Led by myself, Dr. Richard Nemeth, and Dr. Paul Jobsis, UVI has a team of researchers using acoustic telemetry to study the movement behavior of a number of marine species in the USVI territory.

Brewers Bay Array
This array has seen many iterations, including a fine-scale positioning arrangement, and has been used to track acoustically tagged juvenile hawksbill and green sea turtles, giant hermit crabs, and southern stingrays, among other species. We are using this information to determine how the movement behaviors of these animals are influenced by intra-specific interactions, anthropogenic disturbance, and environmental variables.

• Brunson et al. (2024) Influence of Environmental and Biological Factors on the Space Use and Movement Behavior of Juvenile Caribbean Green Sea Turtles

Reef Bay Array
Dr. Richard Nemeth has been using an acoustic receiver array in Reef Bay on St. John to track the movements of yellowtail parrotfish. This species forms daily spawning aggregations, providing an avenue to explore how environmental disturbances influence the reproductive behavior of a critical reef grazer.

Other Movement Ecology Work

• Blincow et al. (2025) Characterizing changes in density, space use, and diel behavior of lionfish (Pterois volitans) on mesophotic coral reefs in the US Virgin Islands (in press)