Agar, J., Shivlani, M., Fleming, C., & Solís, D. (2019). Small-scale fishers' perceptions about the performance of seasonal closures in the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Ocean & Coastal Management, 175, 33–42.
Abstract: The targeting of spawning aggregations is one of the most significant pressures facing coral reef ecosystems. The use of seasonal closures has been advanced for protecting aggregating fisheries for which managers have limited information on the location and timing of their reproductive events; however, few studies have examined the performance of these types of closures. This study assesses the perceptions of 150 fishers regarding the performance of seasonal closures in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Our results show that most fishers perceived that seasonal closures are effective fishery management measures. Across the six seasonal closures examined, fishers reported that these closures protected spawning aggregations and, to a lesser degree, increased fish abundance. These measures, however, did not always improve fishers' livelihoods nor result in their support for the seasonal closures. The loss of resource and market access during periods of high consumer demand and overlapping seasonal closures were the main causes of financial distress.
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Alvarez, S., Solís, D., & Hwang, J. (2019). Modeling shellfish harvest policies for food safety: Wild oyster harvest restrictions to prevent foodborne Vibrio vulnificus. Food Policy, 83, 219–230.
Abstract: Vibrio vulnificus has been identified as one of the main causative agents of foodborne disease associated with shellfish consumption. Infections of V. vulnificus increase during the summer months due to higher densities of the bacteria in warmer water and inappropriate handling of shellfish. In Florida, the daily harvest period is regulated to control the length of time between shellfish harvest and processing, and this harvest period has been recently reduced during the summer months to decrease the risk of foodborne disease. Adoption of this public health policy can affect the profitability and economic sustainability of wild oyster harvesters, especially in resource-dependent coastal communities. This study develops a dynamic and stochastic bioeconomic model to assess the impact of this policy on fishers’ harvest and revenues, and weighs that impact against the policy’s potential public health benefits. Our results show that fishers will experience reduced harvests early in the season due to the shorter harvest hours, but this initial loss is partially recouped later in the season as harvests remain high for longer than they would have if the policy were not in place. This study highlights the relationship between food safety interventions and management of fishery resources, and provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the costs and benefits associated with such interventions.
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Atwood, T. B., Madin, E. M. P., Harborne, A. R., Hammill, E., Luiz, O. J., Ollivier, Q. R., et al. (2018). Predators Shape Sedimentary Organic Carbon Storage in a Coral Reef Ecosystem. Front. Ecol. Evol., 6, 110.
Abstract: Trophic cascade theory predicts that predator effects should extend to influence carbon cycling in ecosystems. Yet, there has been little empirical evidence in natural ecosystems to support this hypothesis. Here, we use a naturally-occurring trophic cascade to provide evidence that predators help protect sedimentary organic carbon stocks in coral reef ecosystems. Our results show that predation risk altered the behavior of herbivorous fish, whereby it constrained grazing to areas close to the refuge of the patch reefs. Macroalgae growing in "riskier" areas further away from the reef were released from grazing pressure, which subsequently promoted carbon accumulation in the sediments underlying the macroalgal beds. Here we found that carbon stocks furthest away from the reef edge were ~24% higher than stocks closest to the reef. Our results indicate that predators and herbivores play an important role in structuring carbon dynamics in a natural marine ecosystem, highlighting the need to conserve natural predator-prey dynamics to help maintain the crucial role of marine sediments in sequestering carbon.
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Camp, E. V., Pine III, W. E., Havens, K., Kane, A. S., Walters, C. J., Irani, T., et al. (2015). Collapse of a historic oyster fishery: diagnosing causes and identifying paths toward increased resilience. E&S, 20(3).
