The Effects of Trawling and Habitat Use on Red Snapper and the Associated
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Louisiana State University Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2007 The effects of trawling and habitat use on red snapper and the associated community Robert Joseph David Wells Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons Recommended Citation Wells, Robert Joseph David, "The effects of trawling and habitat use on red snapper and the associated community" (2007). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1821. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1821 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. THE EFFECTS OF TRAWLING AND HABITAT USE ON RED SNAPPER AND THE ASSOCIATED COMMUNITY A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences by Robert Joseph David Wells B.S., Oregon State University, 1998 M.S., Texas A&M University, 2002 May 2007 DEDICATION This piece of work is dedicated to the most important and influential people in my life. My wife, Janel Wells, my son, Caden Wells, and my parents, Joe and Sue Wells. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I sincerely want to express my thanks to my major advisor, Dr. James H. Cowan, Jr., who provided the utmost intellectual stimulation throughout my time at LSU. His open door policy, excitement for research, and hands off approach are all qualities that I greatly appreciate. His breadth of knowledge and ability to concurrently discuss both research and LSU sports not only enhanced the success of the overall project, but enhanced my overall Ph.D. experience as well. I would also like to express my gratitude to both past and current committee members. The late, Dr. E. Barry Moser was very helpful with statistical questions ranging from the experimental design to data analyses. I would also like to thank my committee members Drs. James Geaghan, William Patterson, Lawrence Rouse, and Charles Wilson for their useful comments and suggestions. This project would have not been a success without the boat time, equipment, and logistical support of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Pascagoula, Mississippi laboratory. Most importantly, I thank the crew of the R/V Caretta, who were all instrumental in the success of this project: Drew Hopper, Kendall Falana, and David Saksa, in addition, underwater video specialist Kevin Rademacher. Special thanks to Dr. Brian Fry, who openly welcomed and enlightened me to his isotopic world. David Nieland was instrumental in the progress of my dissertation; his writing abilities and critical eye to transform my sentences into something understandable is much appreciated. Yvonne Allen was gracious enough to assist with my study maps and Mark Miller was there for both sampling and any technical difficulties that arose. Andy Fischer was my much appreciated second reader for otoliths, and I am indebted to him for teaching me how to process annual otoliths, but most of all for painstakingly iii reading my daily otoliths. Many office discussions and SAS tutorials under the supervision of Dr. Kevin Boswell have greatly benefited me and my dissertation. The conversations, field and lab assistance, expertise, and friendships of many others greatly contributed to my research experience. In particular I thank Eric Berris, Derek Borne, Sarah Branson, Talat Farooqi, Thorpe Halloran, Pam MacRae, Mike McDonough, and Soraya Silva. Words do not describe my appreciation for my wife, Janel Wells, who has been the most supportive person I could ever imagine. Her patience, love, and support were endless throughout my graduate career. I cannot end without thanking my parents, Joe and Sue Wells for their infinite support and belief in me throughout life, for that I am ever grateful. This project was funded by both the National Sea Grant and a Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN) grant to Dr. Cowan and others. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION................................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................x ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................ xiv GENERAL INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 Literature Cited....................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER 1: A COMPARISON OF MULTIPLE GEAR TYPES IN SAMPLING RED SNAPPER ON NATURAL LOW-RELIEF REEFS .....................................................................10 Introduction........................................................................................................................10 Methods and Materials.......................................................................................................12 Results................................................................................................................................16 Discussion..........................................................................................................................19 Literature Cited..................................................................................................................21 CHAPTER 2: VIDEO ESTIMATES OF RED SNAPPER AND ASSOCIATED FISH ASSEMBLAGES ON SAND, SHELL, AND NATURAL REEF HABITATS IN THE NORTHCENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO.....................................................................................25 Introduction........................................................................................................................25 Methods and Materials.......................................................................................................27 Results................................................................................................................................33 Discussion..........................................................................................................................46 Literature Cited..................................................................................................................53 CHAPTER 3: HABITAT USE AND THE EFFECTS OF SHRIMP TRAWLING ON FISH AND INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES.........................................................................60 Introduction........................................................................................................................60 Methods and Materials.......................................................................................................63 Results................................................................................................................................70 Discussion..........................................................................................................................88 Literature Cited..................................................................................................................94 CHAPTER 4: TRAWLING EFFECTS AND HABITAT SELECTION ON LIFE HISTORY PARAMETERS OF GULF OF MEXICO RED SNAPPER.....................................102 Introduction......................................................................................................................102 Methods and Materials.....................................................................................................105 Results..............................................................................................................................114 Discussion........................................................................................................................126 Literature Cited................................................................................................................133 v CHAPTER 5: THE ROLES OF ONTOGENY, HABITAT, AND TRAWLING IN THE FEEDING ECOLOGY OF RED SNAPPER, LUTJANUS CAMPECHANUS: A COMBINED STABLE ISOTOPE AND STOMACH CONTENTS APPROACH ....................141 Introduction......................................................................................................................141 Methods and Materials.....................................................................................................143 Results..............................................................................................................................149 Discussion........................................................................................................................163