Homing behaviour of intertidal rockpool fishes in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

The homing ability of 20 temperate Australian intertidal rockpool fishes was investigated between September 1999 and August 2001 by relocating tagged fish to other rockpools at distances of <5 m and 10–20 m. Eleven species showed homing ability, which may be due to topographical cues learned during high-tide feeding excursions within the intertidal zone. Displacement distance and time at liberty did not influence the proportion of fish homing, indicating that homing tendency is strong for most species examined. After ~120 days there is a dramatic decrease in the number of fish homing, but fish are capable of homing up to 214 days. The proportion of fish homing was independent of size, except for Lepidoblennius haplodactylus, which showed a reduced tendency to home with increasing size. The fate or whereabouts of fish that never returned to rockpools could not be determined. Possible explanations include relocation to rockpools near release points or increased susceptibility to predation due to tagging.