WATERWORKS July 2017 FISHERIES and AQUATIC SCIENCES PROGRAM

WATERWORKS July 2017 FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES PROGRAM

The Fisheries and Aquatic Science Program provides objective science to support the protection and management of fisheries and aquatic resources, with innovation and excellence in research, education and extension. Faculty have programs in four areas: Aquaculture, Aquatic Animal Health, Conservation and Management of Natural Environments, and Sustainable Fisheries. Many projects span these areas and involve collaboration with other scientists at UF, other universities and institutes, state & federal resource management agencies, and industry. This issue of Waterworks is dedicated to highlighting the program areas of study. Graduate students work closely with the faculty on projects spanning the range of Florida’s diverse aquatic systems. In this issue we present examples of the work that faculty and graduates students are conducting in each of the study areas.

Conservation and Management of Aquatic Aquatic Animal Health Sustainable Fisheries Aquaculture Environments

Conservation and management of Aquatic animal health is a truly The sustainable fisheries program Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquatic environments is a response interdisciplinary program well serves Florida’s recreational and freshwater or marine organisms, to the serious challenges facing established at the University of commercial fisheries, which have including fish, shellfish, and plants. Florida due to the explosive growth Florida that involves faculty, staff the highest economic value of any On a worldwide scale, as well as in of human development. This and students from Fisheries and state in the USA. The program our own backyards, aquaculture program focuses on 1) achieving an Aquatic Sciences, The College of focuses on 1) the effects of habitat plays many important roles in objective and comprehensive Veterinary Medicine, and The quality on fish populations, 2) popu- agriculture and natural resource understanding of the structure and Whitney Laboratory. This program lation modeling and stock assess- management. Aquaculture is used function of ecosystems, 2) provid- focuses on, 1) disease diagnosis & ment, 3) identifying essential fish to 1) produce economically ing critical information needed for health management, 2) assessment habitat, and 4) public outreach for important animals and plants for the development of management of the effects of toxic algal blooms sustainable fisheries. Research areas food, recreation, commercial approaches that ensure the integri- & environment contaminants, and of this program include both products and ecosystem manage- ty and sustainability of critical 3) an intensive educational program marine and freshwater fisheries and ment, 2) protect and enhance wild natural resources and 3) generating in aquatic animal health through the encompass population biology and populations through captive breed- the human resources needed to Graduate School and Extension modeling, behavioral ecology, life ing and artificial rearing, and 3) meet the management challenges of Programs. histories, and factors influencing maintain organisms under con- the future through education and fish community structure. Specific trolled conditions in order to study extension programs. studies have estimated growth and fundamental biological processes. In mortality of commercial and order to successfully culture recreationally important species, aquatic organisms in managed predicted population responses to WaterWorks is a semi-annual publication of the Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences systems, aquaculturists must take Program (FAS) in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation (SFRC) at changes in size limits, identified advantage of a variety of biological the University of Florida/IFAS. impacts of tournament angling on disciplines including nutrition,

recreational fisheries, tested habitat growth, reproduction, medicine, The purpose of the newsletter is to provide information to prospective students, alumni, stakeholders, partners, and colleagues. Past editions can be effects on variation in growth and husbandry and engineering. Our found at http://sfrc.ufl.edu/fish/about/waterworksnews/ life history parameters, and department emphasizes genetics, assessed population biology and reproductive and environmental This issue was designed by Nancy Montes and edited by Bob Swett and Roy Yanong. To contribute an article or information for a future issue, contact Bill c o m m u n i t y d y n a m i c s o f physiology, health management, and Lindberg ([email protected]). warm-temperate reefs. nutrition. Evolutionary duction, maturation, and sexual transition. We were interested in how Sustainable life history traits (maturation, transition) and population traits consequences of (male:female sex ratio and fertilization rates) evolve or change through time. This model was run for 700 years with 500 years of fishing fishing on sequential Fisheries starting in year 200. The timing of maturation was allowed to evolve through time via inheritance. One of the challenges when predicting hermaphrodites the impacts of fishing on sequential hermaphrodites is determining how transition is controlled because the exact mechanisms are often By Bryan Matthias, PhD graduated, unknown. Therefore, two prominent hypotheses for transition rules Robert Ahrens (Advisor), and were compared to determine the evolutionary and population-level Colette St. Mary impacts of exploitation.

