ICHTHYOPLANKTON AND SELECTED MEROPLANKTON COLLECTED IN THE CALOOSAHATCHEE ESTUARY Submitted to: Golder Associates, Inc. Okeechobee System Research Division 6241 N.W. 23 ~ Street, Suite 500 Gainesville, FL 32653-1500 Submitted by : Karen M. Bums James K. Culter Mote Marine Laboratory 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway Sarasota, FL 34236 September I, 1998 Mote Marine Laboratory Technical Report Number 591 . This document is printed on recycled paper. TABLE OF CONTENTS · TABLE OF CONTENTS . .. .......... ......... .... ...... SORTING AND IDENTIFICATION METHODS .. ... ... .. 1 Ichthyoplanlcton Protocol ....... .. .. .. ...........•...• ... •... 1 Sample Sorting .. .. ...................... ... .. • ...•.. 1 Sample Resorting . ..... • ...• . .• . • . .. .. ... 1 Specimen ldentification . 1 Data Entry . .............•....•... •.... ... •.......... 2 LIFE HISTORY REVIEW .. .. .... .. .. .. ... .. ... .. 3 FISH ......... ... ....................• ... .......... 3 Anchoa mitchilli . 3 Commercial and Recreational Importance ... .. .. .. ..... ...... 3 Range and Ecology ........... ... ...... .. .. .. .. • ...•.. 3 Food and Feeding ................ ........•.............. 3 Habitat . ......... ...... .... ... .... _ . .. ... • .......... 4 Abiotic Factors ........ ... ........ .. .. ... .. .. 4 Temperature and Salinity .. ........ ........ ..... .. • ...... 4 Turbidity .... .. .......... .. ......... ...•...•.. .. 5 Dissolved oxygen (DO) ........... • ...............•... • . 5 Ind icator of Environmental Stress . .. ... .... ... ... .... 5 References . 5 Menidia sp ... ........ ....... ... '. .....•. , .... , . , .. • . 9 Commercial and Recreational Importance .... .. ... .... .. 9 Range and Ecology . • . • • . • . 9 Food and Feeding ... .. ... .. .. .. .. • .. • ...• . .. ... ... ... 10 Habitat _ . • . • . • • . • . • • . • . • . • .. 11 Substrate . ....... , , . .. 11 Temperature ...... .. 11 Salinity .......... __ . • . • • . • . • . • . .. 12 Dissolved Oxygen and pH . • . • . .. 13 Indicator of Environmental Stress . .. 13 References . , . .. 13 Bairdiella chrysoura ......... , . .. 18 Commercial and Recreational Importance . ..... .. .. .. .. 18 Range and Ecology . • . • . • . • . .. 18 Food and Feeding .. 18 Habitat ..... ... , . 18 Abiotic Factors .. .. .... · . 19 Temperature ........ · . 19 Salinity ... ... ..... · . 19 Indicator of Environmental Stress . 19 References . 20 Gobiosoma robustum ..... .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 22 Range and Ecology . • . • . • . • . 22 Habitat ....... .......... ... ...•...•... • ...• . •..... 22 Indicator of Environmental Stress . , . 22 References . · . " . ... 22 Syngnathus floridae ..... · . 23 Commercial and Recreational Importance . · . , . 23 Food and Feeding .. ... 24 Habitat . · . 24 Abiotic Factors . · . · . 24 Temperature · . 24 Salinity ... 24 Indicator of Environmental Stress 25 References · . ......... 25 CRAB .... 28 Eurypanopeus depressus . 28 Range and Ecology . 28 Habitat ..... ....... 28 Abiotic Factors . 28 Depth . 28 Salinity 28 References . · . .. 28 Rhithropanopeus harrisii · . .. 30 Range and Ecology 30 Food and Feeding · . 30 Habitat ..... · . 30 Abiotic Factors . .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. 30 Salinity ... " .... 30 Temperature . 31 Indicator of Environmental Stress 31 References . 31 11 Sesarma (Chiromantes) cinereum (Bose) . ... • . • . .. 33 Commercial and Recreational Importance ... .. ..... .... .. .... 33 Range and Ecology . • . • . • . • . • . .. 33 Food and Feeding .. ............ •. ..• . ..•...... • .. • . .. 33 Habitat . • . .. • . • . • . .. 33 Abiotic Factors .................. ........ .. ... ..... .. .. 33 Temperature ... .......... .......... .. 33 Salinity ..... ......... ....•.. • . ..•..•......•.... 34 Indicator of Environmental Stress . .. 34 Sesamw (Sesamw) retieularum (Say) . • . • . • . • . .. 35 Commercial and Recreational Importance .....,.................... 35 Range and Ecology . • . • • . • . • . • . • . .. 35 Food and Feeding ........................ .. .... ........ 35 Habitat .......... .. ........................... .... .. 35 Abiotic Factors .. • . .. 35 Temperature .......... .. 35 Salinity ................ • •... ..•......•. ........ 35 Indicator of Environmental Stress . .. 36 Palaemonetes Heller 1869 ............ .. ... .•.. • . ..• . •. •. .. 37 Commercial or Recreational Importance . .. 37 Habitat . • . • . • . • . • . .. 37 Abiotic Factors . .. 37 Temperature .......... ...... ... .. .... ' 37 Salinity . ........... ...•...••...•......•. •... ... 37 Indicator of Environmental Stress . .. 38 RESULTS ...... .................. ...... ... ...... ... 39 QUALITY ASSURANCE . .. .. .... .. ... .... .. .. .. .. .. 40 Laboratoty Procedures .................. .. ............ .. ... 40 TAXONOMIC BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... ...... .... ... .. ....... 