SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM MOVEMENT PATTERNS OF 6 TEMPERATE REEF FISHES(FAMILIES LABRIDAE AND MONACANTHIDAE)

Movement patterns were studied on a 1-ha isolated reef surrounding Arc h Rock in southern Tasmania. Short-term movements were identified from diver observations, and interpretation of long-term movements involve d multiple recaptures of tagged individuals. Visual observations indic ated that the sex-changing labrids Notolabrus tetricus, Pictilabrus la ticlavius and Pseudolabrus psittaculus were all site-attached, with fe males having overlapping home ranges and males being territorial. In t he non-sex-changing labrid Notolabrus fucicola and in the monacanthids Penicipelta vittiger and Meuschenia australis, there was no evidence of territorial behaviour and 1-h movements were in excess of the scale of the study. The long-term results indicated that all species were p ermanent reef residents, with most individuals of all species except M . australis always being recaptured within a home range of 100 m x 25 m or less. Only 15% of individuals of M. australis were always recaptu red within this range category. The natural habitat boundary of open s and between the Arch Rock reef and adjacent reefs appeared to be an ef fective deterrent to emigration. The use of natural boundaries should be an important consideration in the design of marine reserves where t he aim is to minimize the loss of protected species to adjacent fished areas.