Applications of telemetry to fish habitat science and management

Abstract

Telemetry has major potential for application to fish habitat science and management, but to date it is underutilized in this regard. We posit this is because (1) fish telemetry projects are often geared towards detecting fish movement, opposed to systematically sampling habitat selection, and (2) there are often differences in scale between telemetry data and management decisions. We discuss various ways in which telemetry can contribute to fish habitat science and present some considerations for improving its application to this field. To date, most fish telemetry studies have been descriptive (e.g., fish use area A more than area B); greater adoption of more inferential study approaches that assess causal ecological drivers of movement and space use would be of value and require more extensive measurement of environmental conditions. We conclude by presenting a conceptual framework for scaling from individual studies to broad applications in habitat management. Established telemetry networks can readily support synthesis activities, although fish tracking data and environmental data are rarely stored together, and current disconnects among repositories may constrain broad integration and scalability.