Estimates of residence and site fidelity for red snapper Lutjanus campechanhus on artificial reefs in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Questions remain concerning long-term residence and site fidelity of red snapper Lutjanus campechanus (Poey, 1860) on artificial reefs in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. We used event analysis to estimate long-term residency of ultrasonic tagged red snapper, and arrays of 4-5 remote receivers to further define site fidelity associated with artificial reefs. Using event analysis, we estimated a median residence time of 373 d, almost double previous estimates. Based upon data from the remote receiver arrays, for the most part (99% of total time) fish (87%, 13 of 15) stayed within a 200 m radius of their original release site. Exceptions included one fish that frequented both the center reef site and an area to the south of the release site, and another fish that quickly left the center reef site after tagging. These estimates of long-term residence and site fidelity further suggest that artificial reefs provide suitable habitat for L. campechanus.