Comparative migration ecology of striped bass and Atlantic sturgeon in the US Southern Mid-Atlantic Bight flyway

Seasonal migrations are key to the production and persistence of marine fish populations but movements within shelf movement corridors or, “flyways”, are poorly known. Atlantic sturgeon and striped bass, two anadromous species of concern, are known for their extensive migrations along the US Middle-Atlantic Bight. Seasonal patterns of habitat selection are well described within spawning rivers, estuaries, and shelf foraging habitats, but information on the location and timing of key coastal migrations is limited. Using a gradient-based array of acoustic telemetry receivers, we compared the seasonal incidence and movement behavior of these species in the near-shelf region of Maryland, USA. Atlantic sturgeon incidence was highest in the spring and fall and tended to be biased toward shallow regions, while striped bass had increased presence during spring and winter months and selected deeper waters. Incidence was transient (mean = ~2 d) for both species with a pattern of increased residen...