There’s no place like home: high site fidelity and small home range of bonefish ( Albula vulpes ) inhabiting fringing reef flats in Culebra, Puerto Rico

Bonefish ( Albula spp.) have ecological, economic, and cultural importance throughout their tropical and subtropical range. These fish reside primarily in shallow, nearshore habitats, and their movement patterns are largely dominated by tidal flows, thermal regime, and seasonal spawning migrations. Previous studies of their spatial ecology show that bonefish exhibit moderate site fidelity to specific tidal creeks and flats; however, to date, limited research has looked at movement patterns of bonefish that reside in small fringing reef flats, such as those found associated with some islands in the Caribbean. This study used fixed station acoustic telemetry to quantify the movement patterns of bonefish inhabiting small fringing reef flats in the nearshore waters of Culebra, Puerto Rico, for nearly 3 years. Bonefish inhabiting these flats exhibited high site fidelity and small home ranges, with limited movements to flats that were no further than 3 km away. Network analyses revealed distinct groups of bonefish that were associated with the specific reef flats where they were tagged. This high site fidelity has considerable implications for the risk of disturbance to bonefish inhabiting reef flats. These small, isolated groups of fish are likely vulnerable to localized impacts such as habitat degradation or harvest and highly dependent on these specific locations.