Seasonal and interannual patterns of distribution and diet of bluefish within a Middle Atlantic bight estuary in relation to abiotic and biotic factors

Scharf, Frederick S.; Manderson, John P.; Fabrizio, Mary C.; Pessutti, Jeffrey P.; Rosendale, John E.; Chant, Robert J.; Bejda, Allen J.

doi:10.1007/bf02803535

Cited by 33 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…1); it flows eastward into the Shrewsbury River, then north to Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay. It is a flood-dominated estuary, with a 1.4-m average tidal range (Chant and Stoner, 2001). The salinity front is near this upper or western end of the river (Fugate and Chant, 2005), and practical salinity ranges from ~1 in the upper Navesink River during spring freshets to ~28 at the mouth of this river (senior author and J.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To the west, the Swimming River is the primary freshwater source. The upper river depth for the Navesink River averages ~2 m at high tide, and substrates are fine sand and silt with high organic content (Chant and Stoner, 2001;Stoner et al, 2001;Meise and Stehlik, 2003). The lower Navesink River is characterized by shallow sandbars and channels (depths up to 4 m).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous hydrographic studies have delineated a convergence zone or salinity transition zone in the upper river (Chant and Stoner, 2001;Fugate and Chant, 2005). In this river system, 3 of the dominant pelagic predators are bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), and weakfish (Cynoscion regalis).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Navesink River, a flood-dominated small tributary of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary in New Jersey that borders the Mid-Atlantic Bight, is used by predatory fish, forage fish, and invertebrate species (Shaheen et al, 2001;Stoner et al, 2001;Meise and Stehlik, 2003;Scharf et al, 2004;Manderson et al, 2006;Manderson et al 1 ). Previous hydrographic studies have delineated a convergence zone or salinity transition zone in the upper river (Chant and Stoner, 2001;Fugate and Chant, 2005).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are frequently sympatric and are competitors for the same prey (Hartman and Brandt, 1995;Uphoff, 2003). In a study in which gill nets were used in the Navesink River in 1998 and 1999 (Scharf et al, 2004), abundance of bluefish was greatest at a station in the upper river in the Red Bank basin and was significantly correlated with areas of fine sediment.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of gill nets and telemetry in tracking movements and feeding of striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), and weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) at a salinity front in a small estuary

Stehlik¹,

Manderson²,

Pessutti³

2017

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Abstract-The hypothesis that striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), and species of forage fish would be associated closely with a salinity transition front was tested through sampling and tagging efforts. In a small New Jersey estuary, a station at a salinity front and another in a nearby channel were sampled weekly with gill nets. Abundance of bluefish was significantly greater at the front, and abundance of weakfish was significantly greater at the channel. Forage fish were collected at both stations, and the diets of bluefish and weakfish overlapped in all seasons. Ultrasonically tagged striped bass, weakfish, and bluefish were tracked concurrently, and their home ranges, or the 95% probability of their occurrences were computed. Home ranges of tagged striped bass occurred upriver and also near river kilometer 1. Home ranges of weakfish were located in the midriver channels, and those of bluefish were located midriver and upriver at river kilometers 5-12. Home ranges for these 3 species were not limited to the area of the salinity front, contrary to the initial hypothesis.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of gill nets and telemetry in tracking movements and feeding of striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), and weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) at a salinity front in a small estuary

Stehlik¹,

Manderson²,

Pessutti³

2017

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Ontogenetic patterns in bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) feeding ecology and the effect on mercury biomagnification

