Characterizing Fish–Habitat Associations through Paired Fisheries‐Independent and In Situ Habitat Assessments

Abstract

Estuarine habitat has a significant influence on the growth, recruitment, and survival of fish and invertebrate species, and understanding habitat dynamics can improve fisheries management. However, the cost and effort associated with habitat monitoring can be limiting, and many large‐scale fisheries‐independent monitoring programs do not capture habitat and biological data concurrently. Consequently, fisheries and their associated habitats are often managed separately. We designed a pilot study to assess the utility and effectiveness of incorporating rapid in situ habitat characterization into a statewide fisheries management program. The occurrence of six focal species (Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus, Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus, blue crab Callinectes sapidus, Atlantic Croaker Micropogonias undulatus, brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus, and white shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus) and the overall faunal community composition were compared across estuarine habitats to assess the ability of this method to accurately depict fish–habitat associations. Focal species’ occurrence and community composition was significantly correlated with shoreline vegetation, seagrass presence, presence of mangroves, substrate type, and heterogeneity in vegetated habitat. This study demonstrates an effective approach to integrating habitat into fisheries‐independent monitoring in pursuit of an ecosystem‐based approach to fisheries management.

The influence of freshwater inflow and seascape context on occurrence of juvenile spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus across a temperate estuary

“…Alternatively, the observations of greater encounter probability near marshes during dry conditions may be related to a limitation of the seine gear used in this study. Juvenile seatrout occur in relatively high probability along salt marsh shorelines in northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries [ 21 , 83 ], and may also utilize the salt marsh interior (away from the edge). During wet and normal conditions, the intertidal salt marsh surface is likely inundated more frequently and thus more available for use by fish than during dry conditions [ 3 ].…”

The behavioural ecology toolkit for fish management and conservation

“…How does competition for space within or between species influence habitat selection? Although many studies report correlations between fish distribution/abundance and habitat characteristics (Clarkson & Beseres Pollack, 2021; Smith et al, 2016), which can describe in some detail the habitat requirements of single species or multi‐species assemblages (Claudet et al, 2006; Fulton et al, 2020; Marsh‐Matthews & Matthews, 2000; Perry & Smith, 1994), they are generally non‐mechanistic and results can have ambiguities (Polivka et al, 2015). Nevertheless, below we show how distribution and abundance data can be combined with more mechanistic tools from behavioural ecology.…”

“…Although many studies report correlations between fish distribution/abundance and habitat characteristics (Clarkson & Beseres Pollack, 2021;Smith et al, 2016), which can describe in some detail the habitat requirements of single species or multi-species assemblages (Claudet et al, 2006;Fulton et al, 2020;Marsh-Matthews & Matthews, 2000;Perry & Smith, 1994), they are generally nonmechanistic and results can have ambiguities (Polivka et al, 2015).…”

Seasonal Abundance and Length Patterns of Brown and White Shrimp in Texas Estuaries and Nearshore Waters: Implications for Population and Fishery Dynamics

“…For example, white shrimp tend to be more tolerant of high temperatures and less tolerant of lower temperatures than are brown shrimp (Pattillo et al 1997). Additionally, brown shrimp tend to have a preference for vegetative structure, whereas white shrimp do not (Minello and Zimmerman 1985;Clarkson and Pollack 2021). Both brown and white shrimp are known to tolerate a wide range of salinities; thus, estuarine salinity is thought to have minimal impact on recruitment success and timing (Tolan 2013;Doerr et al 2016;Olsen 2019a).…”