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Re-use of shallow sediment patches by Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) in Barkley Sound, British Columbia, Canada

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Abstract

We determined whether, during the summers of 2002–2004, young-of-the-year (YOY) Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) re-used patches of sediment in intertidal and shallow subtidal regions of Barkley Sound, British Columbia, Canada. We examined re-use weekly at a single sediment patch in 2003 and 2004 via mark-recapture methods, monthly by re-sampling 15 patches in 2002 and interannually by re-sampling 36 patches in all 3 years (2002–2004). The mark-recapture results showed that, within each summer, batch marked YOY sand lance re-used the same patch up to 8 weeks later. The re-sampling of 15 patches over 4 months in 2002 showed that YOY sand lance consistently occupied patches within a season. We found the greatest variability in sediment patch re-use at the interannual time scale with major fluctuations in occurrence and abundance during 2002–2004. The interannual variability in patch re-use is most likely linked to abundance rather than the local or regional environmental characteristics that we examined.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this project was obtained from the Species at Risk Interdepartment Recovery Fund administered by Environment Canada and awarded to CLKR. Logistical support was provided by the Western and Northern Service Centre, Parks Canada Agency, and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada. We would like to thank Eric Baron, Ryan Stevenson, Dan Vedova, Darren Salisbury, Devan Haynes and Andrew George for their contributions to fieldwork and Michael Collyer for his assistance with the GIS analysis. Also, thanks to Andrea Hunter and the Bamfield Marine Science Center for logistical support. We greatly appreciated feedback on the manuscript from Veronica Padula and two anonymous reviewers.

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  1. Trevor B. Haynes

    Present address: School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775–7220, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Protected Areas Research Group, Geography Department, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada

    Trevor B. Haynes & Clifford L. K. Robinson

  2. Parks Canada Agency, Western and Northern Service Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 6B4

    Clifford L. K. Robinson

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  1. Trevor B. Haynes
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Correspondence to Trevor B. Haynes.

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Haynes, T.B., Robinson, C.L.K. Re-use of shallow sediment patches by Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) in Barkley Sound, British Columbia, Canada. Environ Biol Fish 92, 1–12 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-011-9809-z

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