Abstract: Diagnosing causal factors of change at the ecosystem level is challenging because multiple drivers often interact at various spatial and temporal scales. We employ an integrated natural and social science approach to assess potential mechanisms leading to the collapse of an estuarine social-ecological system, and recommend future paths to increased system resilience. Our case study is the collapse of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) fishery in Apalachicola Bay, Florida, USA, and the associated impacts on local resource dependent communities. The oyster fishery collapse is the most recent in a series of environmental stressors to this region, which have included hurricanes and tropical storms, drought, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We found it likely that the oyster collapse was not related to contamination from the recent oil spill, but rather to factors affecting oyster recruitment and survival, which may have been mediated by both human, e.g., fishing-related habitat alteration, and environmental, e.g., increased natural mortality from predators and disease, factors. The relative impact of each of these factors is likely to increase in the future because of changing climate and increased demand for fishery, water, and petroleum resources. Successful restoration and persistence of a viable oyster fishery will depend on: (1) implementation of some minimal best management practices, e.g., extensive habitat restoration via shell addition, and some spatial closures to harvest, (2) improving environmental knowledge and promoting episodic learning through enhanced monitoring and experimental management, and (3) continued community engagement necessary to produce adaptable governance suitable to responding to future unexpected challenges.
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Cruz, R. E. A., Kaplan, D. A., Santos, P. B., Ávila-da-Silva, A. O., Marques, E. E., & Isaac, V. J. (2020). Trends and environmental drivers of giant catfish catch in the lower Amazon River. Mar. Freshwater Res., .
Abstract: The giant catfishes Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii, Brachyplatystoma vaillantii and Brachyplatystoma filamentosum are important environmental, social and economic resources in the Amazon. However, anthropogenic environmental changes, such as climate change, deforestation, overexploitation of water resources and damming of rivers, threaten the conservation of this fishery. The aims of this study were to investigate temporal trends and elucidate global and regional environmental drivers of catch for these species of giant catfish in the Amazon. Using annualised catch data (1993�2010), we tested for linear trends using Mann�Kendall tests and built multilinear models of fish catch using effort and a variety of regional and global hydrological and meteorological series. We found a significant decline in the catches of B. rousseauxii and B. filamentosum, whereas the B. vaillantii catch increased. Total catch had a significant positive correlation with fishing effort, and variation in sea surface temperature (SST) explained an additional 19�38% of the variability of catches. Other hydrological and climate variables were weakly correlated or uncorrelated with catch. Overall, these results argue strongly for a resumption the collection of fishing statistics in the Amazon. In addition, associations between SST and catch suggest that conservation of these long-distance migrants must consider both regional and global drivers of fisheries change.
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Dee, L. E., Miller, S. J., Peavey, L. E., Bradley, D., Gentry, R. R., Startz, R., et al. (2016). Functional diversity of catch mitigates negative effects of temperature variability on fisheries yields. Proc. R. Soc. B, 283(1836), 20161435.
Abstract: Temperature variation within a year can impact biological processes driving population abundances. The implications for the ecosystem services these populations provide, including food production from marine fisheries, are poorly understood. Whether and how temperature variability impacts fishery yields may depend on the number of harvested species and differences in their responses to varying temperatures. Drawing from previous theoretical and empirical studies, we predict that greater temperature variability within years will reduce yields, but harvesting a larger number of species, especially a more functionally diverse set, will decrease this impact. Using a global marine fisheries dataset, we find that within-year temperature variability reduces yields, but current levels of functional diversity (FD) of targeted species, measured using traits related to species' responses to temperature, largely offset this effect. Globally, high FD of catch could avoid annual losses in yield of 6.8% relative to projections if FD were degraded to the lowest level observed in the data. By contrast, species richness in the catch and in the ecosystem did not provide a similar mitigating effect. This work provides novel empirical evidence that short-term temperature variability can negatively impact the provisioning of ecosystem services, but that FD can buffer these negative impacts.
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Friedman, M., Fernandez, M., Backer, L., Dickey, R., Bernstein, J., Schrank, K., et al. (2017). An Updated Review of Ciguatera Fish Poisoning: Clinical, Epidemiological, Environmental, and Public Health Management. Marine Drugs, 15(3), 72.
