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Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico estuaries / project team, David M. Nelson (editor) ... [et al.] PDF

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: 55.2: ES 8/4/ V.2 NOAA's Estuarine Living Marine Resources Program Distribution andAbundance of Fishes and Invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico Estuaries Volume Species Life History Summaries II: August 1997 U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic andAtmosphericAdministration National Ocean Service NOAA's Estuarine Living Marine Resources Program The Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) Division of NOAA's Office of Ocean Resources Conservation and Assessment (ORCA) wascreated in responsetothe needforcomprehensive information onthe effects ofhuman activities onthenation'scoastalocean. TheSEADivisionperformsassessmentsoftheestuarineandcoastalenvironmentsandofthe resourcesofthe U.S. ExclusiveEconomicZone(EEZ). SEADivison'sBiogeographicCharacterizationBranchdevelopsand disseminates information on the distribution and ecology of living marine resources throughout the Nation's estuarine and coastal environments (Monaco and Christensen 1997). InJune 1985, NOAAbegan aprogramto developacomprehensive information baseonthe life history, relativeabundance, anddistributionoffishesandinvertebratesinestuariesthroughoutthenation. TheEstuarineLivingMarineResources(ELMR) program hasbeenconductedjointlybytheSEADivision,theNational MarineFisheriesService(NMFS), andotheragencies and institutions. The nationwide ELMR data basewascompleted in 1994, and includes datafor 153 speciesfound in 122 estuariesand coastal embayments. Ten reportsand reprintsare nowavailablefree upon request. This report, Distribution and Abundance of Fishes and Invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico Estuaries, Volume II: Species Life History Summaries, summarizesinformationontheestuarinelife historycharacteristicsof44fish andinvertebratespeciesoftheGulfofMexico. Itcomplementsdistributionandabundanceinformationpresentedin VolumeI:DataSummaries(Nelsonetal.1992). Anational reportsummarizing the dataand resultsfrom the ELMR program is plannedforpublication in late 1997. Threetofivesalinityzones, as defined in NOAA's NationalEstuarineInventoryProgram (NOAA 1985) provided thespatial frameworkfororganizinginformationonspeciesdistributionandabundancewithineachestuary. Theprimarydatadeveloped foreachspecies includespatial distribution bysalinityzone, temporaldistribution bymonth, and relativeabundancebylife stage, e.g., adult, spawning, juvenile, larva, and egg. In addition, life historysummaries andtables are developedforeach species. Additional information on this orotherprograms of NOAA's SEA Division isavailablefrom: NOAA/NOS SEA Division, N/ORCA1 1305 East-West Hwy., 9th Floor SilverSpring, Maryland 20910 Phone (301) 713-3000, Fax (301) 713-4384 Selected reports and reprints availablefrom NOAA's Estuarine Living Marine Resourcesprogram include: Monaco, M.E., et al. 1990. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in west coast estuaries, Vol. I: Data summaries. ELMR Rep. No. 4. NOAA/NOS StrategicAssessment Branch, Rockville, MD. 232 p. Emmett, R.L.,etal. 1991. Distributionandabundanceoffishesandinvertebratesinwestcoastestuaries,Vol. II:Specieslife historysummaries. ELMR Rep. No. 8. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, Rockville, MD. 329 p. Nelson, D.M., etal. 1991. Distribution and abundance offishesand invertebrates in southeastestuaries. ELMR Rep. No. 9. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, Rockville, MD. 167 p. Monaco, M.E., et al. 1992. Assemblages of U.S. west coast estuaries based on the distribution of fishes. Journal of Biogeography 19: 251-267. Nelson, D.M. (editor), et al. 1992. Distribution and abundanceoffishes and invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico estuaries, Vol. I: Datasummaries. ELMR Rep. No. 10. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, Rockville, MD. 273 p. Bulger, A.J., etal. 1993. Biologically-basedsalinityzonesderivedfrom a multivariate analysis. Estuaries 16: 311-322. Stone, S.L., etal. 1994. Distribution and abundance offishes and invertebratesin Mid-Atlantic estuaries. ELMR Rep. No. 12. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, SilverSpring, MD. 280 p. Jury, S.H., etal. 1994. Distribution andabundanceoffishesand invertebratesin NorthAtlanticestuaries. ELMR Rep. No. 13. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, SilverSpring, MD. 221 p. Christensen, J.D., etal. 1997. An indexto assessthe sensitivityofGulfof Mexicospeciestochanges in estuarine salinity regimes. Gulf Res. Rep. 9(4):219-229. Pattillo, M.E.,etal. 1997. DistributionandabundanceoffishesandinvertebratesinGulfofMexicoestuaries,Vol. II:Species life historysummaries. ELMR Rep. No. 11. