I CHARACTERIZATION of the STRIPED MULLET (MUGIL CEPHALUS) in SOUTHWEST FLORIDA: INFLUENCE of FISHERS and ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
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i CHARACTERIZATION OF THE STRIPED MULLET (MUGIL CEPHALUS) IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA: INFLUENCE OF FISHERS AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ________________________________________________________________________ A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences Florida Gulf Coast University In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science ________________________________________________________________________ By Charlotte Marin 2018 ii APPROVAL SHEET This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science ________________________________________ Charlotte A. Marin Approved: 2018 ________________________________________ S. Gregory Tolley, Ph.D. Committee Chair ________________________________________ Richard Cody, Ph.D. ________________________________________ Edwin M. Everham III, Ph.D. The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to dedicate this project to Harvey and Kathryn Klinger, my loving grandparents, to whom I can attribute my love of fishing and passion for the environment. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my mom, Kathy, for providing a solid educational foundation that has prepared me to reach this milestone and inspired me to continuously learn. I would also like to thank my aunt, Deb, for always supporting my career aspirations and encouraging me to follow my dreams. I would like to thank my in-laws, Carlos and Dora, for their enthusiasm and generosity in babysitting hours and for always wishing the best for me. To my son, Leo, the light of my life, who inspires me every day to keep learning and growing, to set the best example for him. To my husband, Sebastian, who unconditionally supports all my ambitious ideas and goals, and for always allowing me to be myself. I would like to give special thanks to the fishermen and now friends, for participating in this study, including Skeeter, Terry Earnest, Bobby Greene, Kenny Jenkins, Mike Davis, Dwight Andress, Jimmy Bear, and in loving memory of David Godwin, who has since passed away. I would like to thank the following employees of FWRI: Behzad Mahmoudi, my kindred spirit in the mullet world, for helping me design the project; my supervisors Chris Bradshaw and Steve Brown for their continuous support and flexibility throughout this journey and allowing me the opportunity for simultaneous work and study. I would like to acknowledge Fish Florida and the International Women’s Fishing association for their financial assistance and ongoing efforts to support research in the field. Finally, I would like to thank the members of my committee. First, to Richard Cody, an excellent team leader and forefront scientist in fisheries who continuously inspires me. I want to thank Richard for allowing me to explore my passions in the field and for the opportunity to work at a job I truly love. I would like to thank Win Everham iv for radiating positivity, being an absolute delight and inspiration in the classroom, and for jumping on board as my committee member during the final leg. Most of all I would like to acknowledge my advisor, Greg Tolley, whom I will never be able to thank enough. Sometimes it only takes one person to see your potential and give you an opportunity that can change your life. Greg has been that person for me, and I am beyond grateful for his guidance, professionalism, charisma, and for this experience. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: CHARACTERIZATION OF THE STRIPED MULLET (MUGIL CEPHALUS) FISHING INDUSTRY IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF FISHERY ........................................................................ 1 REGULATIONS AND POLITICS OF FISHING: NET BAN .................................................... 10 Consequences of the Net Ban ................................................................................... 18 Trends in Landings .................................................................................................... 20 CURRENT STRIPED MULLET (MUGIL CEPHALUS) FISHERY AND ROE SEASON .............. 23 Management ............................................................................................................. 23 Fishing Methods ........................................................................................................ 25 Food Fish vs. Delicacy ............................................................................................... 29 Fish Processing .......................................................................................................... 30 Fish Distribution ........................................................................................................ 33 Recent Trends in the Fishery .................................................................................... 34 IS AQUACULTURE THE SOLUTION? ............................................................................... 38 TABLES ........................................................................................................................... 44 FIGURES ......................................................................................................................... 50 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 59 CHAPTER 2: SEASONAL VARIATION OF THE COMMERCIAL STRIPED MULLET (MUGIL CEPHALUS) FISHERY IN SARASOTA BAY AND CHARLOTTE HARBOR: THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABILITY AND FISHERY-DEPENDENT FACTORS ON CATCH RATES 68 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 68 Taxonomy .................................................................................................................. 70 Biogeography ............................................................................................................ 71 vi Habitat and Movement ............................................................................................. 72 Feeding ...................................................................................................................... 73 Age and Growth ........................................................................................................ 73 Reproduction ............................................................................................................ 75 MATERIALS & METHODS ............................................................................................... 77 Study Area ................................................................................................................. 77 RESULTS......................................................................................................................... 81 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................... 85 TABLES ........................................................................................................................... 93 FIGURES ......................................................................................................................... 97 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 130 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 Florida Commercial Mullet Landings 1984-2015. ............................................. 44 Table 1.2. Total Mugil cephalus imported by various countries, 2010−2015. ................. 46 Table 1.3. Statewide total M. cephalus licenses and landings by year (2010–2015). (Data courtesy Steve Brown FWRI Fishery Dependent Monitoring). ......................................... 47 Table 1.4 County-wide distribution of total red and white roe landings, total M. cephalus landings, average number of M. cephalus fishing trips, and average number of registered licenses with mullet landings per (2010–2015). (Data courtesy Steve Brown FWRI Fisheries Dependent Monitoring). .................................................................................... 48 Table 2.1. Commercial M. cephalus sampling trips September 2012-January 2014. ...... 93 Table 2.2. Mean and standard errors of environmental variables by location. ............... 95 Table 2.3. Species caught and percentage of total catch. ................................................ 96 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Florida statewide M. cephalus landings by year 1984-2015. .......................... 50 Figure 1.2 Mullet fishermen during roe season in Big Pass, Sarasota. ............................. 51 Figure 1.3 Traditional mullet skiff (photo courtesy of Steven Ball). ................................. 51 Figure 1.4 Traditional well boat (photo courtesy of Kracker Built Boat Works). ............. 52 Figure 1.5 Use of hoop net during roe season (photo courtesy of Kenny Jenkins). ......... 52 Figure 1.6 Harvested red roe at AP Bell Seafood Co. ....................................................... 53 Figure 1.7. Number of registered licenses in study area by county and year 2010−2015 (data courtesy Steve Brown FWRI Fisheries Dependent Monitoring). ............................