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Gordon, T. A. C., Harding, H. R., Clever, F. K., Davidson, I. K., Davison, W., Montgomery, D. W., et al. (2018). Fishes in a changing world: learning from the past to promote sustainability of fish populations. J Fish Biol, 92(3), 804–827.
Abstract: Populations of fishes provide valuable services for billions of people, but face diverse and interacting threats that jeopardize their sustainability. Human population growth and intensifying resource use for food, water, energy and goods are compromising fish populations through a variety of mechanisms, including overfishing, habitat degradation and declines in water quality. The important challenges raised by these issues have been recognized and have led to considerable advances over past decades in managing and mitigating threats to fishes worldwide. In this review, we identify the major threats faced by fish populations alongside recent advances that are helping to address these issues. There are very significant efforts worldwide directed towards ensuring a sustainable future for the world's fishes and fisheries and those who rely on them. Although considerable challenges remain, by drawing attention to successful mitigation of threats to fish and fisheries we hope to provide the encouragement and direction that will allow these challenges to be overcome in the future.
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Gouezo, M., Golbuu, Y., van Woesik, R., Rehm, L., Koshiba, S., & Doropoulos, C. (2015). Impact of two sequential super typhoons on coral reef communities in Palau. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 540, 73–85.
Abstract: Typhoons generally develop in the warm tropics, but rarely damage coral reefs between the latitudes 10 degrees N and 10 degrees S because they intensify at higher latitudes. However, climate change is forcing anomalous weather patterns, and is causing typhoons to take less predictable trajectories. For the first time in 70 yr, in December 2012, a super typhoon passed near the island of Palau, located at 7 degrees N in the western tropical Pacific Ocean. A year later, another super typhoon passed over the northern reefs of Palau. This study characterized the impacts of both typhoons on coral and fish assemblages in 3 habitats (i.e. outer reefs, patch reefs, and inner reefs) and at 2 depths (i.e. 3 and 10 m). Loss of coral cover was highest on the shallow, eastern slopes (similar to 60% coral cover). Juvenile coral densities decreased along the western reef slope and on the inner reefs, where overall coral cover scarcely decreased. These results suggested a potential stock-recruitment relationship with corals on the damaged eastern reefs. Early successional corals, particularly pocilloporids, recruited 6 mo after the second typhoon. Fish communities were generally un altered by the first typhoon, except small parrotfishes, which doubled in density along the eastern reef-slope and increased on the inner reefs following the second typhoon. In combination, these findings demonstrate high spatial variability in coral loss, overall decreases in juvenile corals, and increases in herbivorous fishes on a tropical reef system that has rarely experienced large typhoon waves.
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Harborne, A. R., Rogers, A., Bozec, Y. - M., & Mumby, P. J. (2017). Multiple Stressors and the Functioning of Coral Reefs. Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci., 9(1), 445–468.
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Herrera-R, G. A., Oberdorff, T., Anderson, E. P., Brosse, S., Carvajal-Vallejos, F. M., Frederico, R. G., et al. (2020). The combined effects of climate change and river fragmentation on the distribution of Andean Amazon fishes. Glob Chang Biol, .
Abstract: Upstream range shifts of freshwater fishes have been documented in recent years due to ongoing climate change. River fragmentation by dams, presenting physical barriers, can limit the climatically induced spatial redistribution of fishes. Andean freshwater ecosystems in the Neotropical region are expected to be highly affected by these future disturbances. However, proper evaluations are still missing. Combining species distribution models and functional traits of Andean Amazon fishes, coupled with dam locations and climatic projections (2070s), we (a) evaluated the potential impacts of future climate on species ranges, (b) investigated the combined impact of river fragmentation and climate change and (c) tested the relationships between these impacts and species functional traits. Results show that climate change will induce range contraction for most of the Andean Amazon fish species, particularly those inhabiting highlands. Dams are not predicted to greatly limit future range shifts for most species (i.e., the Barrier effect). However, some of these barriers should prevent upstream shifts for a considerable number of species, reducing future potential diversity in some basins. River fragmentation is predicted to act jointly with climate change in promoting a considerable decrease in the probability of species to persist in the long-term because of splitting species ranges in smaller fragments (i.e., the Isolation effect). Benthic and fast-flowing water adapted species with hydrodynamic bodies are significantly associated with severe range contractions from climate change.
