Behavior of temperate reef fish species around oyster aquaculture farms and natural rock reefs

Shellfish aquaculture gear can support shelter oriented wild fish by providing structurally complex habitat (Ferriss et al. 2021, Theuerkauf et al. 2021). Fish benefit from shellfish aquaculture gear through increased foraging opportunities, sheltering sites, breeding habitat, nursery areas and protection from predators (Mercaldo-Allen et al. 2025, Armbruster 2024, Corrigan et al. 2024) and exhibit successful growth, reproduction and survival (Brown et al. 2022). A better understanding of the interactions of wild fish with shellfish farms can inform fisheries resource management through quantification of the potential benefits provided to fish by aquaculture gear (Mercaldo-Allen et al. 2021, Farrell et al. 2023, Ambrose and Munroe 2025). The goal of this work is to catalog and quantify behaviors associated with habitat use of three temperate reef fish species, cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus), scup (Stenotomus chrysops) and tautog (Tautoga onitis), around eastern oyster aquaculture cages on shellfish farms and on boulders at natural rock reefs in Long Island Sound, Connecticut, USA, in order to document the ecological services and habitat function provided by cages, relative to natural structured seafloor. This repository contains behavior data for tautog, scup and cunner associated with oyster cages sampled in Long Island Sound, Connecticut, USA. Video was collected using GoPro cameras and analyzed using Noldus Observer XT. Detailed methods can be found in Mercaldo-Allen et al. (2021, 2023). References Ambrose A., Munroe D (2025) Habitat usage on an oyster aquaculture farm: Impacts of farm activities and biological fouling on marine communities. Journal of Shellfish Research 43(3): 389-397. https://doi.org/10.2983/035.043.0310 Armbruster AD, Mercaldo-Allen R, Rose JM, Seda K, Clark P, Phillips G, Redman D, Conroy CW (2024) Territorial and occupancy behavior of black sea bass on oyster aquaculture gear and boulder habitat. Frontiers in Marine Science 11:1380484. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1380484 Brown CJM, Curry RA, Gray MA, Lento J, MacLatchy DL, Monk, WA, Pavey SA< St-Hilarire A, Wegscheider B, Munkittrick KR (2022) Considering fish as recipients of ecosystem services provides a framework to formally link baseline, development, and post-operational monitoring programs and improve aquatic impact assessments for large scale developments. Environmental Management 70, 350–367. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-022-01665-0 Corrigan S, Smale DA, Tyler CR, Brown AR (2024) Quantification of finfish assemblages associated with mussel and seaweed farms in southwest UK provides evidence of potential benefits to fisheries. Aquaculture Environment Interactions. 16:145-162. https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00478 Farrell DM, Ferriss B, Sanderson B, Veggerby K, Robinson L, Trivedi A, Pathak S, Muppalla S, Wang J, Morris D, Dodhia R (2023) Scientific Data 10:799. https://doi.org//10.1038/s41597-023-02557-6 Ferriss B, Veggerby K, Bogeberg M, Conway-Cranos L, Hoberecht L, Kiffney P, Litle K, Toft J, Sanderson B (2021). Characterizing the habitat function of bivalve aquaculture using underwater video. Aquaculture Environment Interactions 13:439-454. https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00418 Mercaldo-Allen, R, Clark P, Liu Y, Phillips G, Redman R, Auster PJ, Estela E, Milke L, Verkade A, Rose JM. (2021) Exploring video and eDNA metabarcoding methods to assess oyster aquaculture cages as fish habitat. Aquaculture Environment Interactions 13:277-294. https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00408 Mercaldo-Allen R., Auster PJ, Clark P, Dixon MS, Estela E, Liu Y, Milke L, Phillips G, Redman, D, Smith BC, Verkade A, Rose JM (2023) Oyster aquaculture cages provide fish habitat similar to natural structure with minimal differences based on farm location. Front. Mar. Sci., Sec. Marine Fisheries, Aquaculture and Living Resources https://10.3389/fmars.2023.1058709 Mercaldo- Allen, R. Morse, R., Schillaci, C, Auster, P. J., Bourget, A., Clark, P., Dixon, M., Oliveira, K., Phillips, G., Redman, D.H., Smith, B., Rose, J.M. 2025. Measures of habitat quality for black sea bass using oyster aquaculture cages. North American Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/naaqua/vraf019 Theuerkauf SJ, Barrett LT, Alleway HK, Costa-Pierce BA, St. Gelais A, Jones RC (2021) Habitat value of bivalve shellfish and seaweed aquaculture for fish and invertebrates: Pathways, synthesis and next steps. Reviews in Aquaculture 14: 54–72. https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12584