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, SilverSpring, MD. 377p. Distribution and Abundance of Fishes and Invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico Estuaries Volume II: Species Life History Summaries Team Project Mark E. Pattillo1 and Thomas E. Czapla2 Galveston Laboratory Southeast Fisheries Science Center NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Galveston, TX 77551 David M. Nelson3 and Mark E. Monaco Biogeographic Characterization Branch Strategic Environmental Assessments Division Office of Ocean Resources Conservation and Assessment NOAA National Ocean Service Silver Spring, MD 20910 elmr Report Number 1 1 Pennsylvania Slate University Libraries August 1997 SEP 2 4 1997 Documents Collection U.S. Depository Copy c^„, o^ 'Current address: U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers, Galveston TX 77553. 2Current address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, DenverCO 80225. Correspondenceto: D.M. Nelson, NOAA N/ORCA1, SilverSpring MD 20910. This report should be cited as: Pattillo, M.E., T.E. Czapla, D.M. Nelson, and M.E. Monaco. 1997. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates inGulfofMexicoestuaries, Volume II: Species life historysummaries. ELMR Rep. No. 11. NOAA/ NOS Strategic Environmental Assessments Division, Silver Spring, MD. 377 p. 1 Contents Introduction 1 Rationale 1 Data Collection and Organization 2 Selection of Estuaries 2 Selection of Species 4 Data Sheets 5 Data Verification 6 Data Content and Quality 6 Life History Summaries and Tables 6 Life History Summaries 6 Life History Tables 1 Concluding Comments 11 Acknowledgements 11 Literature Cited 11 Species Life History Summaries Bay scallop 13 American oyster 21 Atlantic rangia 32 Hard clam 38 Bay squid 49 Brown shrimp 55 Pink shrimp 64 White shrimp 73 Grass shrimp 81 Spiny lobster 88 Blue crab 97 Stone crab 108 Bull shark 118 Tarpon 122 Alabama shad 130 Gulf menhaden 134 Yellowfin menhaden 144 Gizzard shad 148 Bay anchovy 153 Hardhead catfish 161 Sheepshead minnow 169 Gulf killifish 176 Silversides 183 Common snook 193 Bluefish 203 Blue runner 211 Crevallejack 216 Florida pompano 222 Gray snapper 228 Sheepshead 235 Pinfish 241 Silver perch 247 Sand seatrout 252 Spotted seatrout 259 Spot 269 Atlantic croaker 277 Black drum 284 Red drum 291 Striped mullet 305 Code goby 315 Spanish mackerel 320 Gulf flounder 329 Southern flounder 334 Glossary 341 Life History Tables Table 6. Habitat associations 355 Table 7. Biological attributes 365 Table 8. Reproduction 375 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation http://archive.org/details/distributionabunOOnels Distribution andAbundance ofFishes and Invertebrates in GulfofMexico Estuaries Volume II: Species Life History Summaries Introduction Service (NOS), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),andotherresearchinstitutions. Theobjective Thisisthesecondoftwovolumesthatpresentinforma- of the ELMR program is to develop a consistent data tion on the spatial and temporal distributions, relative base on the distribution, abundance, and life history abundance, and life history characteristics of 44 fish characteristicsofimportantfishesand invertebrates in and invertebrate species in 31 Gulf of Mexico estuar- the Nation's estuaries. This data base contains the ies. This volume contains life history summaries for relative abundance and monthly occurrence of each eachspecies. Eachsummaryidentifiesthelifehistory species' life stage by estuary for three to five salinity characteristics that describe a species' occurrence in zones identified in NOAA's NationalEstuarine Inven- theseestuaries. Thesesummariesweredevelopedto tory (NEI) Program (NOAA 1985b). The nationwide complementdata presented in DistributionandAbun- data base is divided intofive study regions (Figure 1), dance of Fishes and Invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico and contains information for 153fish and invertebrate Estuaries, Volume I: Data Summaries (Nelson et species found in 122 U.S. estuaries. al.1992), hereafter referred to as Volume I. Rationale The summaries presented here are not a complete treatiseonallaspectsofeachspecies'biology,butthey EstuariesareamongtheEarth'smostproductivenatu- provideaconciseaccountofthemostimportantphysi- ral systems and are important nursery areas that cal and biological factors known to affect a species' provide food, refuge from predation, and valuable occurrence within estuaries. As a supplement to the habitatfor many species (Gunter 1967, Joseph 1973, life history summaries, their content was augmented Weinstein 1979, Mann 1982). Estuarine-dependent with additional physical and biological criteria and