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Kearney, K. A., Butler, M., Glazer, R., Kelble, C. R., Serafy, J. E., & Stabenau, E. (2015). Quantifying Florida Bay Habitat Suitability for Fishes and Invertebrates Under Climate Change Scenarios. Environmental Management, 55(4), 836–856.
Abstract: The Florida Bay ecosystem supports a number of economically important ecosystem services, including several recreational fisheries, which may be affected by changing salinity and temperature due to climate change. In this paper, we use a combination of physical models and habitat suitability index models to quantify the effects of potential climate change scenarios on a variety of juvenile fish and lobster species in Florida Bay. The climate scenarios include alterations in sea level, evaporation and precipitation rates, coastal runoff, and water temperature. We find that the changes in habitat suitability vary in both magnitude and direction across the scenarios and species, but are on average small. Only one of the seven species we investigate (Lagodon rhomboides, i.e., pinfish) sees a sizable decrease in optimal habitat under any of the scenarios. This suggests that the estuarine fauna of Florida Bay may not be as vulnerable to climate change as other components of the ecosystem, such as those in the marine/terrestrial ecotone. However, these models are relatively simplistic, looking only at single species effects of physical drivers without considering the many interspecific interactions that may play a key role in the adjustment of the ecosystem as a whole. More complex models that capture the mechanistic links between physics and biology, as well as the complex dynamics of the estuarine food web, may be necessary to further understand the potential effects of climate change on the Florida Bay ecosystem.
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Lester, S. E., Rassweiler, A., McCoy, S. J., Dubel, A. K., Donovan, M. K., Miller, M. W., et al. (2020). Caribbean reefs of the Anthropocene: Variance in ecosystem metrics indicates bright spots on coral depauperate reefs. Glob Chang Biol, 26, 4785–4799.
Abstract: Dramatic coral loss has significantly altered many Caribbean reefs, with potentially important consequences for the ecological functions and ecosystem services provided by reef systems. Many studies examine coral loss and its causes-and often presume a universal decline of ecosystem services with coral loss-rather than evaluating the range of possible outcomes for a diversity of ecosystem functions and services at reefs varying in coral cover. We evaluate 10 key ecosystem metrics, relating to a variety of different reef ecosystem functions and services, on 328 Caribbean reefs varying in coral cover. We focus on the range and variability of these metrics rather than on mean responses. In contrast to a prevailing paradigm, we document high variability for a variety of metrics, and for many the range of outcomes is not related to coral cover. We find numerous "bright spots," where herbivorous fish biomass, density of large fishes, fishery value, and/or fish species richness are high, despite low coral cover. Although it remains critical to protect and restore corals, understanding variability in ecosystem metrics among low-coral reefs can facilitate the maintenance of reefs with sustained functions and services as we work to restore degraded systems. This framework can be applied to other ecosystems in the Anthropocene to better understand variance in ecosystem service outcomes and identify where and why bright spots exist.
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Locascio, J., Mann, D., Wilcox, K., & Luther, M. (2018). Incorporation of Acoustic Sensors on a Coastal Ocean Monitoring Platform for Measurements of Biological Activity. Marine Technology Society Journal, 52(3), 64–70.
