Use of an underwater video system to record observations of black sea bass (Centropristis striata) in waters off the coast of Maryland

Cullen, Daniel W.; Stevens, Bradley G.

doi:10.7755/fb.115.3.10

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Tallman and Forrester (2007) reported juvenile and adult scup and tautog were three times more abundant in fish traps near oyster cages than on natural rock reefs and that black sea bass occurred in similar numbers on both habitats in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. Black sea bass and tautog are known to preferentially select habitats with greater complexity and show high site fidelity to structure (Olla et al, 1974;Olla et al, 1979;Able et al, 2005;Drohan et al, 2007;Cullen and Stevens, 2017). Demersal scup, which are common on both sandy substrate and hard bottom (Steimle, 1999;Mercaldo-Allen et al, 2020;Mercaldo-Allen et al, 2021), may be attracted to the edge habitat created by cages along the border between shellfish farms and low relief sediments (Bilodeau et al, 2021;Schultz et al, 2021), where cages with high vertical relief may provide access to food and refuge.…”

Section: Habitat Comparison (Cages Vs Boulders)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Oyster aquaculture cages provide fish habitat similar to natural structure with minimal differences based on farm location

et al. 2023

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Oyster aquaculture gear may augment natural seafloor by providing structured habitat for economically important fish species. Underwater video census was used to assess fish abundance and community composition on eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) shelf and bag style aquaculture off-bottom cages and within natural rock reef habitat. During 2018, underwater cameras were mounted on four study cages at a dense shellfish farm of 40-100 commercial cages (dense cage farm), on four single cages interspersed on low relief seafloor (sparse cage farm), and amongst four boulders on a rock reef (rock reef), within an embayment off Milford, Connecticut, which is part of Long Island Sound, in the United States. In 2019, cameras were similarly deployed on two study cages per farm at each of three shellfish farms off Milford, Norwalk and Westport, CT. Video was recorded hourly in eight-minute segments from 7 am to 7 pm. Data loggers monitored seawater temperature, light intensity, and current speed. Fish abundance (MaxN) was calculated for all videos. We compared fish abundance and community composition between May and September, on cage and boulder habitat, on cages at dense and sparse farms and on cages across farm locations. In 2018, abundance of black sea bass (Centropristis striata), scup (Stenotomus chrysops) and tautog (Tautoga onitis) was significantly higher on cages than boulders, regardless of cage number. Cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus) abundance was significantly higher on boulders than cages when cage sites were grouped. However pairwise comparisons indicated that cunner were significantly higher at the sparse cage farm versus the rock reef but cunner abundance on the dense cage farm and rock reef sites was not significantly different. Abundance of black sea bass, scup, tautog, and cunner were not significantly different across 2019 farm locations. Young-of-the-year fish occurred episodically at all sites during both years, with black sea bass and scup most abundant. Fish abundance corresponded to seasonal changes in seawater temperature and was highest at the warmest temperatures. Light intensity and current speed explained less variation in fish abundance relative to temperature, and relationships were inconsistent across habitats and farm locations Our results suggest that multi-tiered oyster aquaculture cages contribute structure to seafloor environments that provide habitat for temperate reef fish similar to natural rock reefs.

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Section: Habitat Comparison (Cages Vs Boulders)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Oyster aquaculture cages provide fish habitat similar to natural structure with minimal differences based on farm location

et al. 2023

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“…Here, we investigate the effect of storm events as a recurring source of disturbance to a common member of the demersal MAB shelf assemblage: black sea bass. Black sea bass are a mostly sedentary, reef-associated species [36][37][38][39] that exhibit an affinity for both artificial and natural structure [40], making them an ideal candidate for biotelemetry studies on potential shifts in fish movement behaviors. Black sea bass and other demersal fish assemblages in the MAB characteristically occupy nearshore shelf habitats from late spring through fall; during the late fall, they then undertake cross-shelf migrations to deeper waters, typically throughout mid-September to late October [37,38,41,42].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The recurring impact of storm disturbance on black sea bass (Centropristis striata) movement behaviors in the Mid-Atlantic Bight