1. Social Control of Transition: Individuals transition when they can Concern over the long-term impacts of fishing has increased in recent produce more offspring as a male than a female. Under this years. These impacts stem from changes in population structure and/or hypothesis, transition is highly dependent on both the number of changes in life history traits, such as natural mortality, growth, or females and the number of males in a population.

reproductive schedules. Intensive harvest and the selective practices of 2. Genetic Control of Transition: Transition is determined by inher- many fisheries have been identified as key driving forces behind these itance and is independent of the number of females or males in a changes. This can also lead to evolutionary changes in fish populations if population. fishing leads to the preferential removal of individuals that have certain phenotypic traits (e.g., early maturation, fast growth, etc.) and these For genetic control, mean length-at-maturity increased and transition traits are heritable. When these conditions are not met, then fishing decreased due to size-selective exploitation (Figure 1). These changes practices will not lead to evolutionary changes. Fishery dependent were relatively slow and resulted sperm limitation and extirpation at changes in life history traits, specifically changes in maturation and high exploitation rates (Figure 2). For social control, both the timing of growth trends, have been extensively studied. These trends are usually maturity and transition decreased relatively rapidly from exploitation assessed for dioecious (separate sex) species and have largely ignored (Figure 1). When transition was socially controlled individuals could the evolutionary consequences of fishing on sequential hermaphrodites. respond rapidly to changes in population structure, did not experience sperm limitation, and withstood higher exploitation rates than genetic There are many sequentially hermaphroditic species commercially and control populations (Figure 2). These results highlight important differ- recreationally harvested. Decreases in the timing of maturation and ences between the two transition hypotheses and emphasize why it is transition have been identified in many hermaphroditic species and may important to consider these mechanisms when using population be indicative of an evolutionary response to harvest if the traits are models to set harvest limits and fishery regulations on sequential heritable. For other species, changes in the timing of maturation and hermaphrodites. transition have not been identified. When the timing of maturation and/ or transition does not respond to changes in the population structure, Trends identified in this project could also be used to help predict populations can experience sperm or egg limitation from the loss of transition rules for exploited species because of the very different terminal sex individuals. The extent of these impacts depends on how responses between genetic versus social control of transition to the timing of transition is controlled and can have very different fishing. If there are abrupt changes or spatial differences in fishing outcomes if the timing of transition is static or changes in response to mortality, researchers could identify transition rules by assessing how genetic, environmental, biological, or social factors. rapidly transition or sex ratios change. For example, there are large spatial differences in the timing of transition in Hogfish in which males The goal of this project was to explore the evolutionary impacts inhabiting nearshore reefs on the Florida Coast are smaller than those of size-selective fishing mortality on maturation and sexual occupying offshore reefs, suggesting social control of transition. For transition of a large, long-lived protogynous hermaphrodite Gag, the timing of transition has been relatively stable since the 1970s (individuals initially mature as a female and change to male later in life; and the sex ratios for Gag drastically dropped from about 18% males such as Gag Mycteroperca microlepis, Red Grouper Epinephelus morio, or in the 1970s to around 1% in the 1990s, suggesting genetic control of Hogfish Lachnolaimus maximus). To do this, we built an individual-based transition. model that accounted for natural and fishing mortality, growth, repro-

Figure 1. Mean length at Figure 2. Sex ratio maturity and transition and fertilization rate for genetic and social for genetic and social control of transition control of transition over a range of fishing over a range of fish- mortality rates. Fishing ing mortality rates. started in year 200, each Fishing started in line represents the mean year 200, each of 50 simulations, and line represents the the simulations at high F mean of 50 simula- = 0.5 for genetic control tions, and the simu- of transition were extir- lations at high F = pated within 100 years 0.5 for genetic con- of fishing. trol of transition were extirpated 2 within 100 years of fishing. Spatial Modeling the longitude, chlorophyll a concentration, and abun- Page 2 Conservation and dance of artificial reefs resulted in the best fit spatial and seasonal (higher explained deviance and lower UBRE and Management of AIC). The only exception was the model for the distribution of summer season, which did not include chlorophyll a concentration. The best model explained 86.9% recreational vessels Aquatic Environments of the total deviance in the fall and up to 88.4% in in the southeast summer season. The predictive power of the best model for each season ranged from 64% for the United States summer to 68% for the spring, summer, and fall. All models underestimate boating trip abundance By Nancy Montes, PhD graduated at high values, especially for grid cells near inlets (Bob Swett, Advisor) (Figure 1).

