Estimates of field activity and metabolic rates of bonefish (Albula vulpes) in coastal marine habitats using acoustic tri-axial accelerometer transmitters and intermittent-flow respirometry

We tested the utility of acoustic tri-axial acceleration transmitters in combination with ethogram and respirometry studies to quantify the activity patterns and field metabolic rates of free-swimming bonefish (Albula vulpes) in the coastal waters of Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Bonefish were found to exhibit relatively low activity levels in the field with no evidence of diel patterns or inter-sexual variation. Low activity levels reported by the accelerometers reflected low swimming speeds and intermittent swimming behaviours (i.e., swim-then-drift) that maximized energy efficiency. Such behaviours were also observed when conducting ethograms on bonefish held in a large field mesocosm. Laboratory derived standard metabolic rates and maximum metabolic rates during recovery from exercise were combined with acceleration transmitter calibrations to determine that individual bonefish typically operate at between 40 and 60% of their estimated metabolic scope in the field. However, occasionally acceleration values in the field were indicative of high intensity bursting activity that exhausted the majority of their estimated metabolic scope (0.7% of all field observations exceed 90% of estimated metabolic scope). Data gathered in this study provide a critical starting point for the development of a bioenergetics model for bonefish which will ultimately lend clues into how fish make a living in tropical tidal flats environments. Given that this paper is one of the first to use transmitters rather than archival loggers to collect data on tri-axial acceleration on fish, we also discuss the opportunities and limitations of using this new technology for marine fisheries research.