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Using Acoustic Telemetry to Project Fish Distributions in Chesapeake Bay Due to Climate Change

This project began in April 2024 and is expected to end in September 2028.

Matt Kendall and Bethany Williams prepare to tag an adult red drum, Chesapeake Bay, July 2024. Credit: Captain Stephen Griffin.

NCCOS is using acoustic telemetry to track movements and identify environmental preferences of striped bass and red drum to support NOAA’s Climate Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative. These data will be used to model species distributions and predict them under future climate scenarios. This project will enable climate-informed management decisions of these species in Chesapeake Bay.

Why We Care
Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuarine system in the world and is home to many species that are ecologically, economically, and culturally important. A variety of migratory species use the bay for portions of their lifecycle and serve as important recreational and commercial fisheries, including striped bass and red drum. Both species move seasonally based on environmental cues, and may therefore alter the timing and range of their movements in Chesapeake Bay as climate changes. Understanding expected changes in fish distributions and timing of movements as climate changes is critical to sustainable management of these species.

What We Are Doing
To understand and predict distributions of striped bass and red drum in Chesapeake Bay, NCCOS is tracking fish movements using coded acoustic transmitters and an array of data loggers that detect tagged fish. Working with local guides, fish will be captured, tagged internally, and tracked for two years providing geographic and environmental data as they move. These data will then be used to develop a model that relates fish movements to the environment and maps their distributions based on existing environmental conditions. These present-day distributions can then be projected into the future using climate models of expected environmental changes in Chesapeake Bay.

The work is part of NOAA’s Climate Ecosystem and Fisheries Initiative and is being conducted in collaboration with NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and the Atlantic Cooperative Telemetry Network. Project findings will serve management entities, including the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.

Benefits of Our Work
This work will help inform management of striped bass and red drum in Chesapeake Bay. As climate changes, these species may shift their distributions in response to changing temperatures and other environmental variables. Projecting these changes with climate will enable climate-informed management of these species.

Next Steps
Fish are being tagged from June 2024 to January 2025. Data loggers will be installed in August 2024. Tags last two years and data loggers will be decommissioned in fall 2027. After all of the data from the tagged species are collected, we will begin modeling and projection efforts.

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NCCOS delivers ecosystem science solutions for stewardship of the nation’s ocean and coastal resources to sustain thriving coastal communities and economies.

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