Timing and locations of reef fish spawning off the southeastern United States

Abstract

Managed reef fish in the Atlantic Ocean of the southeastern United States (SEUS) support a multi-billion dollar industry. There is a broad interest in locating and protecting spawning fish from harvest, to enhance productivity and reduce the potential for overfishing. We assessed spatiotemporal cues for spawning for six species from four reef fish families, using data on individual spawning condition collected by over three decades of regional fishery-independent reef fish surveys, combined with a series of predictors derived from bathymetric features. We quantified the size of spawning areas used by reef fish across many years and identified several multispecies spawning locations. We quantitatively identified cues for peak spawning and generated predictive maps for Gray Triggerfish (Balistes capriscus), White Grunt (Haemulon plumierii), Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus), Vermilion Snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens), Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata), and Scamp (Mycteroperca phenax). For example, Red Snapper peak spawning was predicted in 24.7–29.0°C water prior to the new moon at locations with high curvature in the 24–30 m depth range off northeast Florida during June and July. External validation using scientific and fishery-dependent data collections strongly supported the predictive utility of our models. We identified locations where reconfiguration or expansion of existing marine protected areas would protect spawning reef fish. We recommend increased sampling off southern Florida (south of 27° N), during winter months, and in high-relief, high current habitats to improve our understanding of timing and location of reef fish spawning off the southeastern United States.

Temporal changes in the life history of snowy grouper (Hyporthodus niveatus) off North and South Carolina, and factors that influence spawning dynamics

“…During 1979-2012, snowy grouper were obtained from commercial boats, research vessels, and recreational charter boats, primarily off North and South Carolina. Fisheryindependent samples of reef fish species were collected during cruises conducted as part of the Marine Resources Monitoring Assessment and Prediction (MARMAP) program, the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program-South Atlantic (SEAMAP-SA), and the Southeast Fishery-independent Survey (SEFIS) with bottom longlines, Kali poles (an off-bottom longline; Russell et al, 1988), snapper reels, rods and reels, and chevron traps (Collins, 1990;Smart et al 4 ). These 3 sampling efforts represent a collaborative survey known as the Southeast Reef Fish Survey, which samples fish on natural reefs from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to St. Lucie Inlet, Florida.…”

“…Sections were viewed under a Nikon compound microscope (Nikon Corp.) (magnification: 20-400×) by 2 readers without knowledge of specimen length or age and date or location of capture. The readers independently determined sex and reproductive phase by using histological criteria described by Wyanski et al (2000) and Harris et al (2004); terminology follows a recent review by Brown-Peterson et al (2011). If the assessments differed between readers for a section, it was viewed jointly by the readers.…”

“…Females of uncertain maturity were excluded from all reproductive analyses (Wyanski et al, 2000). Juvenile females were excluded from sex composition analyses to restrict data to the adult population (Coleman et al, 1996), and specimens undergoing sex transition (female to male) were considered males, unless noted, because these specimens would likely have spawned as males in the next spawning season (Sadovy and Shapiro, 1987). In addition, sex composition analyses were restricted to data from gear types that effectively sample the adult population (i.e., Kali poles and longlines).…”

“…Spawning indicators were based on stages that are thought to last approximately 60 h-12 h for oocyte maturation and hydration and 48 h for postovulatory follicle complexes (Hunter and Goldberg, 1980;Fitzhugh et al, 1993). We use spawning frequency and spawning interval as defined in Lowerre-Barbieri et al (2011). Spawning proportion, called spawning fraction by Lowerre-Barbieri et al 2011, is the proportion of adult females that were spawning daily.…”

Climate Change Impacts on Florida’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Sectors and Options for Adaptation

“…The WFS is upwelling-favorable on long-term average (Weisberg et al, 2009), particularly around the spring transition (Liu and Weisberg 2012). This is a critical period in larval feeding for many exploited species (e.g., the shallow-water grouper complex, Farmer et al 2017). However, any change in seasonal forcing would change the phenology of species and favor a different set of species and fisheries.…”