Changes in a North Carolina Reef Fish Community after 15 Years of Intense Fishing—Global Warming Implications

Abstract

A North Carolina reef fish community was resurveyed with scuba gear to determine if changes occurred in community structure after 15 years of intense fishing. Generally, fishes important in the recreational and commercial fisheries were smaller, and large changes occurred in relative abundance and species composition. Indicative of a warming trend, total species composition of fishes had become more tropical, and a tropical sponge previously unrecorded at this latitude off the North Carolina coast became common. Two new (to the area) families and 29 new species of tropical fishes were recorded. Observations of 28 species of tropical reef fishes increased significantly. No new temperate species were observed, and the most abundant temperate species decreased by a factor of 22. Mean monthly bottom water temperatures in winter were 1–6°C warmer during the recent study. An increase in fish‐cleaning symbiosis was especially noticeable.

Diet of invasive lionfish on hard bottom reefs of the Southeast USA: insights from stomach contents and stable isotopes

“…These hard bottom reefs are well recognized as essential fish habitats that support economically valuable commercial and sport fisheries and an increasingly popular sport diving industry (Struhsaker 1969, Parker & Ross 1986, and lionfish have become widespread residents in the region ). Additional stressors in the Southeast US Atlantic include multiple non-native marine fish species (Semmens et al 2004), potential increases in winter bottom water temperatures (Parker & Dixon 1998), and the overfishing of many important predatory reef species (Coleman et al 1999, Huntsman et al 1999, Shertzer & Williams 2008.…”

“…These hard bottom reefs are well recognized as essential fish habitats that support economically valuable commercial and sport fisheries and an increasingly popular sport diving industry (Struhsaker 1969, Parker & Ross 1986, and lionfish have become widespread residents in the region ). Additional stressors in the Southeast US Atlantic include multiple non-native marine fish species (Semmens et al 2004), potential increases in winter bottom water temperatures (Parker & Dixon 1998), and the overfishing of many important predatory reef species (Coleman et al 1999, Huntsman et al 1999, Shertzer & Williams 2008.We set out to contribute to the understanding of lionfish impacts in their invaded range by determining their diet on hard bottom communities of the Southeast US Atlantic Ocean. Our goal was to assess both immediate (stomach contents) and long-term (isotopes) lionfish diets in combination with data from prey community surveys to make inferences about the specialist or generalist predatory role of lionfish.…”

Thermal tolerance and potential distribution of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles complex) on the east coast of the United States

“…20°C limit, Briggs 1974), may have limited interest in examining thermal tolerances in tropical fishes. Yet, with the expansion of tropical species into temperate waters, potentially related to climate change (Parker & Dixon 1998), and the increasing number of marine invasions (Randall 1987, Baltz 1991, Golani & Sonin 1992, Ruiz et al 1997, Erdmann & Vagelli 2001, Semmens et al 2004, information on the thermal tolerances of tropical fishes is vital.…”

Routes and rates of larval fish transport from the southeast to the northeast United States continental shelf

“…Members of these faunas, however, move between oceanographic regimes. Adults of some cold-temperate species are found south of Cape Hatteras (e.g., tautog, Tautoga onitis, Parker and Dixon 1998), and larvae of NEUSCS-spawning species can be transported south of Cape Hatteras via wind and buoyancy-driven intrusions into the SEUSCS (Stegmann and Yoder 1996;Grothues et al 2002). Likewise, many warm-temperate species are found in the NEUSCS during late spring, summer, and early fall (Able and Fahay 1998).…”