organismsthatsupportimportantcommercialand rec- condensed into three life historytables. Thesetables reationalfisheriesincludesciaenids,clupeids,shrimps, present life history characteristics for each species andcrabs. Inspiteofthewell-documented importance along with behavioral traits and preferred habitats. ofestuariestofishesand invertebrates,fewconsistent and comprehensive data bases exist which allow ex- This report is a product of the National Oceanic and aminationsoftherelationshipsbetweenestuarinespe- Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Estuarine Liv- cies found in or among groups of estuaries. Further- ing Marine Resources (ELMR) Program (see inside more, muchofthedistributionandabundanceinforma- frontcover),acooperativestudyoftheNationalOcean tionforestuarine-dependentspecies (i.e.,speciesthat North Atlantic NOAANMFS 17estuaries, Hammond, OR 58species West Coast MaineDMR, BoothbayHarbor, ME 32estuaries, UNH, Durham, NH 47species Mid-Atlantic 22estuaries, 61 species NOAASEADivision, MD SilverSpring, VIMS, GloucesterPoint, VA NOAA NMFS, Beaufort, NC Southeast 20estuaries, 40species Figure 1. ELMR study regions and regional research institutions. require estuaries during their life cycle) is foroffshore Data Collection and Organization lifestagesanddoesnotadequatelydescribeestuarine distributions (Darnell et al. 1983, NOAA 1985a). Volume/containsdetaileddistributionandabundance data for44 fish and invertebrate species in 31 Gulf of Onlyafewcomprehensive sampling programscollect Mexico estuaries, and a complete discussion of the fishesand invertebrateswith identical methodsacross methodsusedtocompilethesedata. However, abrief groups of estuaries within a region (Hammerschmidt description of methods from Volume I is presented and McEachron 1986). Therefore, most existing es- here to aid interpretation of distribution and relative tuarine fisheries data cannot be compared among abundance tables included in the species life history estuaries becauseofthevariablesamplingstrategies. summaries presented inthis report. Figure2 summa- Inaddition,existing researchprogramsdonotfocuson rizes the major steps taken to collect and organize howgroupsofestuaries maybe importantforregional informationonthedistributionandabundanceoffishes fishery management, and few compile information for and invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico estuaries. The species having little or no economic value. following sections provide an overview ofthe estuary/ species selection process, and development of the Because life stages of many species use both estua- ELMR data base. rine and marine habitats, information on distribution, abundance, temporal utilization, and life history char- SelectionofEstuaries. ThirtyestuariesoftheGulfof acteristics is needed to understand the coupling of Mexico (Table 1, Figure 3) were initially selected from estuarine, nearshore, and offshore areas. To date, a the National Estuarine Inventory (NEI) Data Atlas: national, comprehensive, and consistent data baseof Volume /(NOAA 1985b). However, Florida Bay was thistypedoesnotexist. Consequently,thereisaneed addedtothe NEI, andtothe ELMR program, because to develop a program which integrates fragments of of its importance as habitat for Gulf of Mexico fishes information on marineand estuarinespecies andtheir and invertebrates. Data on the spatial and temporal associated habitats intoa useful, comprehensive, and distributions of species were initially compiled and consistentformat. The ELMR program was designed organizedbasedonthreesalinityzonesdelineatedfor to helpfulfill this need bydeveloping a uniform nation- eachestuaryinthe NEI;tidalfresh (0.0to0.5partsper widedatabaseonselectedestuarinespecies. Results thousand (%o)), mixing (0.5 to 25.0%o), and seawater complementNOAAeffortstodevelopanationalestua- (>25.0%o). The ELMRGulfofMexicodatabaseis now rine assessment capability (NOAA 1985b), identify being revisedand updatedforfivebiologicallyrelevant informationgaps,andassessthecontentandqualityof salinity zones (Bulger et al. 1993, Christensen et al. existing estuarine fisheries data. 1997, NOAA 1997). While some Gulf of Mexico estuariesdonotcontainallsalinityzones(e.g., Laguna Madre has no mixing or tidal fresh zone), they were Outputs National Compile Spatial Estuarine 31 Estuary Distribution Inventory Estuaries Information Data Temporal Distribution Prepare Peer Review: Microcomputer Species/Estuary Data Sheets Data Verification Data Base Relative Abundance Develop Life History Data Summaries Reliability Figure 2. Major steps to complete the Gulf of Mexico ELMR study. Table 1. ELMR Gulf of Mexico estuaries (n=31) and Table 2. ELMR Gulf of Mexico species (n=44). associated salinity zones. Estuary, State Zones present Common Name Scientific Name Florida Bay, FL T M S