As expected, there were slight differences in the The southeastern United States is a complex region where diverse seasonal distribution of recreational vessels, with the spring season maritime activities occur. In 2012 there an average of one boat for showing a more dispersed distribution when compared with other every twenty-two residents. Recreational boating constitutes 86% of seasons. Adverse climatic conditions (e.g., decreased temperatures, vessel traffic in the region with commercial and military traffic rough sea states) over the winter and fall seasons, and nearshore comprising the remainder. However, information about the spatial and locations of target fish species, may influence how far east (longitudinal temporal distribution of recreational vessels in the study area is movements) recreational boating trips reach: Thus affecting not only limited. Understanding the distribution and intensity of recreational boating the number of boating trips but also their distribution. With respect to activities is key for managing for safety, environmental, and social impacts. the north-south movements (latitudinal), two areas were shown to be

of great importance: St. Johns inlet and St. Augustine inlet. Year-round, We seek to explore the association between offshore recrea- most of the boating trips departed from latitudes that correspond with tional vessels and select external variables, and to find the these two inlets. However, we did observe seasonal changes with best modeling approach and a parsimonious framework for respect to the abundance of boating trips originating from these inlets. predicting seasonal spatial distribution of offshore recreational boat-

ing in the study area. For the winter and spring seasons we observed a greater number and

a wider distribution of boating trips at St. Augustine inlet. This inlet is Using a mail-survey boaters were asked to draw their entire on-the- closest (shortest distance) to the Florida Hatteras slope and to some water route for four boating trips that they had conducted: one each important deep-water fishing areas, such as “The Ledge.” Over the for winter, spring, summer, and fall. Data collected from 507 surveys summer and fall seasons, even though the area experiences an increase were digitized into ArcGIS 10.3, which yielded a sample of 2,522 in temperature and calmer waters, it also experiences an increase in boating routes. We tested the ability of several modeling techniques weather events such as hurricanes and tropical storms. During the to describe mail-survey derived count data (Poisson, negative binomi- study period (2011-2012) there were 39 tropical storms and 17 al, hurdle and zero inflated modes, generalized additive models hurricanes (NOAA, 2012 and 2013), some of which could have (GAM), and generalized mixed models) along with environmental and affected the observed distribution of boating routes and ultimately geographical variables (sea surface temperature, chlorophyll a concen- affected predicted values generated from those observations. trations, water depth, abundance of artificial reefs and fish havens,

distance from each grid centroid to the nearest inlet, and latitude and The information provided by this study can be used by managers and longitude of each grid centroid). law enforcement to determine seasonal areas with high/low probability

of recreational vessel occurrence and abundance. The study area is Based on AIC estimates and analysis of the residuals, GAM fit the data large and this information could help prioritize areas for spatial better than the other evaluated models. For most seasons, a model planning and management purposes. that included latitude, longitude, interaction between latitude and

