Fisheries-Independent

Fisheries-Independent Monitoring
in the Estero Bay Estuary
project funded by the South Florida Water Management District
Philip Stevens, Bob McMichael, Marin
Greenwood, and Tim MacDonald
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute,
Charlotte Harbor Field Laboratory
FIM program Field Labs
Choctawhatchee Bay &
Santa Rosa Sound
1992 - 1997
St. Johns River
2001
Apalachicola
1997
Cedar Key
1996
Tampa Bay
1989
Charlotte Harbor
1989
Northern Indian
River Lagoon
1990
Southern Indian
River Lagoon
1997
Florida Keys
1998
Myakka River
Peace River
Gulf of
Mexico
Caloosahatchee
River
Research vessel - mullet skiff
Sampling gears used by the
FIM program
Small fish sampling gears
21-m Seine
6.1-m Otter Trawl
Example of a small fish sample
Large fish sampling gears
183-m Haul
Seine
Examples of a large fish sample
Estero Bay estuary
Fisheries-Independent Monitoring
3 years (2005-2007)
11/1/2007
9/1/2007
7/1/2007
5/1/2007
3/1/2007
1/1/2007
11/1/2006
9/1/2006
7/1/2006
5/1/2006
3/1/2006
1/1/2006
11/1/2005
9/1/2005
7/1/2005
5/1/2005
3/1/2005
1/1/2005
11/1/2004
9/1/2004
7/1/2004
5/1/2004
3/1/2004
1/1/2004
Freshwater Inflow
Mean Daily Flow (CFS)
2500
Study Period
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Study Design
Study Design
158 Fishes and
Swimming Invertebrates
Multi-bay Comparison
Multi-bay Comparison
Multi-bay Comparison
Small Seines – Total Fish
Multi-bay Comparison
Small Seines
MDS; 2D Stress: 0.09
2007
2007
2007
2006
2007
Bay
Gasparilla Sound
Pine Island Sound
San Carlos Bay
Estero Bay
Similarity
65
2006
2006
2006
2005
2005
2005
2005
Multi-bay Comparison
Small Seines
SIMPER; 81% Dissimilarity
Multi-bay Comparison
Large Haul Seines – Total Fish
Multi-bay Comparison
Large Haul Seines
MDS; 2D Stress: 0.08
Gasparilla Sound
Pine Island Sound
San Carlos Bay
Estero Bay
2007
2007
2007
2006
2006
2005
Bay
Similarity
2007
60
2005
2005
2005
2006
2006
Multi-bay Comparison
Large Haul Seines
SIMPER; 81% Dissimilarity
Multi-bay Comparison
Trawl – Total Fish
Multi-bay Comparison
Trawl
2007
MDS; 2D Stress: 0.07
Gasparilla Sound
Pine Island Sound
San Carlos Bay
Estero Bay
2007
2007
Bay
2007
Similarity
2006
2005
2005
2006
2006
2006
2005
2005
60
Multi-bay Comparison
Trawl
SIMPER; 84% Dissimilarity
Estero Bay Tributaries
2D Stress: 0.14
Mullock
MayOct_2005
NovApr_2006
MayOct_2006
NovApr_2007
MayOct_2007
Mullock
Mullock
Imperial
Mullock
Hendry
Imperial
Imperial
Hendry
Hendry
Imperial
Imperial
season_wateryear
Mullock
Hendry
Hendry
Species Profiles
Blue crab
Red drum
Striped mullet
Pink shrimp
Common snook
Striped mojarra
Bay anchovy
Hogchoker
Southern kingfish
Pinfish
Species Profiles
18
12
16
10
14
12
8
10
6
8
6
4
4
2
2
0
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Mean length (mm) ± SE (points/lines)
Geometric mean abundance.100 m-2 ± 95% CL (bars)
•When are species present?
•e.g., pink shrimp from the
Estero Bay estuary (21.3-m
seines)
Species Profiles
Geometric mean abundance.100 m-2 ± 95% CL
•Where are species found?
0.5
•e.g., common snook
from the Estero Bay
estuary (21.3-m seines)
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
e ro
Est
Bay
He n
C
d ry
re e
k
l
Mu
C
l o ck
re e
k
R
e ro
Est
i ve r
Sp
C
ri n g
re e
k
Imp
lR
e ri a
i ve r
Species Profiles
14
•e.g., Striped anchovy
from the Estero Bay
estuary (21.3-m seines)
12
10
8
6
4
2
Salinity
>=
30
0
18
-3
8
-1
12
12
5-
5
0.
5-
0.
5
0
0-
Geometric mean abundance.100 m-2 ± 95% CL
•At what salinities are species found in the river?
Species Profiles
14
12
•e.g., pink shrimp from
the Estero Bay estuary
(21.3-m seines)
10
8
6
4
2
r
ot
he
ov
gr
m
an
%
>5
0
Habitat
e
g.
ve
g.
ve
%
<=
50
ve
ge
ta
te
d
0
un
Geometric mean abundance.100 m-2 ± 95% CL
•What habitats do they occupy?
Species Profiles
•Response to Inflow?
Lagodon rhomboides (21.3-m seine): Bay
ln(catch-per-unit-effort, animals.100m-2)
5.5
Sizes:<=150mm
Feb. to Jun.
y = 6.7633 - 0.7368x
Adj. r2 = 0.482
5.0
4.5
•e.g., pinfish in the Estero
Bay (21.3-m seines)
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
2
3
4
5
6
ln(168-day-lagged inflow + 1, cfs)
7
8
Species Profiles
•Response to Inflow?
Farfantepenaeus duorarum (21.3-m seine): Tributaries
ln(catch-per-unit-effort, animals.100m-2)
3.0
2.5
•e.g., pink shrimp in the
Estero Bay tributaries (21.3m seines)
2.0
1.5
1.0
Sizes:<=150mm
Jun. to Oct.
y = - 3.6567 + 2.2834x - 0.2267 x2
Adj. r2 = 0.4199
0.5
0.0
2
3
4
5
6
ln(7-day-lagged inflow + 1, cfs)
7
8
Estero Bay estuary
Current Knowledge
Fish assemblages under current water management
Baseline indices of relative abundance for important species
Distribution and abundance of exotic fishes
Fish health background levels
Stochastic events regional or specific to river
Thank you!
Charlotte Harbor Field Lab
585 Prineville St.
Port Charlotte, FL 33954
Phone: (941) 613-0945
Staff:
Philip Stevens
Chuck Idelberger
Dave Blewett
Bill Curnow
Gregg Poulakis
Sarah Erickson
John Hadden
Toni Yard
Julia Shaw
Amy Timmers
Scott Leonard
Chrystal Murray