Arendt et al.: Seasonal occurrence of site-utilization patterns of Tautogo onitis 
523 
Airplane Wreck Texeco Wreck Ridged Bottom Coral Lump 
Manmade structures Natural bedforms 
B fall □ winter ■ spring □ summer 
Figure 2 
Seasonal site-utilization patterns of tautog released at manmade (Airplane Wreck and Texeco Wreck) 
and natural bedform (Ridged Bottom and Coral Lump) sites near Cape Charles, Virginia, in fall (9 Nov 
98 to 20 Dec 98), winter (21 Dec 98 to 20 Mar 99), spring (21 Mar 99 to 20 Jun 99), and summer (21 Jun 
99 to 9 Sep 99). Site-utilization patterns were greatest for tautog released at natural bedform sites. 
leaving this site until VR1 receivers were removed from 
this site, 112 d later. 
Eight tautog (27%) released in our study were subse- 
quently recaptured (Table 1). Two tautog (ID20, ID29) 
released in fall 1998 were recaptured (13%) away from 
release sites by commercial fishermen in spring 1999. Tau- 
tog 20 was released at the Texeco Wreck on 10 November 
1998 and either left this site the same day or its transmit- 
ter failed to transmit data. This tautog was subsequently 
recaptured 10.2 km northeast of the Texeco Wreck in a 
crab pot on 27 April 1999, 169 days later. Tautog 29 was 
first caught at the Airplane Wreck on 13 November 1998 
and held in a wire cage with several other tautog at the 
Airplane Wreck for five days as part of a catch-release 
mortality study on tautog. 3 After being released at the Air- 
plane Wreck on 18 November 1998, this tautog was re- 
captured at the Airplane Wreck on 7 December 1998 (19 
d later) and ultrasonically tagged and released. Tautog 
29 remained at the Airplane Wreck until 12 May 1999, 
then was recaptured in a gill net 2 km east of the Air- 
3 Lucy, J. A., and M. D. Arendt. 1999. Exploratory field evalua- 
tion of hook-release mortality in tautog ( Ta u toga onitis) in Lower 
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia. Rep. VMRC-99-10, 11 p. [Available 
from Marine Advisory Program, Virginia Institute of Marine 
Science, Gloucester Point, VA 23062.] 
plane Wreck on 19 May 1999. Recreational fishermen re- 
captured six tautog released in spring 1999 (55%) at the 
same sites where these fish were released 114—211 d earli- 
er and 8-13 weeks after VR1 receivers were removed from 
sites. 
Discussion 
Tautog remained inshore within lower Chesapeake Bay 
during winter, at sustained water temperatures of 5-8°C 
(Arendt et al., in press). Although detected at these water 
temperatures, tautog overall were detected less than during 
ot her times of the year, most likely because tautog remained 
inactive and within structures for several days at a time 
(Arendt et al., in press). Inshore occurrence of tautog in 
winter has been observed in eastern Long Island Sound, 4 
Delaware Bay (Eklund andTargett, 1991), and lower Chesa- 
4 Auster, P. J. 1989. Species profiles: life histories and environ- 
mental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (North 
and Mid-Atlantic) — tautog and cunner. U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service Biological Report 82 (11.105). U.S. Army Corps of Engi- 
neers Rep. TR EL-82-4, 13 p. NOAA’s National Undersea 
Research Program, Univ. Connecticut at Avery Point, Groton, 
CT 06430. 