Abstract: Ocean observing stations have mainly focused on data collection of physical parameters measured in the ocean and atmosphere and also, to some extent, of biogeochemical parameters. Robust sensors capable of measuring biological data reflective of higher tropic level function at the same time scales as other parameters are not yet commonly incorporated into the sensor array used on observing platforms. In this project, we reengineered a coastal ocean observatory to include two hydrophones for this purpose. One hydrophone (HTI 96-MIN) was used to record ambient acoustic signals offish reproductive sounds, and a second hydrophone (Vemco VR2C) was used to receive transmissions from acoustic tags implanted in fishes. This project demonstrates that it is possible at a regional ocean observing station to collect data on biological-physical processes at the same time scales over long periods and on a cost-effective basis. This will allow a better understanding of natural variability in ecosystem processes and potential impacts on these from anthropogenic sources and climate change. Technical details of the reengineering methods used to make the station operational and URLs of data tables and archives are provided.
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Lorenzen, K., Ainsworth, C. H., Baker, S. M., Barbieri, L. R., Camp, E. V., Dotson, J. R., et al. (2017). Climate change impacts on Florida's fisheries and aquaculture sectors and options for adaptation. In E. P. Chassignet, J. W. Jones, V. Misra, & J. Obeysekera (Eds.), Florida's climate: Changes, variations, & impacts (pp. 427–455). Gainesville, FL: Florida Climate Institute.
Abstract: Florida supports diverse marine and freshwater fisheries and a significant aquaculture industry with a combined economic impact of approximately 15 billion US$. We begin by describing the characteristics of the different fisheries and aquaculture sectors. This is followed by a description of the relevant climate change and confounding drivers. We then present an integrated social-ecological systems framework for analyzing climate change impacts and apply this framework to the different fisheries and aquaculture sectors. We highlight how the characteristics of each sector gives rise to distinct expected climate change impacts and potential adaptation measures. We conclude with general considerations for monitoring and adaptation.
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McCarthy, M. J., Colna, K. E., El-Mezayen, M. M., Laureano-Rosario, A. E., Méndez-Lázaro, P., Otis, D. B., et al. (2017). Satellite Remote Sensing for Coastal Management: A Review of Successful Applications. Environmental Management, 60(2), 323–339.
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Milligan RJ, Scott EM, Jones DOB, Bett BJ, Jamieson AJ, O'Brien, R., et al. (2020). Evidence for seasonal cycles in deep-sea fish abundances: A great migration in the deep SE Atlantic? J Anim Ecol, 89(7), 1593–1603.
Abstract: Animal migrations are of global ecological significance, providing mechanisms for the transport of nutrients and energy between distant locations. In much of the deep sea (>200 m water depth), the export of nutrients from the surface ocean provides a crucial but seasonally variable energy source to seafloor ecosystems. Seasonal faunal migrations have been hypothesized to occur on the deep seafloor as a result, but have not been documented. Here, we analyse a 7.5-year record of photographic data from the Deep-ocean Environmental Long-term Observatory Systems seafloor observatories to determine whether there was evidence of seasonal (intra-annual) migratory behaviours in a deep-sea fish assemblage on the West African margin and, if so, identify potential cues for the behaviour. Our findings demonstrate a correlation between intra-annual changes in demersal fish abundance at 1,400 m depth and satellite-derived estimates of primary production off the coast of Angola. Highest fish abundances were observed in late November with a smaller peak in June, occurring approximately 4 months after corresponding peaks in primary production. Observed changes in fish abundance occurred too rapidly to be explained by recruitment or mortality, and must therefore have a behavioural driver. Given the recurrent patterns observed, and the established importance of bottom-up trophic structuring in deep-sea ecosystems, we hypothesize that a large fraction of the fish assemblage may conduct seasonal migrations in this region, and propose seasonal variability in surface ocean primary production as a plausible cause. Such trophic control could lead to changes in the abundance of fishes across the seafloor by affecting secondary production of prey species and/or carrion availability for example. In summary, we present the first evidence for seasonally recurring patterns in deep-sea demersal fish abundances over a 7-year period, and demonstrate a previously unobserved level of dynamism in the deep sea, potentially mirroring the great migrations so well characterized in terrestrial systems.
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Mumby, P. J., Sanchirico, J. N., Broad, K., Beck, M. W., Tyedmers, P., Morikawa, M., et al. (2017). Avoiding a crisis of motivation for ocean management under global environmental change. Glob Change Biol, 23(11), 4483–4496.