Figure 1. Predicted boating trip abundance from the best generalized additive model (GAM). Upper plots: contour maps. Lower plots: perpendicular plots. St. Mary’s inlet (1), St. John’s inlet (2), and St. Augustine’s inlet (3). 3 A comparison of Conservation and life-history strategies of Management of Aquatic Florida’s native and non-native fishes Environments Photo: Jeff Hill sum of loge [egg diameter] and By Katelyn Lawson, PhD Candidate The triangular life-history loge [parental care]). These (Jeffrey Hill, Advisor) model published by Winemil- data were gathered for 123 ler & Rose (1992) is a modifi- species: 31 established cation to the r- vs. K-selected life history theory that better describes the non-native fish species, 32 life-history strategies of fishes. In the original r- vs. K-selected model, non-natives that have failed to species are placed somewhere along a linear continuum, where species establish, and 60 native fish Photo: Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association with an r-selected strategy reach maturity early and reproduce frequently species. The resulting graph with little or no care for offspring. Species with a K-selected strategy shows that all but two of the reach maturity later, produce fewer offspring, but invest a large amount of 31 established species are time and energy in caring for their offspring. Fishes do not fit well along equilibrium strategists with this continuum, so the triangular model describes three endpoint strate- higher levels of parental care, gies, with most species falling somewhere within the space between those larger egg sizes, but moderate endpoint strategies (Figure 1). The three strategies include 1) equilibrium fecundity and maturation size Photo: Denise Petty and Jeff Hill strategists which are characterized by greater parental investment in (Figure 3). This group includes Figure 2. (A) A successful equilibrium progeny, intermediate fecundity, and moderate maturation size, 2) oppor- many cichlid species, several strategist, the Mayan cichlid Cichlasoma tunistic strategists which are shorter-lived species with low fecundity, tropical catfish species, and a urophthalmus, (B) an unsuccessful oppor- little parental investment in progeny, and smaller maturation sizes, and 3) few live-bearing species in the tunistic strategist, the serpae tetra periodic strategists which tend to have high fecundity, larger maturation family Poeciliidae. The two Hyphessobrycon eques, and (C) an unsuc- sizes, but little parental investment in progeny (Figure 2). Some studies established species that fall cessful periodic strategist, the koi, an have used this model to compare the life-history strategies of native ornamental variety of the common carp outside the equilibrium strategy Cyprinus carpio. versus non-native fishes in a specific region (e.g. Olden et al. 2006; Colo- are the croaking gourami rado River). Such an approach can be useful for better understanding how Trichopsis vittata (low parental care) and Oriental weather loach certain non-native fish species can successfully establish within existing Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (no parental care). The 33 species that have assemblages. failed to establish populations in Florida are evenly distributed within the model, with species representing all endpoint and many interme- Florida’s unique history has allowed us to detect many species that have diate strategies. Native species are also somewhat evenly distributed been introduced numerous times, but have failed to establish within the model, however many are concentrated in the self-sustaining populations. For example, many ornamental species have opportunistic region. Interestingly there are few native species in the been introduced repeatedly, primarily through aquarium releases and fish equilibrium-strategy region, and this is likely because North farm escapes. Florida’s warm climate allows these species to survive American equilibrium strategists do not have the strong bi-parental introduction, which leads to greater detection despite the fact that most care that many non-native cichlid species exhibit. introductions fail. These detections have provided a substantial amount of data on failed introductions, which is not available for many regions. For This study is part of my dissertation research which examines the my research, I wanted to use those data to compare the life history use of life-history traits to predict successful completion of invasion strategies of introduced non-native freshwater fishes that have process stages by non-native freshwater fishes in peninsular Florida. failed to establish with those that have successfully established. I This application of theory to fishes in Florida identifies the similarities also included native fishes in the analysis to determine how their strate- between successfully established species and their differences from gies compared to non-native species. natives and non-natives that have failed to establish. This observation will be further explored in my dissertation research, and individual The three life history axes used in the model are 1) loge maturation size; traits will be used to develop models for predicting successful repro- 2) loge mean fecundity; and 3) investment per progeny (calculated as the duction, establishment, spread, and impacts. Those models can be directly applied toward the creation of a regional risk screening tool for fishes in Florida. Managers could use such a tool to support deci- sions regarding the need for a more detailed assessment of risk before species are imported or widely-used in Florida.

