Stress, predators, and survival: Exploring permit (Trachinotus falcatus) catch-and-release fishing mortality in the Florida Keys

Abstract Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides is arguably the most popular sport fish of inland waters in the United States. The majority of anglers in the fishery practice catch and release. Catch-and-release guidelines aim to reduce negative impacts of angling on individual fish, though such impacts on populations are not widely reported. We hypothesized that a decline in the population size for Largemouth Bass from a catch-and-release fishery from the Potomac River resulted from a period of greater fishing mortality followed by habitat loss that reduced the recovery of the population. After we analyzed several years of fishery-dependent and independent data (1999–2015), it was determined that fishing mortality and relative exploitation were greater than average in the latter half of the 2000s than in previous years. Fishery-independent survey results suggested a loss of large fish and decline in population size. The relative abundance of juveniles subsequently declined possibly because the area of submerged aquatic vegetation used as nursery habitat had declined after tropical storms. For management purposes, we suggest that fishing mortality not exceed 28% for a sustainable fishery (assuming similar levels of natural mortality) in the Potomac River. Negative impacts to Largemouth Bass populations could be lessened by reduced harvest and widespread enforcement of catch-and-release guidelines, especially during times when angler effort is high, fish are highly accessible to anglers in the fishery, and habitat loss limits recruitment.

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Catch and Release

10.18574/nyu/9781479876303.001.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Lisa Jean Moore

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Biomedical Applications ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Geologic Time ◽

Catch And Release ◽

Biomedical Innovation ◽

Species Vulnerability ◽

Career Opportunities ◽

Horseshoe Crabs ◽

Urban Beaches

Based on a multimethod study that centers on interviews with over 30 conservationists, field biologists, ecologists, paleontologists and over 3 years of my fieldwork on urban beaches in the New York City area, the Florida Keys, and international conferences, Catch and Release explores the interspecies relationships between humans and horseshoe crabs—our multiple sites of entanglement and enmeshment as we both come to matter. As I show, crabs and humans make each other in particular ways. Humans have literally harvested the life out of horseshoe crabs for multiple purposes; we interpret them for understanding geologic time, we bleed them for biomedical applications, we collect them for agricultural fertilizer, we eat them as delicacies, we rescue them for conservation, we capture them as bait, we categorize them as Endangered. In contrast, the crabs make humans matter by revealing our species vulnerability to endotoxins, offering opportunities for career opportunities and profiteering off of crab bodies, and fertilizing the soil of agricultural harvest for human food. In these acts of harvesting, I consider how horseshoe crabs and humans make meaning of events such as the Anthropocene (the epoch of geologic time that attributes climate change and species decline to human activities), global warming, and biomedical innovation.

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Length-based risk analysis for assessing sustainability of data-limited tropical reef fisheries

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsy123 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 76 (1) ◽

pp. 165-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jerald S Ault ◽

Steven G Smith ◽

James A Bohnsack ◽

Jiangang Luo ◽

Molly H Stevens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Analysis ◽

Stock Assessment ◽

Probability Distributions ◽

Growth Dynamics ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Simulation Method ◽

Reference Points ◽

Fishing Mortality ◽

Management Options ◽

Reproductive Biomass

AbstractThis study extended a “data-limited” length-based stock assessment approach to a risk analysis context. The estimation-simulation method used length frequencies as the principal data in lieu of catch and effort. Key developments were to: (i) incorporate probabilistic mortality and growth dynamics into a numerical cohort model; (ii) employ a precautionary approach for setting sustainability reference points for fishing mortality (FREF) and stock reproductive biomass (BREF); (iii) define sustainability risks in terms of probability distributions; and, (iv) evaluate exploitation status in terms of expected length frequencies, the main “observable” population metric. This refined length-based approach was applied to six principal exploited reef fish species in the Florida Keys region, consisting of three groupers (black grouper, red grouper, and coney), two snappers (mutton snapper and yellowtail snapper), and one wrasse (hogfish). The estimated sustainability risks for coney were low (<35%) in terms of benchmarks for fishing mortality rate and stock reproductive biomass. The other five species had estimated sustainability risks of greater than 95% for both benchmarks. The data-limited risk analysis methodology allowed for a fairly comprehensive probabilistic evaluation of sustainability status from species and community perspectives, and also a frame of reference for exploring management options balancing sustainability risks and fishery production.

