Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Black Sea Bass Sizes and Catches in the Southeastern United States Inferred from Spatially Explicit Nonlinear Models

Abstract

Temporal and spatial variability in abundance often results from the effects of environmental and landscape variables interacting over multiple spatial scales, and understanding the complex interplay among these variables is key to elucidating the drivers of a species' population dynamics. We used a spatially explicit, variable‐coefficient, generalized additive modeling approach with 24 years of fishery‐independent trap data (N = 11,726 samples) to elucidate the spatiotemporal dynamics of size and size‐specific CPUE of Black Sea Bass Centropristis striata along the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States. Black Sea Bass catch exhibited complex spatial and temporal dynamics that were influenced by environmental, landscape, and sampling effects. Black Sea Bass were more commonly caught inshore than offshore, but were significantly smaller inshore and southward and larger offshore and northward in the study area. Moreover, the spatial distribution of Black Sea Bass changed as abundance varied within and among sampling seasons. Standardized mean length of Black Sea Bass also increased by more than 20% over the study period, from 230 mm TL in the early 1990s to 280 mm TL after 2010. These results elucidate the spatial and temporal dynamics of Black Sea Bass, inform population structure and indices of abundance, and provide an analytical framework that can be easily adapted to other species and systems. Received October 31, 2014; accepted September 14, 2015

Benthic Habitats, as Derived from Classification of Side‐Scan‐Sonar Mapping Data, Are Important Determinants of Reef‐Fish Assemblage Structure in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico

“…The distribution of fish populations is often related to habitat characteristics ranging from microhabitats (e.g., substrate composition, attached biota) to broad‐scale habitat features (e.g., water depth) throughout their range (Anderson and Yoklavich ; Purcell et al. ; Bacheler and Ballenger ; Laman et al. ; Bacheler et al.…”

“…In this pilot study, the reef-fish assemblage structure in the Elbow differed significantly relative to the types of reef habitat that were identified through side-scan-sonar imagery. The distribution of fish populations is often related to habitat characteristics ranging from microhabitats (e.g., substrate composition, attached biota) to broad-scale habitat features (e.g., water depth) throughout their range (Anderson and Yoklavich 2007;Purcell et al 2014;Bacheler and Ballenger 2015;Laman et al 2015;Bacheler et al 2016). Determining which measures of habitat are the most important to the statistical design of a fisheries survey requires careful consideration.…”

“…At broad spatial scales, the composition and structure of reef-fish assemblages as well as overall species richness and diversity often vary markedly with depth and latitude (Love et al 2009;Zintzen et al 2012;Easton et al 2015;Bacheler et al 2016;Harford et al 2016) and depth-associated patterns may vary regionally (Saul et al 2013). At the species level, many reef-associated fishes exhibit strong ontogenetic differences in depth and habitat preferences; larger individuals typically prefer higher-relief habitats and deeper waters (Sluka et al 2001;Love et al 2009;Bacheler and Ballenger 2015;Laman et al 2015;. Aside from several areas that have received focused study (Gledhill and David 2004;Wall et al 2011;Harter et al 2017), little is known regarding the overall quantity and quality of reef habitat throughout the eastern Gulf of Mexico.…”

Effectiveness of Venting and Descender Devices at Increasing Rates of Postrelease Survival of Black Sea Bass

“…). We worked at a depth where this species is commonly found over the continental shelf (Bacheler and Ballenger ) and where obvious barotrauma (e.g., stomach eversion) is common among individuals caught via hook and line (Rudershausen et al. ).…”

“…We collected tag-recapture data to inform models that evaluated the effectiveness of each device; tag-recapture has proven to be an effective sampling technique for Black Sea Bass because of the fidelity of this species to reef sites that results in high (~20%) recapture rates (Rudershausen et al 2014). We worked at a depth where this species is commonly found over the continental shelf (Bacheler and Ballenger 2015) and where obvious barotrauma (e.g., stomach eversion) is common among individuals caught via hook and line (Rudershausen et al 2014). This research provides timely information for managers who need solutions that stakeholders both find acceptable and can easily apply in their own fishing activities.…”