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Murawski, S. A., Peebles, E. B., Gracia, A., Tunnell Jr., J. W., & Armenteros, M. (2018). Comparative Abundance, Species Composition, and Demographics of Continental Shelf Fish Assemblages throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Mar Coast Fish, 10(3), 325–346.
Abstract: We analyzed the results of the first comprehensive, systematic, fishery‐independent survey of Gulf of Mexico (GoM) continental shelves using data collected from demersal longline sampling off the United States, Mexico, and Cuba. In total, 166 species were sampled from 343 longline sets during 2011–2017, which deployed 153,146 baited hooks, catching 14,938 fish. Abundance, species richness, and Shannon–Wiener diversity indices by station were highest in mid‐shelf depths (~100 m), declining by about half in deeper waters. Six spatial assemblages were identified by testing the results of cluster analysis using similarity profile analysis and then plotting the geographic location of identified station clusters. A high degree of depth‐related and horizontal zonation was evident for demersal fish species. Multispecies CPUE (number per 1,000 hook‐hours) was highest off the north‐central (NC) and northwestern (NW) GoM and lower on the West Florida Shelf (WFS), Cuba (CUB), Yucatan Peninsula (YP), and southwestern (SW) GoM. Snappers and groupers were most abundant in the WFS and CUB, while elasmobranchs were the dominant taxa in the NC and NW GoM. Pelagic species were relatively rare everywhere (owing to the use of demersal longline gear), but were most dense off CUB. Species richness was highest in the NC and WFS subareas and lowest in the NW and CUB. Slopes of multispecies size spectra, which integrated mortality, recruitment, growth, and species interactions among size‐groups, were shallowest in the NW and NC GoM and steepest off the WFS and YP. These results provide a basis for evaluating the relative resiliency potential of species assemblages across the continental shelves of the GoM, and thus for identifying subareas that are most vulnerable to acute and chronic perturbations from cumulative effects of fishing, climate change, pollution (including oil spills), habitat loss, and invasive species.
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Nunez, J. C. B., Seale, T. P., Fraser, M. A., Burton, T. L., Fortson, T. N., Hoover, D., et al. (2015). Population Genomics of the Euryhaline Teleost Poecilia latipinna. PLoS ONE, 10(9), e0137077.
Abstract: Global climate change and increases in sea levels will affect coastal marine communities. The conservation of these ecologically important areas will be a challenge because of their wide geographic distribution, ecological diversity and species richness. To address this problem, we need to better understand how the genetic variation of the species in these communities is distributed within local populations, among populations and between distant regions. In this study we apply genotyping by sequencing (GBS) and examine 955 SNPs to determine Sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna) genetic diversity among three geographically close mangrove salt marsh flats in the Florida Keys compared to populations in southern and northern Florida. The questions we are asking are whether there is sufficient genetic variation among isolated estuarine fish within populations and whether there are significant divergences among populations. Additionally, we want to know if GBS approaches agree with previous studies using more traditional molecular approaches. We are able to identify large genetic diversity within each saltmarsh community (π ≈ 36%). Additionally, among the Florida Key populations and the mainland or between southern and northern Florida regions, there are significant differences in allele frequencies seen in population structure and evolutionary relationships among individuals. Surprisingly, even though the cumulative FST value using all 955 SNPs within the three Florida Key populations is small, there are 29 loci with significant FST values, and 11 of these were outliers suggestive of adaptive divergence. These data suggest that among the salt marsh flats surveyed here, there is significant genetic diversity within each population and small but significant differences among populations. Much of the genetic variation within and among populations found here with GBS is very similar to previous studies using allozymes and microsatellites. However, the meaningful difference between GBS and these previous measures of genetic diversity is the number of loci examined, which allows more precise delineations of population structure as well as facilitates identifying loci with excessive FST values that could indicate adaptive divergence.
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