Ecology of the Ocean Sunfish, Mola mola, in the southern California Current System

摘要: Abstract The common ocean sunfish, Mola mola , occupies a unique position in the eastern Pacific Ocean and California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) as world's heaviest, most fecund bony fish, one of abundant gelativores. M. frequently occur bycatch fisheries worldwide comprise greatest portion California's large-mesh drift gillnet fishery. In this first long-term tagging study any sunfish species Pacific, 15 (99 cm to 200 cm total length) were tagged southern Bight (SCB) between 2003 2010 using 14 satellite pop-off archival tags (PATs) Fastloc Mk10 GPS tag. Ten provided positional data for cumulative dataset 349 tracking days during months July through March. Thirteen temperature depth data. All remained within ~ 300 km coast, nearly all exhibited seasonal movement SCB adjacent waters off northern central Baja California, Mexico. No individuals tracked north SCB. Tag showed diel vertical migration occasional deep (> 500 m) dives. Data from tag allowed close examination relationship movements largest (2 m TL) fine-scale oceanographic features. Near-instantaneous sea surface images individual associated with upwelling fronts along its path, which exceeded 800 km ranged 6 128 km coast. active use water column frontal zones. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) demonstrated that slicks, often indicate convergent circulation, coincided type front. Zooplankton tows region Mexico revealed dense populations salps toward warm side these fronts. Satellite ecosystem suggest bio-physical interactions coastal create favorable foraging habitat.