2007 Ecology of Inshore Lizardfish
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ECOLOGY OF INSHORE LIZARDFISH, Synodus foetens, IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO by Sarah Ann Branson Jeffers B.S., The University of West Alabama, 2002 A thesis submitted to the Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences The University of West Florida In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science 2007 The thesis of Sarah Ann Jeffers is approved: Dick A. Snyder, Ph.D., Committee Member Date Philip C. Darby, Ph.D., Committee Member Date William F. Patterson III, Ph.D., Committee Chair Date Accepted for the Department/Division: George L. Stewart, Ph.D., Chair Date Accepted for the College: Jane S. Halonen, Ph.D., Dean Date Accepted for the University: Richard S. Podemski, Ph.D., Dean of Graduate Studies Date ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to specially thank my advisor, Dr. Will Patterson, for accepting me in his lab and supporting my thesis research. Thank you to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Louisiana Sea Grant, and UWF for funding this project. I would also like to thank the people that helped out with my project: Dave Wells for letting me tag along to collect fish, Beverly Barnett for all her advice and support, and Sean Creekmore and George Smith for all their hard work helping me process samples. I would like to thank all my labmates, Nicole Morris, Suzi Gibson, CeCe Lounder, and Dustin Addis for their help and advice. Thanks to Drew Hopper and Kendal Falana of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for their help in the field and NMFS’s Robert Allman for advice on ageing lizardfish. Last but not least, I would like to thank my husband, Steve, for supporting, helping, and being there for me through this journey. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................. iii LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... viii ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 1 A. Ecosystem Effects of Marine Fisheries.................................. 1 B. Gulf of Mexico Penaeid Shrimp Fishery ............................... 3 C. Ecosystems Based Fisheries Management............................. 6 D. Model Species: Inshore Lizardfish ........................................ 7 CHAPTER II. OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESES........................................ 10 CHAPTER III. METHOD .................................................................................. 12 A. Diet Analysis........................................................................ 18 B. Stable Isotope Analysis........................................................ 19 C. Age, Growth and Mortality.................................................. 23 CHAPTER IV. RESULTS .................................................................................. 27 A. Diet Analysis........................................................................ 38 B. Stable Isotope Analysis........................................................ 41 C. Age, Growth, and Mortality................................................. 43 CHAPTER V. DISCUSSION ............................................................................ 55 A. Lizardfish Distribution......................................................... 55 B. Diet....................................................................................... 57 C. Age, Growth, and Mortality................................................. 58 D. Implications for Ecosystem Management............................ 61 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 63 iv APPENDIXES ............................................................................................................... 72 A. Animal Care and Use Acceptance Form.............................. 73 B. Number of Lizardfish Collected for Stomach and Otolith Processing During Quarterly Sampling in 2004-2005 from Study Sites in the Northern Gulf of Mexico ............... 75 C. List of all Prey Taxa Identified to the Lowest Taxonomic Level Found in the Stomachs of Lizardfish From Quarterly Samples of Study Sites and Opportunistic Sampling in the Northern Gulf of Mexico........................... 79 D. Lizardfish Diet Indices (%M, %N, %FO, and %IRI) Among Sampling Quarters for all 28 Prey Taxa………... .. 82 E. Habitat-Specific Lizardfish Diet Indices (%M, %N, %FO, and %IRI) for all 28 Prey Taxa ................................. 87 F. Lizardfish Diet Indices (%M, %N, %FO, and %IRI) Between Trawled and Non-Trawled Areas for all 28 Prey Taxa...................................................................................... 92 G. Size Class-Specific Lizardfish Diet Indices (%M, %N, %FO, and %IRI) for all 28 Prey Taxa ................................ 97 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Sampling sites, including location and substrate type, where lizardfish were collected within and outside the Hugh Swingle Artificial Reef Permit Zone. ...... 16 2. International Atomic Energy Agency stable reference materials that were analyzed concurrently with study samples to assess isotope ratio-mass spectrometer accuracy. .......................................................................................... 22 3. Sampling schedule for collection of lizardfish during 2004-2005 from study sites in the northern Gulf of Mexico. .................................................................... 28 4. Mean environmental parameters (Area, Depth, Temperature, Salinity, and Dissolved Oxygen) for areas sampled in the northern Gulf of Mexico................. 29 5. Table of ANOVA results for model testing the effect of habitat, sampling quarter, and trawling on lizardfish total length..................................................... 32 6. Table of ANOVA results for model testing the effect of habitat, sampling quarter, and trawling on lizardfish density............................................................ 36 7. Indices of prey importance to lizardfish diet by cruise. Prey categories are ranked for each index in decreasing order of importance. %M = percent mass, %N = percent number, %FO = percent frequency of occurrence, %IRI = percent index of relative importance, n = sample size, Fish = miscellaneous fish, and Inverts = miscellaneous invertebrates.. .......................... 39 8. Indices of prey importance to lizardfish diet by habitat type. Prey categories are ranked for each index in decreasing order of importance. %M = percent mass, %N = percent number, %FO = percent frequency of occurrence, %IRI = percent index of relative importance, n = sample size, Fish = miscellaneous fish, and Inverts = miscellaneous invertebrates ............................ 42 vi 9. Indices of prey importance to lizardfish diet by trawl effect. Prey categories are ranked for each index in decreasing order of importance. %M = percent mass, %N = percent number, %FO = percent frequency of occurrence, %IRI = percent index of relative importance, n = sample size, Fish = miscellaneous fish, and Inverts = miscellaneous invertebrates ............................ 43 10. Indices of prey importance to lizardfish diet by size class. Prey categories are ranked for each index in decreasing order of importance. %M = percent mass, %N = percent number, %FO = percent frequency of occurrence, %IRI = percent index of relative importance, n = sample size, Fish = miscellaneous fish, and Inverts = miscellaneous invertebrates. ................................................... 44 11. Date and number of lizardfish sampled opportunistically in the northern Gulf of Mexico.............................................................................................................. 47 12. Table of ANOVA results for model testing the effect of habitat, cruise/quarter, and trawling on lizardfish age. ...................................................... 51 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Inshore lizardfish sampling sites in the northern Gulf of Mexico. ...................... 15 2. Side scan sonar mosaic of a region within the artificial reef zone in which sample sites E, F, and G were located. ................................................................ 17 3. Idealized fractionation of C and N stable isotopes with increasing trophic level in marine food webs.................................................................................... 20 4. Length distribution of lizardfish (A) sampled from study sites and (B) opportunistically sampled for aging and marginal condition analysis................. 30 5. Mean (± standard error) total length of lizardfish sampled from study sites in the northern Gulf of Mexico for each factor: (A) cruise/quarter, (B) habitat type, (C) trawl effect……………….................................................. 33 6. Length distributions of lizardfish sampled from study sites by cruise, habitat type, and trawl effect in the northern Gulf of Mexico.. ........................... 34 7. Mean density (± standard error) of lizardfish sampled from study sites in the northern Gulf of Mexico for each factor: (A) cruise/quarter, (B) habitat type, (C) trawl effect…………....................................................................................