405 
Variation in movement patterns of red drum 
( Sciaenops ocellatus ) inferred from 
conventional tagging and ultrasonic telemetry 
Jeffrey A. Bucket' 
Joseph E. Hightower 3 
Email address for contact author: bachelen@uwgb.edu 
1 Center for Marine Sciences and Technology 
Department of Biology 
North Carolina State University 
303 College Circle Drive 
Morehead City, North Carolina 28557 
Present address for contact author: University of Wisconsin - Green Bay 
Natural and Applied Sciences EN 317 
2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, Wisconsin 54311 
2 North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries 
Post Office Box 539 
604 Harbor Road 
Wanchese, North Carolina 27981 
3 United States Geological Survey 
North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 
Department of Biology 
North Carolina State University 
Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 
Abstract — We used 25 years of 
conventional tagging data (n = 6173 
recoveries) and 3 years of ultrasonic 
telemetry data (n = 105 transmitters 
deployed) to examine movement rates 
and directional preferences of four- 
age classes of red drum ( Sciaenops 
ocellatus ) in estuarine and coastal 
waters of North Carolina. Movement 
rates of conventionally tagged red 
drum were dependent on the age, 
region, and season of tagging. Age-1 
and age-2 red drum tagged along the 
coast generally moved along the coast, 
whereas fish tagged in oligohaline 
waters far from the coast were pri- 
marily recovered in coastal regions in 
fall months. Adult (age-4+) red drum 
moved from overwintering grounds on 
the continental shelf through inlets 
into Pamlico Sound in spring and 
summer months and departed in fall. 
Few tagged red drum were recovered 
in adjacent states (0.6% of all recover- 
ies); however, some adult red drum 
migrated seasonally from overwinter- 
ing grounds in coastal North Caro- 
lina northward to Virginia in spring, 
returning in fall. Age-2 transmitter- 
tracked red drum displayed seasonal 
emigration from a small tributary, but 
upstream and downstream movements 
within the tributary were correlated 
with fluctuating salinity regimes and 
not season. Large-scale conventional 
tagging and ultrasonic telemetry pro- 
grams can provide valuable insights 
into the complex movement patterns 
of estuarine fish. 
Manuscript submitted 12 December 2008. 
Manuscript accepted 7 May 2009. 
Fish. Bull. 107:405-419 (2009). 
The views and opinions expressed 
or implied in this article are those 
of the author and do not necessarily 
reflect the position of the National 
Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA. 
Nathan M. Bacheler (contact author ) 1 
Lee M. Pa ram ore 2 
Summer M. Burdick 1 
Recent advances in conventional tag- 
ging and ultrasonic telemetry meth- 
ods have substantially increased 
our understanding of the ecology of 
myriad estuarine organisms (e.g., Able 
and Hales, 1997; Able et al. 2005). 
For red drum ( Sciaenops ocellatus), 
a long-lived estuarine and coastal 
fish species found along the Gulf and 
Atlantic coasts, conventional tagging 
and ultrasonic telemetry have been an 
invaluable tool to understand mortal- 
ity rates and habitat use. For instance, 
fishery returns of conventional tags 
and the tracking of red drum tagged 
with ultrasonic transmitters have pro- 
vided important information about the 
magnitude and seasonal patterns of 
fishery harvests and natural deaths 
(Latour et al., 2001; Bacheler et ah, 
2008a; Bacheler et al., 2009a). Telem- 
etry has also been used to show that 
habitat-use patterns of subadult (i.e., 
ages 1-3) red drum are influenced 
by both abiotic and biotic factors 
(Dresser and Kneib, 2007; Bacheler et 
al., 2009b). However, our understand- 
ing of the movement patterns of red 
drum lags far behind our knowledge 
of mortality rates and habitat use, 
despite the fundamental implications 
of movement to the ecology and sus- 
tainable management of the species. 
For example, movement patterns have 
been used to determine the appropri- 
ate spatial scale of management (i.e., 
stock structure; Metcalfe, 2006) and 
to provide information on the ways 
juveniles move from nurseries to adult 
habitats (Beck et al., 2001; Gillanders 
et al., 2003). 
The available literature on red 
drum movement is mixed. Studies 
conducted over relatively small spa- 
tial and temporal scales indicate that 
subadult red drum movement is lim- 
ited (Collins et al., 2002; Dresser and 
Kneib, 2007). It also appears that 
adult red drum return to their natal 
estuary to spawn (Patterson et al., 
2004). However, genetic differences 
exist only at very coarse scales (i.e., 
