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Fishery Bulletin 99(4) 
The tag-recapture method is not a suitable method 
for evaluating site-utilization patterns because this 
technique does not provide information on the loca- 
tion of tagged animals between times of release and 
recapture. Furthermore, the tag-recapture method 
requires that tagged animals be recaptured, and 
be reported as recaptured, before any information 
is available. Ultrasonic telemetry, however, enables 
continuous observations on all tagged animals, in 
their natural environment, without requiring that 
tagged animals be recaptured (Winter, 1996). Pre- 
viously, only in one other study (Olla et al., 1974) 
was ultrasonic telemetry used to monitor adult tau- 
tog. Olla et al. (1974) tagged and “tracked” 10 adult 
tautog ultrasonically in Great South Bay, NY, for up 
to 80 h after their release. Although an important 
study, their sample size was small and total observa- 
tions too limited (<400 h, single season) to document 
seasonal occurrence and site-utilization patterns for 
this species. 
Ultrasonic telemetry was selected to address sea- 
sonal occurrence and site-utilization patterns of 
adult tautog in lower Chesapeake Bay, given that 
tag-recapture methods can be applied only within 
limitations and given that the poor visibility and 
strong currents preclude direct underwater observa- 
tions of this species in this turbid estuary. Rather 
than collect detailed positional data over short pe- 
riods of time (days) for a few tautog, we chose to 
collect seasonal occurrence and site-utilization data 
for two large groups of tautog (n=16 and 11) at four 
specific sites located within known tautog habitat. 
Sites were monitored by using a fixed, submerged 
hydrophone array between November 1998 and Sep- 
tember 1999. The first objective of our study was 
to determine if tautog remained inshore at natural 
and manmade structures in lower Chesapeake Bay dur- 
ing winter and summer. The second objective was to docu- 
ment and describe site-utilization patterns within inshore 
study sites. Data for daily activity patterns are presented 
elsewhere (Arendt et al., in press). 
Materials and methods 
Tautog were caught, tagged, and released at four sites sit- 
uated within a 1.5 km x 6 km area near Cape Charles, 
Virginia (Fig. 1). Side-scan sonar (Sea Scan Technology, 
Ltd., White Marsh, VA) was used to measure dimensions 
of the four study sites and to map the surrounding sea- 
floor. The Texeco Wreck, a 30 m x 100 m shipwreck, 
was located in 18 m of water west of the Susquehanna 
Channel (30-40 m deep) in an area characterized by 
flat, relatively featureless bottom topography (Wright et 
al., 1987). The three remaining sites (Airplane Wreck, 
Coral Lump, and Ridged Bottom) were located in 8-15 
m of water east of the Susquehanna Channel in an 
area characterized by sand flats and deep, mud-bottomed 
channels (Wright et al., 1987). The Airplane Wreck (40 
m x 20 m) consisted of concrete rubble. The Ridged 
Figure 1 
Location of study sites for telemetric study of tautog released in lower 
Chesapeake Bay near Cape Charles, VA. Texeco Wreck (TX) is located in 
18 m of water on a plain west of Susquehanna Channel (30-40 m deep). 
Coral Lump (CL), Ridged Bottom (RB), and Airplane Wreck (AW) are 
located in 8-15 m of water on a flat east of the Susquehanna Channel. 
Bottom (30 m x 100 m) and Coral Lump (100 m x 
300 m) sites consisted of natural bedforms. Otter trawl, 
oyster dredge, and underwater video surveys indicated 
that all sites were densely populated by several species of 
sponges, colonial bryozoans, mollusks, and crustaceans. 
Tautog were caught with standard two-hook bottom rigs 
baited with pieces of blue crab or clam and were brought 
aboard with a nylon landing net. Tautog were observed in 
an aerated live well up to 2 h before transmitters were 
implanted. Total length (mm) and sex (White, 1996) were 
recorded. Only tautog >400 mm TL were tagged ultrasoni- 
cally. This minimum size increased the odds of transmit- 
ters weighing less than 1.25% of fish body weight in wa- 
ter (Winter, 1996), based on size-weight relationships for 
tautog in Virginia (Hostetter and Munroe, 1993; White, 
1996). Tautog >400 mm were also reproductively mature 
(Hostetter and Munroe, 1993; White, 1996). 
Surgical procedures were similar to those used in 
Nemetz and Macmillan (1988), Mortensen (1990), Holland 
et al. (1993), Szedlmayer (1997), and Thoreau and Baras 
(1997). In preparation for surgical implantation of trans- 
mitters, level-four anesthesia (Mattson and Ripple, 1989; 
Prince et al., 1995) was induced by immersing tautog in a 
325-mg/L solution of MS-222. Once anesthetized, a small 