Figure 3. Life-history model for freshwater fishes in Florida, with 60 native species, 31 established non-native species, and 32 non- Figure 1. Triangular life-history model for fishes. native species that failed to establish. 4 Taken from Winemiller (1995). Awe Shucks: Potential Applications of Cryopreservation for Shellfish Aquaculture and Restoration exploring shellfish Establishing reliable protocols for shellfish germplasm preservation cryopreservation Aquaculture offers many potential applications, such as: 1. Preservation of natural genetic populations By Natalie Simon, Master’s Student 2. Preservation of specific lines for breeding program use over their (Huiping Yang, Advisor) lifespan 3. Creation of self-fertilized inbred lines by fertilizing the oocytes after sex-reversal with cryopreserved sperm from the same Cryopreservation is a process that preserves biological materials for individual oyster or clam perpetuity in very low temperatures, typically -196 °C (liquid nitrogen). 4. Preservation of sperm from tetraploid oysters for commercial This technology has been widely applied for human artificial reproduc- triploid production tion, as a clinical treatment for infertility, and for livestock as a tool for 5. Assistance of seed production breeding programs worldwide. For fish and shellfish, cryopreservation 6. Preservation of endangered, vulnerable, and threatened species can advance and improve the sustainability of aquaculture and fisheries. Studies have already been performed in over 200 species with applica- Current Research Work tions including preservation of natural resources, conservation of In corroboration with MSAR’s program goals, my thesis research endangered species, enhancement of selective breeding programs, and involves the development of germplasm cryopreservation techniques assistance of hatchery seed production. for shellfish breeding programs to enhance the aquaculture industry. One chapter of my thesis study is to develop a cryopreservation At UF IFAS Molluscan Shellfish Aquaculture Resto- protocol for trochophore larvae of hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria ration Laboratory (MSAR) we are working on the (Figure 1) which no previous studies have reported on. In the U.S., cryopreservation of molluscan shellfish aquaculture of hard clams is a 65- germplasm. This is one research focus in our pro- million-dollar industry, accounting gram, and is in accord with other research focuses for about 20% of total shellfish including developing shellfish breeding programs aquaculture (Yang, 2016, EDIS). In for important aquaculture species (oysters and Florida, the hard clam is the clams), advancing new aquaculture techniques, and primary aquaculture species that manipulating genetics to enhance the shellfish aquaculture industry and supports over 300 shellfish farms. sustain the shellfish natural resources. Cryopreservation is a powerful technology that would be beneficial to the hard clam indus- So how does Cryopreservation Work? try and aid in year-round seed The cryopreservation process starts by sourcing broodstock oysters or production. Figure 1. Cycle of hard clam. clams. The broodstock is then conditioned in a recirculating tank system Source: http://www.asnailsodyssey.com with enhanced feeding of algal diet, controlled temperature, and moni- tored water quality to accelerate gonad maturity. To achieve my research goal for protocol development, the following objectives were evaluated: 1) toxicity of cryoprotectants on trochophore larvae at exposure time of 1, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 min; 2) Natural spawning and strip spawning are used to effects of cooling rates (5, 10, 20, 30 °C/min from 4 °C to -80 °C) on collect gametes for the experiments. So far, post-thaw trochophore viability and D-stage survival. Cryoprotect- shellfish germplasm for cryopreservation ants including dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), propylene glycol, ethylene includes sperm, oocytes, embryos, and larvae. glycol, and glycerol at final concentrations of 5, 10, 15, 20% (v/v, final) Once the samples are gathered they are were examined. Results indicated that DMSO and propylene glycol prepared for the freezing process. This involves: showed less toxicity at concentrations of 5 and 10% (v/v) within 1) diluting in an extender, which is a salt solution exposure time of 15 minutes. that maintains the viability of samples; 2) mixing Further cooling experiments with cryoprotectants, which are substances (e.g., produced viable post-thaw dimethyl sulfoxide, methanol, protein, sugar) that trochophore larvae, and these protect the cell from damage during the freezing larvae survived to D-stage and thawing process; 3) being packaged in (Figure 2). Data analysis is still French straws (or other sample containers) in process for determination of followed by labelling and sealing; 4) cooling to a the effects of cooling rates. The prescribed temperature (typically -80°C) in a viability of post-thaw larvae was programmable controlled freezer that is estimated using neutral red stain connected to a liquid nitrogen tank and allows immediately after thawing and the researcher to control the sample cooling assessing the survival to D-stage. rates, and 5) plunging in liquid nitrogen (-196 °C) Overall, this study is the first for long-term storage until ready for use after report on larval cryopreserva- Figure 2. Thawed cryopreserved thawing, which is achieved by immersing in a tion for hard clams and will have water bath at certain temperatures. trochophore larvae that have success- a wide application in germplasm fully survived to D- stage development. preservation. 5 Aquaculture Examination of prey preferences for first feeding larval ornamental marine fish utilizing fluorescent microspheres

By Isaac Lee, Master’s Student (Cortney Ohs, Advisor)

Marine ornamental aquaculture seeks to provide an alternative source of fish to wild collection for the marine aquarium trade. One of the primary obstacles that prevents most species from being commercially cultured is survival of the tiny larvae. This is especially true with pelagic species which hatch without a developed mouth, gastrointestinal tract or eyes. After three days of development, the larvae have pigmented eyes, a fully opened mouth, and a simple gastrointestinal tract, which allows them to capture and digest prey organisms. Poor survival during the first feeding stage may be attributed to inadequate nutrition or inappropriate prey types, among a plethora of other factors.

Gastrointestinal tract contents of wild larvae have been investigated, but the data is skewed towards metazoans such as copepods as their exoskeletons require more time to digest and are easier to identify. Protozoans, however, are quickly digested and may be under represented especially when there is a lack of metazoans to support the growth of fish larvae. In commercial aquaculture, first feeding larvae are normally fed rotifers, Artemia nauplii (brine shrimp), or copepod nauplii depending on the mouth gape size and species.

The objective of this study was to examine preference for one food type over another. A Fluorescent microspheres were used to label prey organisms. Even if the prey organism is digested, these fluorescent microspheres would remain inside the GI tract of the larvae. These fluorescently dyed polystyrene beads (1 μm) were fed to the copepod nauplii of Parvocalanus crassirostris, the rotifer Bra- chionus plicatilis, and the ciliate Euplotes sp. (Figure 1). These prey organisms were fed to 3 day post hatch (dph) larvae from four different marine ornamental fish species: the pacific blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus), the reef butterflyfish (Chaetodon sedentarius) (4 dph), the golden trevally (Gnathanodon specio- sus), and the African moony (Monodactylus sebae).

