Poleward expansion of common snook Centropomus undecimalis in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and future research needs

Abstract

Globally, rising temperatures have resulted in numerous examples of poleward shifts in species distribution patterns with accompanying changes in community structure and ecosystem processes. In the Gulf of Mexico, higher mean temperatures and less frequent winter freezes have led to the expansion of tropics-associated marine organisms. Our objectives were to quantify changing environmental conditions and the poleward expansion of the common snook Centropomus undecimalis into the Cedar Keys area of Florida, USA (29 deg N). The snook is an economically and recreationally important sport fish found from southern Brazil to south Florida. Cedar Key and the Lower Suwannee River are north of the snook's historically documented range, likely due to lethal water temperatures during winter. Using data from a long-term monitoring program, we report an increase in catches of snook in this area since 2007. The spatial and temporal expansion of the species began with adult fish in 2007. By 2018, snook of all sizes were found in the region, and we found strong evidence of local reproduction during 2016-2018. The locations of nursery habitat and winter thermal refuges (e.g., freshwater springs) need to be identified and have implications for land-use policy and minimum-flow regulations for rivers. The arrival of the snook in the northern Gulf of Mexico could affect food web ecology and habitat interactions among estuarine predators, and future studies should evaluate snook's food habits and competitive interactions with resident fishes in this expanded range. Our study provides an example of how species range expansions due to changing temperatures should result in new research priorities to evaluate impacts of climate change on coastal systems.

Tropicalization of temperate ecosystems in North America: The northward range expansion of tropical organisms in response to warming winter temperatures

“…The influence of winter temperatures on subtropical fishes is more apparent along coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, where extreme cold events periodically lead to mass mortality events (i.e., conspicuous fish kills that receive media and public attention). For example, an extreme cold event in 2010 resulted in fish kills across Florida's Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts (Boucek & Rehage, 2014;Purtlebaugh et al, 2020;Stevens et al, 2016), which span ~6 degrees of latitude and ~2200 km of coastline. Another prime example stems from severe freeze events in 1983 and 1989, which produced fish kills across the region, from Texas to Florida.…”

“…These findings led to the temporary closure of the recreational snook fishery along the Gulf of Mexico coast, and recovery of the populations took up to 4 years. Since then, a decade of mild winters has allowed for expansion of the species approximately 200 km beyond its historic distribution (Anderson et al, 2020;Purtlebaugh et al, 2020).…”

Exploring Impacts of River Discharge on Forage Fish and Predators Using Ecopath With Ecosim

“…In recent years, warmer temperatures have allowed black and red mangrove (Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora mangle) populations to expand northward and now compete with marsh grass along shorelines. The warmer temperatures and increase in mangrove habitat have been implicated in the expansion of common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) into the region (Osland et al, 2013;Purtlebaugh et al, 2020). Snook are important predatory gamefish in Florida that utilize mangrove habitat extensively and prey upon and/or compete with other sportfish.…”

A pesca do Camurim Centropomus undecimalis (Centropomidae – Perciformes) no litoral amazônico brasileiro: contribuição dos atores da pesca para o manejo pesqueiro

“…Entretanto, a maioria dos participantes (94%) percebe variação na sua captura em função do período sazonal. Condição observada no Golfo do México, onde as maiores capturas foram realizadas durante um período de dois meses no final do verão e início do outono (setembro e outubro) (Purtlebaugh, Martin & Allen, 2020). Enquanto, na comunidade de Guaxindiba (RJ) foi de junho a setembro com rede de emalhe e linha/anzol.…”

“…Essa espécie é reconhecida pela sua importância econômica na pesca artesanal e amadora, ao longo da sua área de distribuição, sobretudo na Flórida (EUA), México e Brasil (Ximenes-Carvalho, 2006;Perera-García et al, 2011;Ley & Allen, 2013;Purtlebaugh, Martin & Allen, 2020). Em Sergipe (Brasil), a pesca artesanal do camurim constitui uma forma de sustentação econômica muito importante, no período compreendido entre os anos de 1993 a 2013, esse peixe esteve entre os mais representativos nas capturas em eventos de pesca esportiva realizado nesse estado (Freire et al, 2014;Freire & Araújo, 2016).).…”