Movement of long-finned river eels within coastal catchments: implications for population demography and fishery management
Project Member(s): Booth, D.
Start year: 2001
Summary: Juveniles and adults of the catadromous, long-finned eel (Anguilla reinhartii) inhabit estuaries and rivers along the NSW coast. Our current studies indicate that female eels are predominantly found in the freshwater, upper catchment areas, while most males are found downstream in the estuaries. We will use radio-telemetric methods to track individual male and female eels within a catchment in the Sydney region to determine home range and site fidelity. Because the primary commercial eel fishery in NSW is resterivted to the estruaries, an ehances understanding ofeel movement behaviour throughout the catchment will allow improved management of this important commercial fishery to ensure protection of stocks of both males and females.
Keywords: Long-finned eels, Radiotelemetry, Dispersal, Sex ratios, Movement behaviour, Homing
FOR Codes: Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology), Life Histories (incl. Population Ecology), Ecosystem Studies and Stock Assessment, Fisheries-commercial, Aquatic Ecosystem Studies and Stock Assessment, Population Ecology, Population ecology , Aquaculture and fisheries stock assessment