Relative Abundance and Distribution of Sand Seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius) in Relation to Environmental Conditions, Habitat, and River Discharge in Two Florida Estuaries

Knapp, Anthony R.; Purtlebaugh, Caleb H.

doi:10.18785/goms.2602.01

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…The largest expansions of Optimum zones during summer occurred with J-Bay Anchovy (Figure 10) and A-Bay Anchovy (not presented). Knapp and Purtlebaugh (2008) examined the abundance and distributions of Sand Seatrout in relation to environmental conditions and river inflows in Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Smaller Sand Seatrout (145-175 mm standard length [SL]) were found in low-salinity areas near river mouths, while larger Sand Seatrout (>175 mm SL) were found in high-salinity areas in the lower portion of the estuaries.…”

Section: Estuarine Residentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling and Mapping to Assess Spatial Distributions and Population Numbers of Fish and Invertebrate Species in the Lower Peace River and Charlotte Harbor, Florida

et al. 2019

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Catch per unit effort (CPUE) was computed from fisheries‐independent monitoring data collected from 1996 through 2013 in the lower Peace River and Charlotte Harbor, Florida. Seasonal habitat suitability modeling (HSM) based on delta‐gamma generalized additive models was prepared for eight fish and invertebrate species life stages with affinities for either low or moderate salinities. Using a geographic information system, habitat maps were created from monitoring data for temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, depth, and bottom type in the study area. Gear‐corrected CPUEs derived from HSM were applied to corresponding habitat grid cells. Seasonal HSM maps were then created, depicting the spatial distribution and relative abundance for early juvenile, juvenile, and adult life stages. By overlaying Optimum abundance zones from each HSM map onto corresponding salinity grids, the preferred ranges of salinity were found to be similar between seasons for each of six estuarine‐resident species life stages. This implies that each resident species occupies a unique salinity range in the river and estuary, which varies little between seasons. During the summer wet season, the geographic ranges occupied by each resident species life stage expanded in response to increased inflow, while the preferred salinity ranges occupied were similar between seasons. However, this was not the case for the two estuarine‐transient species (Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus and Spot Leiostomus xanthurus), which tended to utilize different salinity ranges between seasons. Habitat‐based population estimates were prepared for each species life stage by using the predicted CPUE grids used to create the HSM maps. The demonstrated methods support ecosystem‐based fishery management and management of freshwater inflow to tidal rivers.

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Section: Estuarine Residentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling and Mapping to Assess Spatial Distributions and Population Numbers of Fish and Invertebrate Species in the Lower Peace River and Charlotte Harbor, Florida

et al. 2019

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“…Previous studies have found negative relationships between fish abundance or growth and river discharge (Quiñones and Montes 2001; Whitfield and Harrison 2003; Robins et al. 2005; Knapp and Purtlebaugh 2008; Purtlebaugh and Allen 2010). While river discharge may have significant implications for prey availability, it does not appear to be a significant driver of recruitment in our study area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Environmental Factors and Stock Abundance Influence Year‐Class Strength of Spotted Seatrout at Cedar Key, Florida

et al. 2022

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Environmental pressures can influence recruitment of estuarine fishes by impacting growth and survival of juveniles as well as adult habitat use and behavior. Identifying potential drivers of year-class strength is an important tool for assessing stock health and implementing management decisions. The goal of this study was to determine how environmental factors and adult stock influence trends in recruitment of Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus in Cedar Key, Florida. Juvenile indices of abundance were generated using sampling data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fisheries-Independent Monitoring program. Young-of-the-year indices of abundance suggested that annual recruitment was variable in this system and declined throughout the majority of the 1996-2018 time series. Adult abundance and water temperature in the spawning season were the most significant variables in predicting Spotted Seatrout recruitment, and both had positive relationships with recruitment. Salinity and river discharge were not significant environmental variables in predicting year-class strength of Spotted Seatrout in this study. Our results indicated that recruitment was associated with interannual changes in water temperature and adult abundance, which could be used to explore how Spotted Seatrout recruitment dynamics could vary for stock assessments, for management decisions, and as a result of warming waters due to climate change.

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“…The summer HSM maps had a small optimum zone near the mouth of the estuary, which might indicate that J-Sand Seatrout move out of Charlotte Harbor in summer and later spawn in the Gulf of Mexico (Cowan and Shaw 1988). Another possibility is that J-Sand Seatrout grow to adult size in Charlotte Harbor during the summer and fall and then spawn in the lower part of the estuary during the following spring (Knapp and Purtlebaugh 2008). Sand Seatrout sought a reduced salinity range when they reached a length of 30-70 mm SL and then moved to higher salinities as they approached 100 mm SL (Purtlebaugh and Rogers 2007).…”

Section: Baseline Conditionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat Suitability Modeling and Mapping to Assess the Influence of Freshwater Withdrawals on Spatial Distributions and Population Numbers of Estuarine Species in the Lower Peace River and Charlotte Harbor, Florida

et al. 2021

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The effects of potential reductions of freshwater inflow were evaluated for the lower Peace River and its largest tributary, lower Shell Creek, which flow into the Charlotte Harbor estuary in southwest Florida. Habitat suitability modeling (HSM) and mapping of fish and invertebrate species life stages were used to seasonally predict changes in spatial distributions and population numbers associated with simulated freshwater withdrawals. Seasonal salinity grids and temperature grids derived from values predicted by hydrodynamic modeling (2007-2014) were similar between baseline (i.e., flows not affected by water withdrawals) and minimum flows (flows associated with water withdrawals). Depth grids, bottom type grids, and seasonal dissolved oxygen grids were held constant between the two scenarios. Seasonal habitat suitability models were applied to 28 fish and invertebrate species life stages with affinities for low or moderate salinity. Salinity was the most significant factor in seasonal models for species life stages. The seasonal HSM maps produced showed that spatial distributions were similar between baseline and minimum flows for each species life stage. Most seasonal estimates of population numbers under minimum flows were less than the estimates for the baseline condition, indicating some effect on population numbers associated with flow reductions. Reductions in population numbers under minimum flows ranged from 0.3% to 21.0%, with 3 out of 28 seasonal comparisons indicating losses >15% and 12 comparisons indicating losses between 5% and 15%. Although other factors related to freshwater inflow can also influence species abundance and distribution, these results demonstrate how output from hydrodynamic modeling can be applied to HSM analyses and mapping to estimate spatial changes in habitat areas and population numbers for the life stages of selected fish and invertebrate species in relation to changes in salinity distributions, which can be used to identify areas of an estuary that are particularly susceptible to the effects of inflow reductions. The assessment and management of freshwater inflow to estuaries have received increased emphasis in recent decades to account for the important ways in which freshwater inflow affects physical, chemical, and biological processes and the resources of estuaries, including relationships with the productivity of sport and commercial fish

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Relative Abundance and Distribution of Sand Seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius) in Relation to Environmental Conditions, Habitat, and River Discharge in Two Florida Estuaries

Cited by 6 publications

References 2 publications

Modeling and Mapping to Assess Spatial Distributions and Population Numbers of Fish and Invertebrate Species in the Lower Peace River and Charlotte Harbor, Florida

Modeling and Mapping to Assess Spatial Distributions and Population Numbers of Fish and Invertebrate Species in the Lower Peace River and Charlotte Harbor, Florida

Environmental Factors and Stock Abundance Influence Year‐Class Strength of Spotted Seatrout at Cedar Key, Florida

Habitat Suitability Modeling and Mapping to Assess the Influence of Freshwater Withdrawals on Spatial Distributions and Population Numbers of Estuarine Species in the Lower Peace River and Charlotte Harbor, Florida

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