Spatiotemporal patterns in the ecological community of the nearshore Mid-Atlantic Bight

Gartland, James; Gaichas, SK; Latour, RJ

doi:10.3354/meps14235

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Study Fleet data have been used to develop habitat models for mackerel, butterfish, and shortfin squid, and have been integrated in catch-per-unit effort indices in the summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), scup (Stenotomus chrysops), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), and shortfin squid (Illex illecebrosus) stock assessments [20,21]. Industry-based surveys, such as the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program Inshore Trawl Survey, Gulf of Maine Bottom Longline Survey, the Coastal Shark Bottom Longline Survey, and the Ocean Quahog and Atlantic Surf Clam Survey, leverage the specialized ability and knowledge of fishermen and their vessels, while also enhancing trust with stakeholders [22]. Overall, collaboration with members of the fishing industry provides a unique opportunity to observe the marine environment at the time and space scales needed to detect the impacts of a changing climate.…”

Section: Fisheries-dependent Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

NOAA fisheries research geared towards climate-ready living marine resource management in the northeast United States

Saba,

Borggaard,

Caracappa

et al. 2023

PLOS Clim

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Climate change can alter marine ecosystems through changes in ocean temperature, acidification, circulation, and productivity. Over the last decade, the United States northeast continental shelf (U.S. NES) has warmed faster than any other marine ecosystem in the country and is among the fastest warming regions of the global ocean. Many living marine resources in the U.S. NES ranging from recreational and commercial fish stocks to protected species have shifted their distribution in response to ocean warming. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is responsible for the assessment, protection, and sustainable use of the nation’s living marine resources. In the U.S. NES, NOAA Fisheries has made substantial progress on climate research related to fish, fisheries, and protected species. However, more research is needed to help inform tactical management decisions with the goal of climate-ready living marine resource management. This is a major challenge because the observed physical and biological changes are unprecedented, and the majority of marine species assessments and management decisions do not utilize environmental data. Here we review the research accomplishments and key needs for NOAA Fisheries in the U.S. NES in the context of climate change and living marine resource management. Key research needs and products are: 1) Infrastructure with continued and enhanced ocean surveys that includes cooperative research with the fishing industry and other NOAA line offices and partners; 2) Tracking and projecting change, and understanding mechanisms including state of the ecosystem reporting, improved regional ocean and ecosystem hindcasts, forecasts, and projections, and continued process-based laboratory and field studies, 3) climate-informed management, including stock assessments that account for climate where possible, translation of changing species distributions into spatial management, climate vulnerability assessment and scenario planning, ecosystem-based management, management strategy evaluations, and increased multidisciplinary science that includes economic and social indicators.

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Section: Fisheries-dependent Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

NOAA fisheries research geared towards climate-ready living marine resource management in the northeast United States

Saba,

Borggaard,

Caracappa

et al. 2023

PLOS Clim

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“…VIMS began sampling with this trawl on NEAMAP in 2007 (Gartland et al, 2023), while the NEFSC Bottom Trawl Survey formally transitioned to this fishing system in 2009 (Miller, 2013). Given the remarkable consistency of the trawl geometry and the diversity and quantity of resulting catch recorded by both surveys, in 2009 ChesMMAP personnel contacted the aforementioned trawl manufacturers and a subset of the commercial fishers referenced above to inquire as to whether a smaller version of this fishing system could be developed for sampling in Chesapeake Bay.…”

Section: Motivation For Survey Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and redesign of a bottom trawl survey in Chesapeake Bay, USA

2023

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Fisheries-independent surveys that reliably sample a broad size range of exploited and ecologically important species provide valuable data in support of fisheries management and ecosystem science. The operational consistency of surveys over time and space is fundamental to the interpretation of data in the contexts of population dynamics processes, community interactions, policy impacts, and environmental forcing. However, the need to maintain historic sampling protocols over extended time periods limits the utilization of new technologies that could lead to improved data collection. Survey vessel replacements also become inevitable as the maturity of sampling programs becomes multidecadal. This case study describes the motivational origin, initial design, and redesign of a bottom trawl survey operating in Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. Regional aspirations to consider ecosystem principles in fisheries management aided initial development of the survey, and the need to collect specific data types to support that endeavor impacted several early design elements. Following the beginning years of full-scale survey operations, a consistently evolving awareness of potential areas of improvement for the survey grew from formal efforts to engage with scientific and industry partners on trawl gear design, leverage the program for additional survey opportunities, utilize gear testing technology, and analyze extant data. When the delivery of a new, state-of-the-art research vessel forced the transfer of survey operations to a new platform, all potential changes were incorporated simultaneously. A subsequent paired-tow experiment was conducted to build a calibration database that successfully provided estimates of relative selectivity for routinely sampled taxa. This experience yielded several lessons learned that are intended to aid investigators faced with adopting structural changes to fisheries-independent surveys in the future.

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“…Several studies have linked these movement patterns to water temperature, chlorophyll‐a concentrations, and photoperiod (Bangley et al, 2020; Casey & Kohler, 1992; Kajiura & Tellman, 2016; Vaudo et al, 2017). However, the relationship between these species and their prey communities and foraging grounds has received less attention (Gartland et al, 2023). It is assumed, however, that many shark species perform critical functional roles within the MAB ecosystem, as population declines have been linked to long‐term reductions in ecosystem maturity and health (Nuttall et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA metabarcoding of cloacal swabs provides insight into diets of highly migratory sharks in the Mid‐Atlantic Bight

Olin,

Urakawa,

Frisk

et al. 2023

Journal of Fish Biology

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The abundances of migratory shark species observed throughout the Mid‐Atlantic Bight (MAB) during productive summer months suggest that this region provides critical habitat and prey resources to these taxa. However, the principal prey assemblages sustaining migratory shark biomass in this region are poorly defined. We applied high‐throughput DNA metabarcoding to shark feces derived from cloacal swabs across nine species of Carcharhinid and Lamnid sharks to (1) quantify the contribution of broad taxa (e.g., invertebrates, fishes) supporting shark biomass during seasonal residency in the MAB and (2) determine whether the species displayed distinct dietary preference indicative of resource partitioning. DNA metabarcoding resulted in high taxonomic (species‐level) resolution of shark diets with actinopterygian and elasmobranch fishes as the dominant prey categories across the species. DNA metabarcoding identified several key prey groups consistent across shark taxa that are likely integral for sustaining their biomass in this region, including Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), and benthic elasmobranchs, including skates. Our results are consistent with previously published stomach content data for the shark species of similar size range in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, supporting the efficacy of cloacal swab DNA metabarcoding as a minimally invasive diet reconstruction technique. The high reliance of several shark species on Atlantic menhaden could imply wasp‐waist food‐web conditions during the summer months, whereby high abundances of forage fishes sustain a diverse suite of migratory sharks within a complex, seasonal food web.

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Spatiotemporal patterns in the ecological community of the nearshore Mid-Atlantic Bight

Cited by 5 publications

References 78 publications

NOAA fisheries research geared towards climate-ready living marine resource management in the northeast United States

NOAA fisheries research geared towards climate-ready living marine resource management in the northeast United States

Design and redesign of a bottom trawl survey in Chesapeake Bay, USA

DNA metabarcoding of cloacal swabs provides insight into diets of highly migratory sharks in the Mid‐Atlantic Bight

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