individual fish...