Bay scallop Argopecten irradians Ten Thousand Islands, FL T M S American oyster Crassostrea virginica Caloosahatchee River, FL T M * Common rangia Rangia cuneata Hard clam Mercenaria species Charlotte Harbor, FL T M S Bay squid Lolliguncula brevis Tampa Bay, FL T M S Brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus Suwannee River, FL T M S Pink shrimp Penaeus duorarum Apalachee Bay, FL T M S White shrimp Penaeus setiferus Apalachicola Bay, FL T M s Grass shrimp Palaemonetespugio St. Andrew Bay, FL T M s Spiny lobster Panulirus argus Blue crab Callinectes sapidus Choctawhatchee Bay, FL T M s Gulf stone crab Menippe adina Pensacola Bay, FL T M s Florida stone crab Menippe mercenaria Perdido Bay, FL/AL T M s Bull shark Carcharhinus leucas Mobile Bay, AL T M s Tarpon Megalops atlanticus Mississippi Sound, MS/AL/LA T M s Alabama shad Alosa alabamae Lake Borgne, LA T M * Gulf menhaden Brevoortia patronus Lake Pontchartrain, LA * M * Yellowfin menhaden Brevoortia smithi Gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum Breton/Chandeleur Sounds, LA * M s Bay anchovy Anchoa mitchilli Mississippi River, LA T M * Hardhead catfish Arius felis Barataria Bay, LA T M s Sheepshead minnow Cyprinodon variegatus Terrebonne/Timbalier Bays, LA T M s Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis Atchafalaya/Vermilion Bays, LA T M * Silversides Menidia species Calcasieu Lake, LA T M * Snook Centropomus undecimalis Sabine Lake, LA/TX T M * Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix Blue runner Caranxcrysos Galveston Bay, TX T M s Crevalle jack Caranxhippos Brazos River, TX T M * Florida pompano Trachinotus carolinus Matagorda Bay, TX T M s Gray snapper Lutjanus griseus San Antonio Bay, TX * M s Sheepshead Archosargusprobatocephalus Aransas Bay, TX * M s Pinfish Lagodon rhomboides Corpus Christi Bay, TX * M s Silver perch Bairdiella chrysoura Sand seatrout Cynoscion arenarius Laguna Madre, TX * * s Spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus Baffin Bay, TX * * s Spot Leiostomus xanthurus Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus T - Tidal fresh zone Black drum Pogonias cromis M - Mixing zone Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus S - Seawaterzone Striped mullet Mugilcephalus * - salinity zone not present Code goby Gobiosoma robustum Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus maculatus Gulfflounder Paralichthys albigutta Southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma Estuary names are primarily from NOAA 1985b. Common andscientific names are primarilyfrom Rob- ins et al. 1980, Turgeon et al. 1988, Williams et al. 1989, and Robins et al. 1991. . . . . included because they provide important habitat for 2) Recreational value - a species that recreational many euryhaline species. fishermen specificallytrytocatchthat mayor may not be of commercial importance. Recreational species Selection ofSpecies. To ensure that important Gulf (e.g., red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, and common of Mexico estuarine species were included in the snook, Centropomus undecimalty were determined ELMR study, a species list was developed (Table 2) by consulting regional experts and NMFS reports. and reviewed by regional experts. Four criteria were used to identify the 44 species entered into the data 3) Indicatorspeciesofenvironmentalstress-identified base: from the literature, discussions with fisheries experts, and from monitoring programs such as NOAA's Na- 1) Commercial value - a species that commercial tional Status and Trends Program (O'Connor 1990). fishermen specifically try to catch (e.g., gulf menha- These species (e.g., American oyster, Crassostrea den, Brevoortia patronus, and blue crab, Callinectes virginica, and Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias sapidus),asdeterminedfromcatchandvaluestatistics undulatus)aremolluscsorbottomfishesthatconsume of the NMFS and state agencies. benthicinvertebratesorhaveastrongassociationwith bottomsediments. Theirphysiologicaldisorders, mor- Central Gulf of Mexico 14. Mississippi Sound 15. Lake Borgne 16. Lake Pontchartrain v 17. Breton/Chandeleur Sound 18. Mississippi River Eastern Gulf of Mexico 19. Barataria Bay 1 Florida Bay 20. Terrebonne/Timbalier Bay 2. Ten Thousand Islands 21 AtchafalayaA/ermilion Bay 3. Caloosahatchee River 22. Calcasieu Lake 4. Charlotte Harbor Western Gulf of Mexico 5. Tampa Bay 23. Sabine Lake 6. Suwannee River 24. Galveston Bay 7. Apalachee Bay 25. Brazos River 8. Apalachicola Bay 26. Matagorda Bay 9. St. Andrew Bay 27. San Antonio Bay 10. Choctawhatchee Bay 28. Aransas Bay 11 Pensacola Bay 29. Corpus Christi Bay 12. Perdido Bay 30. Laguna Madre 13. Mobile Bay 31 Baffin Bay Figure 3. ELMR Gulf of Mexico estuaries.

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