Habitat associations of dolphinfish larvae in the Gulf of Mexico

Kitchens, Larissa L.; Rooker, Jay R.

doi:10.1111/fog.12081

Cited by 27 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(43 reference statements)

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“…Given their great capacity for large-scale migration (Merten et al 2014a), Dolphinfish have a high potential to integrate contaminants across the Gulf of Mexico. These findings suggest a need for more information on the feeding biology of these fish in the Gulf of Mexico, as this stock is potentially recovering from a poor 2010 cohort (Kitchens and Rooker 2014).…”

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confidence: 99%

Feeding Ecology of Dolphinfish in the Western Gulf of Mexico

et al. 2016

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Dolphinfish Coryphaena hippurus support important commercial and recreational fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. Understanding the feeding ecology of this economically important pelagic fish is key to its sustainable management; however, dietary data from this region are sparse. We conducted a comprehensive diet study to develop new trophic baselines and investigate potential ontogenetic and sex‐related shifts in Dolphinfish feeding ecology. The stomach contents of 357 Dolphinfish (27.6–148.5 cm TL) were visually examined from fishery‐dependent sources off Port Aransas, Texas. Our analyses revealed a highly piscivorous diet with Actinopterygii comprising 70.44% of the stomach contents by number. The most commonly observed taxa were carangid (12.45%N) and tetraodontiform (12.08%N; families Balistidae, Monacanthidae, and Tetraodontidae) fishes. Malacostracans were also common (24.83%N), mostly in the form of pelagic megalopae. Other prey categories included squid and the critically endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles Lepidochelys kempii. Although increasingly commom in larger fish, Sargassum spp. was found across a range of sizes in Dolphinfish, indicating that these fish feed from this drifting macroalgae throughout ontogeny. An ontogenetic shift from primary consumption of carangids and brachyurans in smaller size‐classes to tetraodontids, monocanthids, and squid in larger size‐classes was also observed. No sex‐related difference in diet was observed. The overall infection rate for gastric parasites was 54%, an order of magnitude increase from that previously reported in the region, but consistent with recent studies from other areas. Trematode parasites in the genus Dinurus were found in 55% of stomachs and nematode parasites of the family Raphidascarididae in 16% of stomachs. Overall, Dolphinfish in the western Gulf of Mexico are highly opportunistic carnivores with a gastrointestinal parasite burden consistent with that reported in other ocean basins. These data will be important for sustainable management of this economically important species. Received November 20, 2015; accepted February 17, 2016 Published online June 24, 2016

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Feeding Ecology of Dolphinfish in the Western Gulf of Mexico

et al. 2016

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“…The Dolphinfish index from the optimal model showed two 7‐year cycles with peaks in 2007 and 2014 (Figure ), and the last year (2015) showed a concerning decline. There is no information to explain the causes of these fluctuations, but they may be associated in part with the influences of environmental factors on recruitment (as in the Gulf of Mexico; Kitchens and Rooker ) and the exceptionally fast growth rates and early maturation nature of the fish (Oxenford ; Schwenke and Buckel ; Chang et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deriving a Statistically Reliable Abundance Index from Landings Data: An Application to the Taiwanese Coastal Dolphinfish Fishery with a Multispecies Feature

et al. 2018

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Data from coastal fisheries are often incomplete, as these fisheries are usually small in scale, rendering them exempt from logbook submission requirements. The catch of Dolphinfish Coryphaena hippurus by Taiwanese fisheries once ranked second in the world but has dramatically declined to very low levels in recent years. To address this decline, assessment of a Dolphinfish abundance index was necessary. However, due to the small scale of the fisheries, logbook data were not available to calculate CPUE. This study aimed to estimate a statistically reliable index by (1) assigning effort matrices to landings data using coastal surveillance radar data; (2) standardizing the 2001-2015 CPUEs while using four approaches (classifying fishing tactics by multivariate techniques and principal components analysis) to differentiate the fisheries' effort toward catching Dolphinfish from the effort toward other target species; and (3) evaluating performance of the standardization models by using an R 2 estimated by cross-validation and bootstrap procedures. The approach that used a delta-generalized additive model with a direct principal components procedure demonstrated the best fit. This study presents an example of deriving a statistically reliable abundance index from the data-incomplete situations common for coastal fisheries, which allows for follow-up population dynamics studies. The resulting index for Dolphinfish in the Taiwanese region showed two 7-year cycles, with a prominent decline in 2015. Reasons for the fluctuation are unknown but may be due to environmental factors, the fast-growing nature of the fish, and heavy exploitation of the stock by Taiwanese fisheries.

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“…Many of the studies that have examined the influence of abiotic factors on the distribution and abundance of marine fishes in the GoM have focused on larval life stages (Kitchens & Rooker, ; Randall, Smith, Cowan, & Rooker, ; Rooker et al., ). Larvae exhibit limited mobility and are easy to collect in towed nets.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Caranx hippos and T. lathami displayed similar spatial arrangement in RDA plots for both post-larval and juvenile life stages, with higher abundances at higher SST (Figure 11a and b). (Kitchens & Rooker, 2014;Randall, Smith, Cowan, & Rooker, 2015;Rooker et al, 2012). Larvae exhibit limited mobility and are easy to collect in towed nets.…”

Section: Generalized Additive Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of oceanographic conditions on abundance and distribution of post‐larval and juvenile carangid fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Mohan

Sutton

Cook

et al. 2017

Fisheries Oceanography

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Relationships between abundance of post‐larval and juvenile carangid (jacks) fishes and physical oceanographic conditions were examined in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in 2011 with high freshwater input from the Mississippi River. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to explore complex relationships between carangid abundance and physical oceanographic data of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) and salinity. The five most abundant carangid species collected were: Selene setapinnis (34%); Caranx crysos (30%); Caranx hippos (10%); Chloroscombrus chrysurus (9%) and Trachurus lathami (8%). Post‐larval carangids (median standard length [SL] = 10 mm) were less abundant during the spring and early summer, but more abundant during the late summer and fall, suggesting summer to fall spawning for most species. Juvenile carangid (median SL = 23 mm) abundance also increased between the mid‐summer and early fall. Most species showed increased abundance at lower salinities and higher temperatures, suggesting entrainment of post‐larval fishes or feeding aggregations of juveniles at frontal convergence zones between the expansive river plume and dynamic mesoscale eddy water masses. However, responses were species‐ and life‐stage specific, which may indicate fine‐scale habitat partitioning between species. Ordination methods also revealed higher carangid abundances at lower salinities for both post‐larval and juvenile life stages, with species‐ and life‐stage specific responses to SST and SSHA, further suggesting habitat separation between species. Results indicate strong links between physical oceanographic features and carangid distributions in the dynamic northern GoM.

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Habitat associations of dolphinfish larvae in the Gulf of Mexico

Cited by 27 publications

References 36 publications

Feeding Ecology of Dolphinfish in the Western Gulf of Mexico

Feeding Ecology of Dolphinfish in the Western Gulf of Mexico

Deriving a Statistically Reliable Abundance Index from Landings Data: An Application to the Taiwanese Coastal Dolphinfish Fishery with a Multispecies Feature

Influence of oceanographic conditions on abundance and distribution of post‐larval and juvenile carangid fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico

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