et al. 2020

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Storm events are a significant source of disturbance in the Middle Atlantic Bight, in the Northwest Atlantic, that cause rapid destratification of the water column during the late summer and early fall. Storm-driven mixing can be considered as a seasonal disturbance regime to demersal communities, characterized by the recurrence of large changes in bottom water temperatures. Black sea bass are a model ubiquitous demersal species in the Middle Atlantic Bight, as their predominantly sedentary behavior makes them ideal for tagging studies while also regularly exposing them to summer storm disturbances and the physiological stresses associated with thermal destratification. To better understand the responsiveness of black sea bass to storm impacts, we coupled biotelemetry with a high-resolution Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM). During the summers of 2016–2018, 8–15 black sea bass were released each year with acoustic transponders at three reef sites, which were surrounded by data-logging receivers. Data were analyzed for activity levels and reef departures of black sea bass, and fluctuations in temperature, current velocity, and turbulent kinetic energy. Movement rates were depressed with each consecutive passing storm, and late-season storms were associated with permanent evacuations by a subset of tagged fish. Serial increases in bottom temperature associated with repeated storm events were identified as the primary depressor of local movement. Storm-driven increases in turbulent kinetic energy and current velocity had comparatively smaller, albeit significant, effects. Black sea bass represents both an important fishery resource and an indicator species for the impact of offshore wind development in the United States. Their availability to fisheries surveys and sensitivity to wind turbine impacts will be biased during periods of high storm activity, which is likely to increase with regional climate change.

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“…Within the Mid-Atlantic Bight, biogenic structure primarily consists of boring sponge Cliona celata , various hydroids (i.e., Tubularia sp., Obelia sp., Campanular sp. ), northern stone coral Astrangia poculata, sea whip corals Leptogorgia virgulata (Gotelli, 1991; Guida et al., 2017), and blue mussels Mytilus edulis (Steimle & Zetlin, 2000; Cullen & Stevens, 2017). Among this community, sea whip corals are the primary contributors of additional height to artificial and natural rock reefs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between fish abundance and benthic community structure on artificial reefs in the Mid-Atlantic Bight, and the importance of sea whip corals Leptogorgia virgulata

Schweitzer

Stevens

2019

PeerJ

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Autogenic engineers (i.e., biogenic structure) add to habitat complexity by altering the environment by their own physical structures. The presence of autogenic engineers is correlated with increases in species abundance and biodiversity. Biogenic structural communities off the coast of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (Delmarva) are comprised of multiple species including boring sponge Cliona celata, various hydroids (i.e., Tubularia sp., Obelia sp., Campanular sp.), northern stone coral Astrangia poculata, sea whips Leptogorgia virgulata, and blue mussels Mytilus edulis. Sea whips are soft corals that provide the majority of vertical height to benthic structure off the coast of the Delmarva peninsula. The mid-Atlantic bight is inhabited by several economically valuable fishes; however, data regarding habitat composition, habitat quality, and fish abundance are scarce. We collected quadrat and sea whip images from 12 artificial reef sites (i.e., shipwrecks) ranging from 10 to 24 m depth to determine proportional coverage of biogenic structures and to assess habitat health, respectively. Underwater video surveys were used to estimate fish abundances on the 12 study sites and determine if fish abundance was related to biogenic coverage and habitat health. Our results showed that higher fish abundance was significantly correlated with higher proportional sea whip coral coverage, but showed no significant relationship to other biogenic structure. Assessment of sea whip condition (as a damage index) showed that sea whip corals on artificial reefs off the Delmarva coast exhibited minor signs of degradation that did not differ significantly among study sites.

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Use of an underwater video system to record observations of black sea bass (Centropristis striata) in waters off the coast of Maryland

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

Oyster aquaculture cages provide fish habitat similar to natural structure with minimal differences based on farm location

Oyster aquaculture cages provide fish habitat similar to natural structure with minimal differences based on farm location

The recurring impact of storm disturbance on black sea bass (Centropristis striata) movement behaviors in the Mid-Atlantic Bight

The relationship between fish abundance and benthic community structure on artificial reefs in the Mid-Atlantic Bight, and the importance of sea whip corals Leptogorgia virgulata

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