Habitat Preferences of Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, in Coastal Louisiana: A Step Towards Informing Spatial Management in Estuarine Ecosystems~!2009-10-29~!2010-04-05~!2010-06-29~!

Abstract

Louisiana wetlands are disappearing at a dramatic rate, providing an impetus for identifying the relative value to fishes of a matrix of estuarine habitat types. The distribution, relative abundance, biomass, and length of spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier) were examined in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, in relation to habitat type and abiotic variables. Spotted seatrout were collected from three sites located along a salinity gradient. Each site contained the three habitat types of interest: marsh edge, soft bottom and oyster shell, and were sampled monthly from May 2003 to May 2004 with gillnets. Habitat preference of spotted seatrout was not easily defined by habitat type alone, but rather their distribution, relative abundance, biomass and length distribution were influenced by a combination of habitat type and abiotic variables. These results suggest that habitat type and abiotic properties of the water act together to provide a diverse range of available habitats important to spotted seatrout. Despite the importance of incorporating habitat in fisheries management, it may be that a combination of habitats and their spatial arrangement, as well as abiotic variables, contribute to the value of estuarine habitats in support of fisheries productivity. Thus, efforts to ensure future fisheries productivity of spotted seatrout fisheries in Louisiana will likely be maximized by managing the spatial integrity of multiple habitat types as opposed to focusing on any single type.

Examination of an Estuarine Fish Assemblage Over an Inshore Artificial Reef

“…Specifically, spotted seatrout were affected by temperature and salinity, and presence was determined more by these two factors than by the habitat. This result is consistent with the findings of MacRae and Cowan [33] and to a study of acoustically tagged spotted seatrout by Callihan [34], found strong responses of spotted seatrout to low salin-ity events, and seasonal preferences for reef (both natural and artificial) habitats. Callihan [34] observed that spotted seatrout were frequently located near reef habitats in the spring and summer months, though this research is still ongoing.…”

“…Nearly twice as many spotted seatrout were collected over the artificial reef, and these fish were roughly 20% larger than those collected over the mud bottom, indicating the artificial reef supports a higher biomass of spotted seatrout. While spotted seatrout were larger at the reef, abundance as not difference between habitats, which is similar to results found be MacRae and Cowan [33], and indicates that seasonal influences have a more pronounced effect on the distribution of spotted seatrout than the presence of reef structure. Specifically, spotted seatrout were affected by temperature and salinity, and presence was determined more by these two factors than by the habitat.…”

Spatio-temporal predictive model based on environmental factors for juvenile spotted seatrout in Texas estuaries using boosted regression trees

“…This suggests that some important variables in the habitat usage of these species may not have been included. For example, biotic components: spawning location, prey and predator density, movement patterns of individuals were not considered in this study (MacRae and Cowan, 2010). However, we were able to examine several variables simultaneously that were related to environment suitability providing timely information for conservation and management of this species.…”

Emergent intraspecific multiple predator effects shape estuarine trophic dynamics across a gradient of habitat complexity

“…Subadult RDM (age 1-3) associate with shallow seagrass beds and habitat edges (but see Mahoney et al, 2018), as well as oyster reefs, saltmarshes, and sand flats (Bacheler et al, 2009;Dance and Rooker, 2015;Fodrie et al, 2015;Moulton et al, 2017). Subadult and early adult SPT (age 0-2, of similar size to age 1-3 RDM) associate with seagrass beds to some degree, but they appear to mainly utilize unvegetated substrate and loose shell bottom (MacRae and Cowan, 2010;Moulton et al, 2017).…”