Editing Atlantic tripletail (section)

== Habitat and ecology ==
Atlantic tripletails are found coastally in most, but not all, tropical and subtropical seas. They are semimigratorial and [[pelagic]]. Normally solitary, they have been known to form schools. They can be found in bays, sounds, and estuaries during the summer. Juveniles are usually found swimming under patches of ''[[Sargassum]]'' algae. In the [[Gulf of Mexico]], adults are usually found in open water, but can also be found in passes, inlets, and bays near river mouths. Large adults are sometimes found near the surface over deep, open water, although always associated with floating objects. Young fishes are also often found in or near shipwrecks, beams or supports, jetties, flotsam and sea buoys. Fry are usually found in waters that exceed 84&nbsp;°F (29&nbsp;°C), greater than 3.3‰ salinity, and more than 230 feet (70 m) deep.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://fishbull.noaa.gov/921/ditty.pdf|title=Larval development of tripletail ''Lobotes surinamensis'' (Pisces: Lobotidae), and their spatial and temporal distribution in the northern Gulf of Mexico |author=Ditty, James G |author2= R F Shaw| journal= Fishery Bulletin |volume =92 |year=1993| pages=33–45}}</ref>

Tripletail are well known for their unusual behavior of floating just beneath the surface with one side exposed, mimicking a leaf or floating debris. They are also known to be able to change between light and dark shades of their normal coloration. These behaviors may help juveniles avoid predators, and are also believed to be a feeding strategy. Located in rafts of [[Flotsam, jetsam, lagan and derelict|flotsam]], near buoys, channel markers, crab trap floats, and other floating structures that provide cover for prey species, tripletail floating on their side may appear to be part of this cover, allowing close approach before the prey are taken in ambush.<ref>{{cite journal|title= On the Behavior of Young ''Lobotes surinamensis'' | author=Breder Jr., CM|journal=Copeia| year=1949| volume=1949| issue=4| pages=237–242|doi=10.2307/1438372 | jstor=1438372}}</ref> The behavior has resulted in a rapidly increasing incidence of [[Recreational fishing|recreational fishermen]] sight-fishing for the floating tripletail, resulting in severe bag and length restrictions in Florida and Georgia to ensure future populations.<ref name = iucn/><ref name="dnr">{{cite web |url=https://coastalgadnr.org/sites/default/files/crd/RecFish/State_FMPs/Tripletail%20FMP%20Final%202017.pdf |title=Management Plan: Tripletail |date=June 2017 |publisher=Coastal Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources |access-date=8 June 2024  }}</ref>