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Muskellunge Management: Fifty Years of Cooperation Among Anglers, Scientists, and Fisheries Biologists

Muskellunge Management: Fifty Years of Cooperation Among Anglers, Scientists, and Fisheries Biologists ◽

10.47886/9781934874462.ch1 ◽

2017 ◽

Keyword(s):

Mortality Rate ◽

Reproductive Potential ◽

Older Age ◽

Cooperative Interaction ◽

Reproductive Capacity ◽

Fishing Mortality ◽

Catch And Release ◽

The Past ◽

Size Limits ◽

Annual Mortality

Abstract.—Sustainability of trophy Muskellunge Esox masquinongy populations and fisheries was examined from Muskies, Inc. catch data (335,954) from 43 years (1971–2013), along with more than 35 years (late 1970s–2013) of trophy Muskellunge data and cleithra (2,633) submitted to the Cleithrum Project. Catch has increased substantially over the past five decades, but harvest has been greatly reduced because of increased size limits (e.g., in Ontario, set by using growth potential) and voluntary catch and release of legal-sized fish promoted by organized Muskellunge anglers. The Cleithrum Project exemplifies cooperative interaction; although fewer samples have been submitted in recent years, length, weight, and age have increased significantly. Pivotal change occurred in the mid-1990s (means for late 1970s–1994, total length 108.7 cm, total weight 9.7 kg, age 11.6 years; 1995–2013, 121.0 cm, 13.4 kg, 15.1 years). A predictive mortality rate–longevity relationship was used on the Cleithrum Project age data to estimate mortality rate of trophy Muskellunge. Annual mortality rate (A) of trophy Muskellunge usually ranged from 16% to 26% and corresponded to maximum ages of 24 to 14 years. Estimated annual mortality of the oldest Muskellunge increased slightly over the past 35 years—13.0% to 14.3%, with a decrease in maximum age from 30 to 27 years. Mortality was high to the mid-1990s but has decreased subsequently, even though angling pressure has increased. Size and mean age of trophy Muskellunge have increased substantially (10.2 to 15.8 years) with associated decreases in annual mortality (A, 31.0% to 21.9%), indicating an increase in the mature population and reproductive potential. To ensure sustainable trophy Muskellunge populations, fish younger than 15 years should not be exposed to fishing mortality and older fish should not have a fishing mortality rate that exceeds the rate of natural mortality (F ≯ M). Management for large size (older age) by using excessive size limits, in combination with catch and release, can have unexpected outcomes because older fish are increasingly sensitive to stress (e.g., viral hemorrhagic septicemia [VHS] mortalities). If Muskellunge populations are managed for high reproductive capacity (protecting fish to larger size and older age), they will be more reproductively resilient, producing larger year-classes, better sustaining trophy populations and fisheries.

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Assessing the potential to mitigate climate-related expansion of largemouth bass populations using angler harvest

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2019-0035 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 77 (3) ◽

pp. 520-533

Author(s):

Christopher J. Sullivan ◽

Daniel A. Isermann ◽

Kaitlin E. Whitlock ◽

Jonathan F. Hansen

Keyword(s):

Largemouth Bass ◽

Cold Water ◽

Micropterus Salmoides ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Warm Water ◽

Small Fish ◽

Fishing Mortality ◽

Ecological Benefits ◽

Catch And Release ◽

New Challenges

Climate-related changes in fish communities can present new challenges for fishery managers who must address declines in cool- and cold-water sportfish while dealing with increased abundance of warm-water sportfish. We used largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in Wisconsin lakes as model populations to determine whether angler harvest provides a realistic method for reducing abundance of a popular warm-water sportfish that has become more prevalent and has prompted management concerns around the globe. Model results indicate largemouth bass will be resilient to increased fishing mortality. Furthermore, high rates of voluntary catch-and-release occurring in most largemouth bass fisheries likely preclude fishing mortality rates required to reduce bass abundance at meaningful levels (≥25% reductions). Increasing fishing mortality in these scenarios may require more “stimulus” than merely providing anglers with greater harvest opportunities via less stringent harvest regulations. Angler harvest could result in populations dominated by small fish, a scenario that may be undesirable to anglers, but could provide ecological benefits in certain situations.

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Evaluation of effort reduction in the Florida Keys spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, fishery using an age-structured population analysis

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf97217 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 48 (8) ◽

pp. 1045 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Robert G. Muller ◽

John H. Hunt ◽

Thomas R. Matthews ◽

William C. Sharp

Keyword(s):

Fishery Management ◽

Population Analysis ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Environmental Damage ◽

Population Fluctuations ◽

Fishing Mortality ◽

Time Period ◽

Effort Reduction ◽

Age Structured

A management programme implemented in Florida in 1993 was designed to reduce the number of traps in the spiny lobster fishery in order to reduce gear conflicts, environmental damage and effort without reducing harvest. Traps in the commercial fishery were reduced from 939 000 in 1991 to 568 000 in 1995. Landings by fishing season, zone (upper Florida Keys and lower Florida Keys), sex, and time period (summer v. winter) were pro-rated into numbers by length that were assigned ages by using growth simulations. From tag–recapture data, moult interval was estimated by using a logistic regression with terms for zone, sex, time period, carapace length, and time at large. For lobsters that moulted, the moult increment was modelled with a multiple regression including the same terms. Standardized catch-per-trip and total landings increased as traps were reduced. Age-structured analysis of the catches-at-age indicated that fishing mortality decreased by 16%, even as landings increased. It is not known whether the increase in landings was due to natural population fluctuations or to positive results of trap reduction. Fishing mortality rates still exceed common benchmarks used in fishery management, and excessive traps remain in the fishery.