41 ICHTHYOPLANKTON IDENTIFICATION BIBLIOGRAPHY ..... ..•.. ... 41 ZOOPLANKTON IDENTIFICATION BIBLIOGRAPHY . • . .. 41 APPENDIX A. TABLES APPENDIX B. EXAMPLES OF DATA SHEETS III SORTING AND IDENTIFICATION METHODS ichthyoplankton Protocol Sample Sorting Each sample was signed out before processing and then signed in after sorting was completed. A copy of the sorting sign out sheet is included in Appendix B. All ichthyoplankton samples were poured into an appropriate sized. mesh sieve and rinsed with fresh water. Sample volume was recorded. Each sample was examined in a series of 10 m1 aliquots withdrawn from each well-mixed sample, poured into a gridded petri dish and sorted under a dissecting microscope for fish eggs, fish larvae, juveniles and adults, shrimp larvae, juveniles and adults, and crab zoea, megalopa, juveniles and adults. Each aliquot was examined twice, with agitation between examinations. In those samples where seagrasses were abundant, . the grasses were rinsed in the sieve to remove any organisms from the blades and then the grasses were placed back in the sample jar. All fish, shrimp and crab life stages were removed from the entire sample and then identified, enumerated and put in consecutively numbered vials filled with 70% ethanol. The number, species, and life stage of each target organism and the vial number containing the organism were recorded on a bench sheet (Appendix B). This infonnation was also recorded on a vial catalogue sheet (Appendix B). Sample Resorting All samples were resorted after the initial sorting process as part of Mote Marine laboratory's (MML) internal Quality Assurance Program. Any target organisms found during the resort were recorded and added to the vials of other organisms from that sample. Specimen Identification All fish eggs and fish larvae were identified to the lowest possible taxon. Most fish eggs were identified to family , while the majority of fish larvae were identified to the species level. Fish larvae were also classified by developmental stage. Identification of eggs and larvae were made by use of standard literature sources and MML's Reference Collection. It was necessary to send out one species of the family Syngnatbidae to an external taxonomic consultant for species verification. MML maintains an ichthyoplankton reference collection which follows the guidelines for standard curatorial procedures for proper custody of larval fi sh reference material. MML' s ichthyoplankton reference collection already contained representative well preserved undamaged specimens of the various sizes and developmental stages for all the fish eggs and fish species I collected. Meroplankton species collected were placed in 2 dram glass vials and preserved in 70% EtOH. Any specimens not in the reference collection were added to MML's zooplankton reference collection. Many aspects of measures taken by MML to assure quality assurance are described in the Quality Assurance section (p. 40). Copies of the ichthyoplankton sample sorting log, bench sheet, and vial catalog sheet are in Appendix B. Data Entry Data including the number per life stage of each of the target organisms identified to the lowest possible taxon were entered using Excel software. Results of the analyses in table format are included in Appendix A. Printouts were checked for errors. Computer diskettes of the data in Excel format as well as a copy of this repon in WordPerfect 5.1 are enclosed with this repon. 2 LIFE mSTORY REVIEW FISH Family: Engraulidae Scientific Name: Anchoa mitchilli Common Name: Bay Anchovy Commercial and Recreational Importance Commercial: Due to its small size, the bay anchovy is not currently harvested in the United States. Recreational: The bay anchovy is an important prey species for many game fish species making it indirectly important to recreational fisheries (Hildebrand 1943, Christmas and Waller 1973, Robinette 1983). Range and Ecology Ranging from Maine to the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula, bay anchovies probably comprise the greatest fish biomass in estuarine waters off the southeastern coast of the U.S. and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (Reid 1955, Perret 1971 , Christtnas and Waller 1973, Hoese and Moore 1979, Perry and Boyles 1977, Perry 1979, Shipp 1986). During the summer, Anchoa mitchilli larvae are one of the most abundant species found in the ichthyoplankton in the Gulf of Mexico (Raynie and Shaw 1994). As one of the most important estuarine forage fishes, it is the predominant prey of many bird and recreationally and conunercially important fish species, and as such, serves as a critical link in the estuarine food web between zooplankton and higher trophic level predators (Hildebrand 1943, Reid 1955, Christtnas and Waller 1973, Robinette 1983, Shipp 1986). Food and