Szczebak¹,

Taylor²

2011

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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In this study, bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix; age 0-7, n = 632) and their prey (forage fish, macroinvertebrates, zooplankton; n = 2,005) were collected from the Narragansett Bay estuary (RI, USA), and total Hg concentration was measured in white muscle and whole-body tissues, respectively. Bluefish Hg concentrations were analyzed relative to fish length, prey Hg content, and ontogenetic shifts in habitat use and foraging ecology, the latter assessed using stomach content analysis (n = 711) and stable nitrogen (δ(15)N) and carbon (δ(13)C) isotope measurements (n = 360). Diet and δ(13)C analysis showed that age 0 bluefish consumed both benthic and pelagic prey (silversides, sand shrimp, planktonic crustaceans; δ(13)C = - 16.52‰), whereas age 1 + bluefish fed almost exclusively on pelagic forage fish (Atlantic menhaden, herring; δ(13)C = - 17.33‰). Bluefish total Hg concentrations were significantly correlated with length (mean Hg = 0.041 and 0.254 ppm wet wt for age 0 and age 1 + bluefish, respectively). Furthermore, Hg biomagnification rates were maximal during bluefish early life stages and decelerated over time, resulting in relatively high Hg concentrations in age 0 fish. Rapid Hg accumulation in age 0 bluefish is attributed to these individuals occupying a comparable trophic level to age 1 + bluefish (δ(15)N = 15.58 and 16.09‰; trophic level = 3.55 and 3.71 for age 0 and age 1 + bluefish, respectively), as well as juveniles having greater standardized consumption rates of Hg-contaminated prey. Finally, bluefish larger than 30 cm total length consistently had Hg levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criterion of 0.3 ppm. As such, frequent consumption of bluefish could pose a human health risk, and preferentially consuming smaller bluefish may be an inadequate strategy for minimizing human dietary exposure to Hg.

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Fish assemblage structure in an estuary of the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot (southern Brazil)

2010

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We described the fish assemblage in the estuary of the Guaraguaçu River (one of the largest tributaries of the Paranaguá Bay Estuary, located within Brazil's Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve) from June 2005 to May 2006, and assessed the seasonal and spatial effects of abiotic environmental attributes on the fish assemblage structure. Despite some oscillations in salinity, the upper and lower estuaries had year-round persistent oligohaline and polyhaline conditions, respectively. Despite high species richness (55 species), the Guaraguaçu River Estuary fish community contains a few dominant taxa; 11% of the richness accounts for [60% of its density and biomass. The most abundant species (in terms of both biomass and density) was Atherinella brasiliensis. Species whose densities were most strongly associated with the upper estuary were Centropomus parallelus, Ctenogobius schufeldti, Eucinostomus melanopterus, Platanichthys platana, Trinectes paulistanus, and Eugerres brasilianus. Those whose densities were most strongly associated with the lower estuary were A. brasiliensis, Sphoeroides greeleyi, Eucinostomus argenteus, Sphoeroides testudineus, Diapterus rhombeus, and Harengula clupeola. Throughout the year, canonical correspondence analysis identified: (1) the pattern of horizontal stratification of salinity along the river as being the most important variable for explaining most of the fish fauna structure; and (2) a strong relationship between the fish fauna and the salinity gradient along the estuary. Analysis of similarity further confirmed that each estuarine zone supports a year-round persistent and relatively homogeneous fish species assemblage. Total mean density and biomass remained constant over time in each estuarine habitat, but density shifted in the most abundant species, which appears related to recruitment patterns. Such species and abundance persistence likely occurs because seasonal rainfall-induced changes in river discharge are not sufficient to significantly shift runoff and salinity and thus fish assemblage structure (species composition, density and biomass) along the estuary. Such a lack of seasonal fish fauna movement as a response to changes in river flow contrasts with other estuarine systems around the world.

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Seasonal and interannual patterns of distribution and diet of bluefish within a Middle Atlantic bight estuary in relation to abiotic and biotic factors

Cited by 33 publications

References 31 publications

Use of gill nets and telemetry in tracking movements and feeding of striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), and weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) at a salinity front in a small estuary

Use of gill nets and telemetry in tracking movements and feeding of striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), and weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) at a salinity front in a small estuary

Ontogenetic patterns in bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) feeding ecology and the effect on mercury biomagnification

Fish assemblage structure in an estuary of the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot (southern Brazil)

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