scholarly journals Site fidelity, vertical movement, and habitat use of nearshore reef fishes on offshore petroleum platforms in southern California

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 657-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Mireles ◽  
Christopher JB Martin ◽  
Christopher G Lowe
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Vertical Movement ◽  
San Pedro ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Bottom Depth ◽  
Petroleum Platforms ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

Off California, economically important nearshore reef fishes inhabit the shallow (<20 m) regions of offshore petroleum platforms on the San Pedro Shelf (SPS). It is essential to understand the degrees to which platforms support fish over time to indicate whether biological requirements (e.g., shelter, diet, reproduction) are being met. To determine the ecological importance of platforms as fish habitat, the site fidelity and depth/habitat use of adult cabezon, Scorpaenichthys marmoratus (Ayres, 1854), grass rockfish, Sebastes rastrelliger (Jordan and Gilbert, 1880), kelp rockfish, Sebastes atrovirens (Jordan and Gilbert, 1880), and California sheephead, Semicossyphus pulcher (Ayres, 1854) were investigated at platforms Edith (50 m bottom depth) and Eureka (212 m). A total of 63 fish were acoustically tagged and monitored for up to 578 d. Sixty-three percent of individuals were still present at platforms at the end of the study (long-term site fidelity), with 55 individuals detected a mean of 66.9% (SD 36.0%) of their total days at liberty (daily site fidelity). All species displayed a shift in seasonal depth use. The shallowest horizontal level, consisting of various horizontal beams at platform Edith (15 m depth) and Eureka (17 m), was the most utilized habitat by grass rockfish, kelp rockfish, and California sheephead. Cabezon at platform Eureka utilized depths (21–31 m) unassociated with horizontal levels, while at platform Edith they primarily utilized the second horizontal level (30 m). Decommissioning options that remove the shallowest 26 m of structure would eliminate the habitat most utilized by three of the four study species that dominate the nearshore reef fish communities at SPS platforms.

Management implications of juvenile reef fish habitat preferences and coral susceptibility to stressors

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward E. DeMartini ◽  
Todd W. Anderson ◽  
Jean C. Kenyon ◽  
James P. Beets ◽  
Alan M. Friedlander
Keyword(s):  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Relative Susceptibility ◽  
Rugose Corals ◽  
Fish Juveniles ◽  
Juvenile Reef Fish ◽  
Juvenile Stages ◽  
Ecological Importance

In the Hawaiian Archipelago, shelter-dependent juvenile stages of many reef fishes and their coral habitats are increasingly put at risk by multiple anthropogenic stressors (e.g. overfishing and habitat loss, coral bleaching and sedimentation, respectively). We assessed coral bleaching (to identify relative susceptibility among growth forms) and the use v. availability of structurally complex and simple corals by juvenile reef fishes in Hawai'i. We use these data in a model that identifies habitats and resource species for managing reef fisheries and conserving coral habitats. Many juvenile reef fishes preferentially inhabit rugose corals. The economic and ecological importance of these fishes varies from those with little value to others, such as highly prized parrotfishes that also serve as ecological engineers. Coral species also differ in their relative susceptibility to anthropogenic and natural stressors – more structurally complex corals tend to be more susceptible to stressors. Our model relates the economic and ecological valuations of fish resources with specific preferences of fish juveniles for corals of varying susceptibility, testing the prediction that risk should co-vary among species of corals and fishes. Managers should use such a model when prioritising habitats and resource species for conservation.

scholarly journals Feeding habitats of juvenile reef fishes in a tropical mangrove–seagrass continuum along a Malaysian shallow-water coastal lagoon

2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-486
Author(s):  
Dung Quang Le ◽  
Siau Yin Fui ◽  
Kentaro Tanaka ◽  
Suhaimi Suratman ◽  
Yuji Sano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Epinephelus Coioides ◽  
Gut Content ◽  
Isotopic Tracers ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Nursery Habitats

We conducted stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) and gut content analyses to understand habitat use of juvenile reef fishes (Lethrinus lentjan, Lutjanus russellii, and Epinephelus coioides), particularly the influence of spatial habitat structure along seagrass–mangrove continua. Sampling was conducted in Setiu Lagoon, located in the southern waters of the South China Sea (Malaysia). Gut content analysis indicated that the focal fishes preyed mainly on benthic invertebrates and other smaller fishes; these were used as potential prey items for isotopic tracers to track fish habitat use. Stable isotope analyses highlighted that the juvenile reef fishes were highly associated with seagrass beds as feeding grounds; however, site-specific analyses suggest differences in fish feeding habitats. The juvenile fishes, particularly large juveniles, preyed in both mangrove and seagrass areas from the central lagoon, whereas all juveniles showed preferential foraging within seagrass meadows in the nearby lagoon mouth. Furthermore, the mean stable isotope values of muscle tissue differed among fish size classes, indicating their ontogenetic habitat/diet shifts, especially for L. lentjan and E. coioides. This study provides important information to support current efforts in protecting and preserving mangroves and seagrasses as crucial nursery habitats for juvenile reef fishes from the anthropogenic activities influencing Setiu Lagoon.

