John D. Armstrong

Foraging behavior of abyssal grenadier fish: inferences from acoustic tagging and tracking in the North Pacific Ocean

Abstract Abyssal grenadier fish Coryphaenoides yaquinae were Coryphaenoides armatus and observed arriving at baits deployed within view of a free-fall video vehicle (FVV) camera on the sea floor at two stations in the North Pacific, Sta. F 32°50′N, 124°W, 4400 m deep in the vicinity of the California current and Sta. CNP 31°N, 159°W, a 5900 m deep oligotrophic station. Included within each bait deployment were one or two ingestible acoustic transmitters. A total of 23 fish at Sta. F and 13 fish at Sta. CNP ingested transmitters and were tracked using an acoustic tracking system (ATEX). The number of fish within view of the camera increased to a mean maximum of 4.7 at 60 min at Sta. F and 11.8 by 400 min at Sta. CNP, a paradox in view of presumed lower fish population density at Sta. CNP. Fish that ingested transmitters moved away at radial velocities between 1 and 15 cm s−1, reaching a mean radius of 233 m by 370 min at Sta. F and 622 min at Sta. CNP. Fish appear to be active foragers with no evidence for a “sit and wait” foraging strategy. Grenadiers generally remained near the sea floor as they dispersed. Only one vertical movement to an altitude of ca 25 m was recorded and this comprised less than 0.2% of tracking time. The number of fish present at the bait was found to correspond to the following relationship: N t = α 0 x (1 − c −xf ) t ⩽ β α 0 x c −xt (c βx − 1) t > β where Nt is number of fish present at time t min after bait reaches the sea floor, α0 is initial arrival rate of fish, β is mean fish staying time and x is the bait decay constant. In accordance with optimal foraging theory staying time (β) is longer at Sta. CNP.

Photographic and acoustic tracking observations of the behaviour of the grenadier Coryphaenoides (Nematonurus) armatus, the eel Synaphobranchus bathybius, and other abyssal demersal fish in the North Atlantic Ocean

Using an autonomous free-fall vehicle (AU-DOS), observations were made of demersal fish attracted to baits and baited acoustic transmitters at two stations in the North Atlantic Ocean. A comparison was made between Station PAP (48°50′N; 16°30′W), 4800 m deep on the Porcupine Abyssal Plain which is relatively eutrophic, and Station MAP (31°N; 20°W), 4900 m deep on the Madeira Abyssal Plain, which is oligotrophic. Experiments were conducted during summer, in 1989 and 1990. Four species of fish were observed at Station MAP, the grenadier, Coryphaenoides (Nematonurus) armatus, the eel, Synaphobranchus bathybius, and the ophidiids Spectrunculus grandis, and Barathrites sp. At Station PAP, C. (N.) armatus and H. (S.) bathybius were attracted to bait on all deployments and only two other individuals of different species, probably ophidiids, were seen. The mean first grenadier arrival time was 30 and 138 min at Stations PAP and MAP, respectively. Mean first eel arrival time was 29 and 151 min at Stations PAP and MAP, respectively. Estimated population densities of fish were 167 grenadiers km-2 and 180 synaphobranchid eels km-2 at Station PAP and 8 grenadiers km-2 and 7 eels km-2 at Station MAP. Only the grenadier C. (N.) armatus definitely ingested transmitters, and this species dominated fish activity around the baits. Mean time of departure of grenadiers with transmitters in their stomachs across an acoustic horizon at 1000 m range was 371 and 488 min at Stations PAP and MAP, respectively. Grenadiers had a longer mean staying time at the food source at the more oligotrophic Station MAP (364 min) than at Station PAP (141 min). This corresponds with predictions of optimal foraging theory.