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Evaluation of average length as an estimator of exploitation status for the Florida coral-reef fish community

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1016/j.icesjms.2004.12.001 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 417-423 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Jerald S. Ault ◽

Steven G. Smith ◽

James A. Bohnsack

Keyword(s):

Coral Reef ◽

Reef Fish ◽

Coral Reef Fish ◽

Fish Community ◽

Average Length ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Size Composition ◽

Fishing Mortality ◽

Exploitation Status ◽

Slow Growing

Abstract Simulation and empirical analyses were conducted to evaluate the utility and robustness of average length (Lbar) of animals in the exploited population as an estimator of fishing mortality (F), and therefore as an indicator of exploitation status for Florida coral-reef fish. Simulation results showed that the Lbar estimator of fishing mortality was relatively insensitive to trends in recruitment, and demonstrated favourable properties for detecting statistical differences between sustainable and non-sustainable rates of exploitation. Rates of F estimated from fishery-dependent size composition data were comparable to F estimates from catch-and-effort time-series. Average length was also estimated from fishery-independent diver surveys for 22 species in the exploited snapper–grouper complex. A majority of snapper–grouper species are currently fished unsustainably in the Florida Keys, though overfishing appears most severe for long-lived, slow-growing fish.

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Extracellular filaments in the perineurium of the florida lobster, Panulirus argus

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100128237 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 784-785

Author(s):

Roy J. Baerwald ◽

Lura C. Williamson

Keyword(s):

Blood Brain Barrier ◽

Glial Cells ◽

Tannic Acid ◽

Nerve Cord ◽

Ventral Nerve Cord ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Panulirus Argus ◽

Brain Barrier ◽

Cacodylate Buffer ◽

Nerve Cords

In arthropods the perineurium surrounds the neuropile, consists of modified glial cells, and is the morphological basis for the blood-brain barrier. The perineurium is surrounded by an acellular neural lamella, sometimes containing scattered collagen-like fibrils. This perineurial-neural lamellar complex is thought to occur ubiquitously throughout the arthropods. This report describes a SEM and TEM study of the sheath surrounding the ventral nerve cord of Panulirus argus.Juvenile P. argus were collected from the Florida Keys and maintained in marine aquaria. Nerve cords were fixed for TEM in Karnovsky's fixative and saturated tannic acid in 0.1 M Na-cacodylate buffer, pH = 7.4; post-fixed in 1.0% OsO4 in the same buffer; dehydrated through a graded series of ethanols; embedded in Epon-Araldite; and examined in a Philips 200 TEM. Nerve cords were fixed for SEM in a similar manner except that tannic acid was not used.

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Community metabolism in shallow coral reef and seagrass ecosystems, lower Florida Keys

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps11385 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 538 ◽

pp. 35-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

D Turk ◽

KK Yates ◽

M Vega-Rodriguez ◽

G Toro-Farmer ◽

C L’Esperance ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coral Reef ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Community Metabolism ◽

Seagrass Ecosystems

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Predicting cold-water bleaching in corals: role of temperature, and potential integration of light exposure

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps13336 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 642 ◽

pp. 133-146

Author(s):

PC González-Espinosa ◽

SD Donner

Keyword(s):

Coral Bleaching ◽

Cold Water ◽

Light Exposure ◽

Light Attenuation ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Cold Temperature ◽

Warm Water ◽

Coral Tissue ◽

Effect Of Temperature ◽

Type I

Warm-water growth and survival of corals are constrained by a set of environmental conditions such as temperature, light, nutrient levels and salinity. Water temperatures of 1 to 2°C above the usual summer maximum can trigger a phenomenon known as coral bleaching, whereby disruption of the symbiosis between coral and dinoflagellate micro-algae, living within the coral tissue, reveals the white skeleton of coral. Anomalously cold water can also lead to coral bleaching but has been the subject of limited research. Although cold-water bleaching events are less common, they can produce similar impacts on coral reefs as warm-water events. In this study, we explored the effect of temperature and light on the likelihood of cold-water coral bleaching from 1998-2017 using available bleaching observations from the Eastern Tropical Pacific and the Florida Keys. Using satellite-derived sea surface temperature, photosynthetically available radiation and light attenuation data, cold temperature and light exposure metrics were developed and then tested against the bleaching observations using logistic regression. The results show that cold-water bleaching can be best predicted with an accumulated cold-temperature metric, i.e. ‘degree cooling weeks’, analogous to the heat stress metric ‘degree heating weeks’, with high accuracy (90%) and fewer Type I and Type II errors in comparison with other models. Although light, when also considered, improved prediction accuracy, we found that the most reliable framework for cold-water bleaching prediction may be based solely on cold-temperature exposure.

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