Larvae were fed the three food types and harvested after 4-6 hours. Using a fluorescent microscope, the digestive tract was examined for presence of fluorescence. We were then able to quantify the number of each prey organism consumed. Each fish species showed different prey preferences. B Pacific blue tang (Figure 2) larvae preferred rotifers over ciliates, and ciliates over copepod nauplii. African moony larvae preferred ciliates and nauplii equally over rotifers. Reef butterflyfish larvae preferred ciliates Figure 2. A Pacific blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) larvae that ingested over rotifers and rotifers over nauplii. Golden trevally larvae preferred nauplii ciliates (green), copepod nauplii (red) and rotifers (blue). over ciliates, and ciliates over rotifers.

This study showed that different fish had different preferences at first feeding. Fluorescent microspheres seem to have high utility for prey preference studies for aquaculture of marine larvae. Fluores- cent microspheres should also have high utility to define prey size Figure 1. Rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) (A), copepod nauplii (Parvocalanus crassi- preferences and to identify preferred prey during diet phase shifts rostris) (B), and ciliate (Euplotes sp.) (C) at various stages of larval development. All of these results should labeled with 1 μm fluorescent micro- help define species specific feeding regimes throughout spheres. larval development which will greatly increase survival and C 6 profitability of aquaculture hatcheries. The 21st Annual UF Fisheries and FWC FAS Graduates — Spring 2017 Fishing Tournament is in the books! Doctor of Philosophy It was a great success, with 53 anglers and 20 total boats participating. Anglers were greeted with stiff Southeast winds to start the day, but as the day progressed winds declined and beautiful conditions came over Cedar Key. As usual, if the weather will let the anglers move around they will catch fish, and this year was an excellent year for catches. Master of Science Nearly all boats brought in catches of spotted seatrout. Mackerel were a bit more scarce this year, and we had quite a few boats with redfish. interestingly, lots of boats brought in flounder this year, which is rare for the Cedar Key area. Overall, it was a great year of catches.

That being said, the ‘competition’ was not a close affair, with one boat really dominating the catches. The boat of Capt. Carl Dell Torre and his father-in-law Bobby Padgett achieved a catch that breaks our record books. They were the first boat in 21 years to catch legal fish of all four species in this tournament (spotted seatrout, spanish mackerel, red drum, and cobia). Their catch was amazing, and they won 4 of 5 prize categories in this event.

Carl and Bob won the following categories:  Largest redfish 25.9 inches  Largest trout 20.1 inches  Largest cobia 34.6 inches  Most Impressive cooler (obviously!)

The final category was largest Spanish mackerel, which 20 inches and was caught by Greg Sass. Greg was visiting from Wisconsin and was fishing on my boat.

Congrats to all, and if you didn’t join us, please come next year!

Mike and Eric Awards Master of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Faculty Emily Dudash (Chair: Mark Flint) Dr. Kai Lorenzen - University of Florida Research Foundation Heather Giddings (Chair: Joshua Patterson) Professorship Tanner Stiehl (Chair: Bob Swett) Dr. Robert “Rob” Ahrens - University of Florida Term Profes- sorship Jaclyn Wilson (Chair: Roy Yanong) Dr. Debra “Deb” Murie – FAS Faculty Member of the Year Dr. Debra “Deb” Murie - North American Colleges and Teach- ers of Agriculture (NACTA) Educator Award Students

Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Marine Sciences – Bethany Gaffey (advisors – Deb Murie and Bill Lindberg) Outstanding Master’s Student – Natalie Simon (advisor – Huiping Marine Sciences Interdisciplinary Studies Major Yang) Alexandra Rae Alberdi Amy Elizabeth Mahler Outstanding Doctoral Student – Katie Lawson (advisor – Jeff Hill) Best Master’s Thesis for 2016 – Isaac Lee (advisor – Cortney Ohs) Anthony P. Campanella Brittany Nicole Milito Best Doctoral Dissertation for 2016 – Bryan Matthias (advisor – Rebekah Elizabeth Etheridge Janna Rae Royal Rob Ahrens) Chelsea Renee Fletcher Allison Marie Rudolph UF/IFAS Award of Excellence for Graduate Research – Best Doc- Lora Lee Hargett Shelby C. Thomas toral Dissertation – Bryan Matthias (advisor – Rob Ahrens) Haley Dawn Johnson Samantha Calix Tiffany Aylesworth Scholarship 2017 – Devon Pharo (advisor – Don Alison R. Lamberski Kerrin E. Toner Behringer) Kalie Noelle Laughlin 7 Publications Abolofia, J., Asche, F., and Wilen, J. E. (2017). The cost of lice: quantifying the impacts of parasitic sea lice on farmed salmon. Marine Resource Economics 32, 000-000. Asche, F. (2017). New markets, new technologies and new opportunities in aquaculture. Aquaculture Economics & Management 21, 1-8. Asche, F., Oglend, A., and Osmundsen, P. (2017). Modeling UK natural gas prices when gas prices periodically decouple from the oil price. Energy Journal 38, 131-148. Bachmann, R. W., Hoyer, M. V., Croteau, A. C., and Canfield Jr., D.E. (2017). Factors related to Secchi depths and their stability over time as determined from a probability sample of United States lakes. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 189:205. DOI:10.1007/s10661-017-5911-9. Baeza, J. A., and Behringer, D. C. (2017). Small-scale spatial variation in population-and individual-level reproductive parameters of the blue-legged hermit crab Clibanarius tricolor. Peerj 5, 17. Barry, S. C., Jacoby, C. A., and Frazer T. K. (2017). Environmental influences on growth and morphology of Thalassia testudinum. Marine Ecology Progress Series 570, 57-70. Behringer, D. C., and Hart, J. E. (2017). Competition with stone crabs drives juvenile spiny lobster abundance and distribution. Oecologia 184, 205-218. Broach, J. S., Ohs, C. L., and DiMaggio, M. A. (2017). Effects of egg stocking density on egg hatchability, larval quality and water quality for pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides, and pigfish, Orthopristis chrysoptera. Aquaculture Research 48, 3589-3605. Broach, J. S., Ohs, C. L., DiMaggio, M. A., and Breen, N. E. (2017). Evaluation of nutritional and environmental variables during early larval culture of pigfish Orthopristis chrysoptera (Linnaeus). Aquaculture Research 48, 434-446. Butler, M. J., Behringer, D. C., and Valentine, M. M. (2017). Commercial sponge fishery impacts on the population dynamics of sponges in the Florida Keys, FL (USA). Fisheries Research 190, 113-121. Camp, E.V., Larkin, S.L., Ahrens, R.M.N., and Lorenzen, K. (2017). Trade-offs between socioeconomic and conservation management objectives in stock enhancement of marine recreational fisheries. Fisheries Research 186, 446-459. Crossin, G. T., Heupel, M. R., Holbrook, C. M., Hussey, N. E., Lowerre-Barbieri, S. K., Nguyen, V. M., Raby, G. D., and Cooke, S. J. (2017). Acoustic telemetry and fisheries management. Ecological Applications 27, 1031-1049. Dahl, K. A., Patterson III, W. F., Robertson, A., and Ortmann, A. C. (2017). DNA barcoding significantly improves resolution of invasive lionfish diet in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Biological Invasions 19, 1917-1933. Degidio J.M., Yanong, R.P.E., Watson, C.A. Ohs, C., Cassiano, E.J., and Barden, K. (2017). Spawing, embryology, and larval development of the milletseed butterflyfish Chaetodon miliaris in the laboratory. North American Journal of Aquaculture 79 (3), 205-2015. DiMaggio, M. A., Cassiano, E. J., Barden, K. P., Ramee, S. W., Ohs, C. L., and Watson, C. A. (2017). First record of captive larval culture and metamorphosis of the pacific blue tang, Paracanthurus hepatus. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 48, 393-401. Dole, T., Koltun, S., Baker, S. M., Goodrich-Schneider, R. M., Marshall, M.R., and Sarnoski, P. J. (2017). Colorimetric evaluation of mahi- mahi and tuna for biogenic amines. Journal of Food Product Technology DOI:10.1080/10498850.2017.1297879 Farmer, N. A., Heyman, W. D., Karnauskas, M., Kobara, S., Smart, T. I., Ballenger, J. C., Reichert, M. J. M., Wyanski, D. M., Tishler, M. S., Lindeman, K. C., Lowerre-Barbieri, S. K., Switzer, T. S., Solomon, J. J., McCain, K., Marhefka, M., and Sedberry, G. R. (2017). Timing and locations of reef fish spawning off the southeastern United States. Plos One 12, 35. Garner, S. B., Patterson III, W. F., and Porch, C. E. (2017). Experimental assessment of circle vs. J hook performance and selectivity in the northern Gulf of Mexico recreational reef fish fishery. ICES Journal of Marine Science 74, 1437-1447. Garlock, T.M., Camp, E.V., and Lorenzen, K. (2017). Using fisheries modeling to assess candidate species for marine fisheries enhancement. Fisheries Research 186, 460-467. Garlock, T.M., and Lorenzen, K. (2017). Marine angler characteristics and attitudes toward stock enhancement in Florida. Fisheries Research 186, 439-445. Grüss, A., Rose, K.A., Simons, J., Ainsworth, C. H., Babcock, E. A., Chagaris, D., de Mutsert, K., Froeschke, J., Himchak, P., Kaplan, I. C., O’Farrell, H., Zetina Rejon, M. J. (2017). Recommendations on the use of ecosystem modeling for informing ecosystem-based fisheries management and restoration outcomes in the Gulf of Mexico. Marine and Coastal Fisheries. DOI: 10.1080/19425120.2017.1330786. Hill, J. E., Lawson, K. M., and Tuckett, Q. M. (2017). First record of a reproducing population of the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis Daudin, 1802 in Florida (USA). BioInvasions Record 6 (1), 87-94. Hotaling-Hagan, A., Swett, R., Ellis, L. R., and Frazer, T. K. (2017). A spatial model to improve site selection for seagrass restoration in shallow boating environments. Journal of Environmental Management 186, 42-54. Lecours, V., Devillers, R., Simms, A. E., Lucieer, V. L., and Brown, C. J. (2017). Towards a framework for terrain attribute selection in environmental studies. Environmental Modelling & Software 89, 19-30. Lohr, K. E., McNab, A. A. C., Manfrino, C., and Patterson, J. T. (2017). Assessment of wild and restored staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis across three reef zones in the Cayman Islands. Regional Studies in Marine Science 9, 1-8.

8 Publications Lohr, K. E., and Patterson, J. T. (2017). Intraspecific variation in phenotype among nursery-reared staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis (Lamarck, 1816). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 486, 87-92. Lynch, A.J., Cooke, S.J., Beard, T.D., Kao, Y.-C., Lorenzen, K., Song, A.M., Allen, M.S., Basher, Z., Bunnell, D.B., Camp, E.V., Cowx, I.G., Freedman, J.A., Nguyen, V.M., Nohner, J. K., Rogers, M.W. Siders, Z.A., Taylor, W.W., and Youn, S. (2017). Grand challenges in the management and conservation of North American inland fish and fisheries. Fisheries 42, 115-124. O'Donnell, K. E., Lohr, K. E., Bartels, E., and Patterson, J. T. (2017). Evaluation of staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis, Lamarck 1816) production techniques in an ocean-based nursery with consideration of coral genotype. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 487, 53-58. Pine III, W. E., Limburg, K., Gerig, B., Finch, C., Chagaris, D., Coggins, L., Speas, D., and Hendrickson, D. A. (2017). Growth of endangered Humpback Chub in relation to temperature and discharge in the lower Colorado River. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 8(1):322-332. Smeltz, M., Rowland-Faux, L., Ghiran, C., Patterson III, W., Garner, S., Beers, A., Mivre, Q., Kane, A., and James, M. (2017). A multi-year study of hepatic biomarkers in coastal fishes from the Gulf of Mexico after the deepwater horizon oil spill. Marine Environmental Research. Smith, M. D., Oglend, A., Kirkpatrick, A. J., Asche, F., Bennear, L. S., Craig, J. K., and Nance, J. M. (2017). Seafood prices reveal impacts of a major ecological disturbance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 114, 1512- 1517. Taylor, M.D., Chick, R.D., Lorenzen, K., Agnalt, A.L., Leber, K.M., Blankenship, H.L., Vander Haegen, G.L., and Loneragan, N.R. (2017). Fisheries enhancement and restoration in a changing world. Fisheries Research 186, 407-412. Truelove, N. K., Kough, A. S., Behringer, D. C., Paris, C. B., Box, S. J., Preziosi, R. F., and Butler, M. J. (2017). Biophysical connectivity explains population genetic structure in a highly dispersive marine species. Coral Reefs 36, 233-244. Tuckett, Q. M., Ritch, J. L., Lawson, K. M., and Hill, J. E. (2017). Landscape-scale survey of non-native fishes near ornamental aquaculture facilities in Florida, USA. Biological Invasions 19, 223-237.

Conservation and Management of Aquatic Environments

Fisheries

and Sustainable Fisheries

Aquatic Sciences

Program Aquaculture Aquatic Animal Health