scholarly journals Site Fidelity and Movement Patterns of Groundfish Associated with Offshore Petroleum Platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Lowe ◽  
Kim M. Anthony ◽  
Erica T. Jarvis ◽  
Lyall F. Bellquist ◽  
Milton S. Love
Keyword(s):  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Santa Barbara Channel ◽  
Santa Barbara ◽  
Petroleum Platforms ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

scholarly journals Fish densities associated with structural elements of oil and gas platforms in southern California

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 639-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin L Meyer-Gutbrod ◽  
Li Kui ◽  
Mary M Nishimoto ◽  
Milton S Love ◽  
Donna M Schroeder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Artificial Reef ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Structural Element ◽  
Young Of The Year

There are thousands of offshore oil and gas platforms worldwide that will eventually become obsolete, and one popular decommissioning alternative is the "rigs to reefs" conversion that designates all or a portion of the underwater infrastructure as an artificial reef, thereby reducing the burden of infrastructure removal. The unique architecture of each platform may influence the size and structure of the associated fish assemblage if different structural elements form distinct habitats for fishes. Using scuba survey data from 11 southern California platforms from 1995 to 2000, we examined fish assemblages associated with structural elements of the structure, including the major horizontal crossbeams outside of the jacket, vertical jacket legs, and horizontal crossbeams that span the jacket interior. Patterns of habitat association were examined among three depth zones: shallow (<16.8 m), midwater (16.8–26 m), and deep (>26 m); and between two life stages: young- of-the-year and non-young-of-the-year. Fish densities tended to be greatest along horizontal beams spanning the jacket interior, relative to either horizontal or vertical beams along the jacket exterior, indicating that the position of the habitat within the overall structure is an important characteristic affecting fish habitat use. Fish densities were also higher in transects centered directly over a vertical or horizontal beam relative to transects that did not contain a structural element. These results contribute to the understanding of fish habitat use on existing artificial reefs, and can inform platform decommissioning decisions as well as the design of new offshore structures intended to increase fish production.

Presence of Dosidicus gigas paralarvae (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) in the central Gulf of California, Mexico related to oceanographic conditions

2010 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 807-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Camarillo-Coop ◽  
César A. Salinas-Zavala ◽  
Marlenne Manzano-Sarabia ◽  
Eugenio Alberto Aragón-Noriega
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Mantle Length ◽  
Dosidicus Gigas ◽  
Potential Fecundity ◽  
San Pedro ◽  
Jumbo Squid ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Santa Rosalia ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Relationship

The jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas is the only ommastrephid commercially caught in Mexico. Despite the economic and ecological importance of this species, little is known about its early life stages. The relationship between the presence of paralarvae and mesoscale oceanic features was investigated for the first time in the central Gulf of California, Mexico in February, April, June and September of 2008. A total of 86 paralarvae were found only in June and September (summer season), in the well-stratified column water where the thermocline was evident and warm sea surface waters (27.7° to 29.4°C) dominated. The greatest abundance of D. gigas paralarvae was observed within 2.23 to 3.48 km of the main front. The mantle length of the smallest paralarvae corresponded with the mantle length at hatching. The San Pedro Mártir Island–Santa Rosalia transect and Santa Rosalia–Guaymas transect were determined as the main hatching localities in June and September respectively. The number of paralarvae found in this study contrast with the potential fecundity of mature females which are found throughout the year.

Length-based assessment of sustainability benchmarks for coral reef fishes in Puerto Rico

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
JERALD S. AULT ◽  
STEVEN G. SMITH ◽  
JIANGANG LUO ◽  
MARK E. MONACO ◽  
RICHARD S. APPELDOORN
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Size Composition ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Empirical Estimation ◽  
Indicator Variable ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Exploitation Status

SUMMARYThe sustainability of multispecies coral reef fisheries is a key conservation concern given their economic and ecological importance. Empirical estimation and numerical model analyses were conducted to evaluate exploitation status via resource reference points (or sustainability benchmarks) for coral reef fishes of the snapper-grouper complex in Puerto Rico. Mean size (L, in length) of animals in the exploited part of the population was estimated from fishery-dependent and fishery-independent size composition data and used as an indicator variable of exploitation rates. In application, fishing mortality rates estimated from L of various data sources were comparable. Of the 25 reef fish species assessed, 16 were below 30% spawning potential ratio (SPR), six were above 30% SPR, and three could not be reliably determined owing to low sample sizes. These findings indicate that a majority of snapper-grouper species in Puerto Rico are currently fished at unsustainable levels.

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