Water column structure influences long-distance latitudinal migration patterns and habitat use of bumphead sunfish Mola alexandrini in the Pacific Ocean.

ABSTRACT: Satellite-tracking of adult bumphead sunfish, Mola alexandrini, revealed long-distance latitudinal migration patterns covering thousands of kilometers. Horizontal and vertical movements of four bumphead sunfish off Taiwan were recorded with pop-up satellite archival tags in 2019-2020. Two individuals moved northward and traveled to Okinawa Island and Kyushu, Japan and two moved southwards; crossing the equator, to Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. During daytime, bumphead sunfish descended below the thermocline and ascended to mixed layer depths (MLD) during nighttime. The N-S migrants, however, demonstrated different habitat utilization patterns. Instead of using prevailing currents, the northward movements of sunfish cohorts exhibited extensive use of mesoscale eddies. Fish in anticycl

SUBMITTER: Chang CT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8578541 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature