Spatial, Temporal, and Habitat-Related Variation in Abundance of Pelagic Fishes in the Gulf of Mexico: Potential Implications of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Rooker, Jay R.; Kitchens, Larissa L.; Dance, Michael A.; Wells, R. J. David; Falterman, Brett; Cornic, Maëlle

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0076080

Cited by 100 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The northern Gulf is considered to be important early life habitat of billfishes, tunas and swordfish. The mean densities of C. hippurus (ranging from 0.40 to 1.60 larvae 1000 m −3 ) were lower than that of blackfin tuna but comparable to sailfish and blue marlin (Simms et al ., ; Rooker et al ., , ), whereas densities of C. equiselis (ranging from 0.02 to 0.20 larvae 1000 m −3 ) were comparable with swordfish and white marlin in the same region (Rooker et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Habitat associations of dolphinfish larvae in the Gulf of Mexico

Kitchens

Rooker

2014

Fisheries Oceanography

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The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the northern Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) as essential habitat of common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) and pompano dolphinfish (C. equiselis) during early life and to characterize conditions in which they were found. Eight ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted during the summer months from 2007 to 2010 in northern Gulf waters off Texas and Louisiana (26–28°N, 87–93°W), during which 1145 dolphinfish larvae were collected. C. hippurus, the dominant dolphinfish species, were collected in 57% of sampling sites with an overall mean density of 0.73 larvae 1000 m−3, whereas C. equiselis were only collected at 18% of sites with a mean density of 0.12 larvae 1000 m−3. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to examine the relationship between several environmental parameters and C. hippurus presence/absence and density. Both presence/absence and density GAMs indicated that catches of C. hippurus larvae increased near fronts and eddies and that increased abundances were most strongly associated with higher salinities and cooler temperatures. In addition, our models showed that C. hippurus larvae were positively associated with C. equiselis larvae, suggesting that C. hippurus and C. equiselis use similar habitats. Results of this study indicate that the Gulf may represent important spawning and/or nursery habitat of dolphinfishes and that mesoscale features and physicochemical conditions influence the distribution and abundance of C. hippurus larvae in this region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Habitat associations of dolphinfish larvae in the Gulf of Mexico

Kitchens

Rooker

2014

Fisheries Oceanography

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“…If tags had not remained attached on fish through late winter, we would not have identified fish that traveled to the South American coast before returning to the Gulf of Mexico. Given the diversity in sailfish movement patterns observed across sampling years, it is inadequate to rely upon a small number of tracks to monitor potential shifts in billfish habitat following a major environmental disaster, such as the Deep Horizon oil spill53. Since billfishes likely spawn at multiple sites throughout the Atlantic315455, the loss of a particular spawning site may have limited impacts on the populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sailfish migrations connect productive coastal areas in the West Atlantic Ocean

Lam

Galuardi

Mendillo³

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Isla Mujeres, Mexico is home to one of the most well-known aggregations of sailfish. Despite its fisheries prominence, little is known about this sailfish assemblage, or its relationship to other aggregation sites in the western Atlantic. In January 2012, April 2013 and 2014, we deployed 34 popup satellite archival tags on sailfish in order to study their behavior, population connectivity and biophysical interactions. Sailfish were monitored for up to one year, and displayed (1) predominantly shelf associated activity (2) occupancy of the Yucatán Current near Isla Mujeres for up to five months and (3) subsequent dispersals from the Yucatán to productive coastal areas in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and along the South American coast. Tagged sailfish occupied a median temperature of 26.4°C (interquartile range, IQR = 2.5 °C; range = 12.3–33.3 °C) and median depth of 4.4 m (IQR = 19 m; range = 0–452 m). Diel activity was present and individuals made distinctive descents before sunrise and sunset. Tracking missions of sufficient duration (~1 year) revealed previously undetected connectivity between western Atlantic sailfish fisheries and pelagic longline catches, and highlighted how fishery independent tagging can improve understanding of sailfish migrations and behavior for assessment and management.

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“…Larvae have been collected in areas with SSTs between ~24 and 28°C, sea surface salinity between ~35.5 and 37.0 and temperature at 200 m depth between ~15 and 22°C (Muhling et al ., ). Previous studies demonstrated that, among different environmental parameters, SST is the most important parameter defining areas where spawning may be observed (Muhling et al ., ) for bluefin tuna and other tunas (Rooker et al ., ). In fact, the probability of bluefin tuna larvae occurrence derived from in situ surveys shows a consistent relationship with SST (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Variability of preferred environmental conditions for Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) larvae in the Gulf of Mexico during 1993–2011

Domingues

Goñi

Bringas

et al. 2016

Fisheries Oceanography

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The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is the primary spawning ground for western Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus). In this work, information reported by previous studies about the preferred environmental conditions for the occurrence of bluefin tuna larvae in the GOM is integrated into a dimensionless index, the BFT_Index. This index is used to evaluate the spatial and temporal variability of areas with favorable environmental conditions for larvae within the GOM during 1993-2011. The main findings of this work are that: (i) the proposed index successfully captures the spatial and temporal variability in the in situ occurrence of bluefin tuna larvae; (ii) areas with favorable environmental conditions for larvae in the GOM exhibit year-to-year spatial and temporal variability linked with mesoscale ocean features and sea surface temperature; and (iii) comparison of the BFT_Index-derived variability with recruitment of age-0 fish estimated from recent stock assessment indicates that changes in environmental conditions may drive a relevant component (~58%) of the recruitment variability. The comparison with the recruitment dataset further revealed the existence of key regions linked with recruitment in the central/northern GOM, and that the Loop Current may function as a trap for larvae, possibly leading to low survival rates. Above (below) average conditions for occurrence of larvae in the GOM during spring were observed in

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Spatial, Temporal, and Habitat-Related Variation in Abundance of Pelagic Fishes in the Gulf of Mexico: Potential Implications of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Cited by 100 publications

References 45 publications

Habitat associations of dolphinfish larvae in the Gulf of Mexico

Habitat associations of dolphinfish larvae in the Gulf of Mexico

Sailfish migrations connect productive coastal areas in the West Atlantic Ocean

Variability of preferred environmental conditions for Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) larvae in the Gulf of Mexico during 1993–2011

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