Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Habitat Management Series #14 Winter 2017 Photo Credit: Florida Sea Grant Atlantic Sciaenid Habitats: A Review of Utilization, Threats, and Recommendations for Conservation, Management, and Research Vision: Sustainably Managing Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Atlantic Sciaenid Habitats: A Review of Utilization, Threats, and Recommendations for Conservation, Management, and Research Prepared by: Jay Odell James A. Johnson, Jr. The Nature Conservancy North Carolina Department of Richmond, Virginia Environmental Quality [email protected] Washington, North Carolina [email protected] Douglas H. Adams Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Stephen R. Midway Commission Louisiana State University Melbourne, Florida Baton Rouge, Louisiana [email protected] [email protected] Brian Boutin January Murray The Nature Conservancy Georgia Department of Natural Resources Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina Brunswick, Georgia [email protected] [email protected] William Collier II Kent Smith South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Charleston, South Carolina Commission [email protected] Tallahassee, Florida [email protected] Alison Deary University of Southern Mississippi Kate M. Wilke Ocean Springs, Mississippi The Nature Conservancy [email protected] Richmond, Virginia [email protected] Lisa N. Havel (current Habitat Coordinator) Melissa W. Yuen Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (former Habitat Coordinator) Arlington, Virginia Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission [email protected] Arlington, Virginia [email protected] ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank the many sciaenid habitat experts that provided feedback and information for this document over the past three years. Many ASMFC Habitat Committee members provided valuable input throughout the various iternations of this document, and for that we are very grateful. In addition, much of the information in this document would not have been published without the assistance of state, Federal, and NGO habitat coordinators, and academia. Their personal insight, published data, and unpublished resources were invaluable contributions to this document. We are appreciative of their expertise, suggested resources, and review of these chapters. We also thank ASMFC staff for proofreading, editing, and formatting. Publication Citation Odell, J., D. H. Adams, B. Boutin, W. Collier II, A. Deary, L. N. Havel, J. A. Johnson Jr., S. R. Midway, J. Murray, K. Smith, K. M. Wilke, and M. W. Yuen. 2017. Atlantic Sciaenid Habitats: A Review of Utilization, Threats, and Recommendations for Conservation, Management, and Research. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Habitat Management Series No. 14, Arlington, VA. This report is a publication of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission pursuant to US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA15NMF4740069. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER 2: Atlantic croaker .................................................................................................. 5 Section I. General Description of Habitat ................................................................................... 5 Part A. Spawning Habitat ........................................................................................................ 5 Part B. Egg and Larval Habitat ................................................................................................. 6 Part C. Juvenile Habitat ........................................................................................................... 7 Part D. Adult Habitat ............................................................................................................... 9 Section II. Essential Fish Habitats and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern ............................ 10 Section III. Threats and Uncertainties ....................................................................................... 11 Section IV. Recommendations for Habitat Management and Research .................................. 13 Literature Cited ......................................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 3: Black drum ....................................................................................................... 20 Section I. General Description of Habitat ................................................................................. 20 Part A. Spawning Habitat ...................................................................................................... 20 Part B. Egg Habitat ................................................................................................................ 21 Part C. Larval Habitat ............................................................................................................ 22 Part D. Juvenile Habitat ........................................................................................................ 23 Part E. Adult Habitat ............................................................................................................. 24 Section II. Essential Fish Habitats and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern ............................ 25 Section III. Threats and Uncertainties ....................................................................................... 26 Section IV. Recommendations for Habitat Management and Research .................................. 29 Literature Cited ......................................................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 4: Red drum ......................................................................................................... 35 Section I. General Description of Habitat ................................................................................. 35 Part A. Spawning Habitat ...................................................................................................... 35 Part B. Egg and Larval Habitat ............................................................................................... 36 Part C. Juvenile Habitat ......................................................................................................... 38 Part D. Adult Habitat ............................................................................................................. 39 Section II. Essential Fish Habitats and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern ............................ 41 Section III. Threats and Uncertainties ....................................................................................... 45 iii Section IV. Recommendations for Habitat Management and Research .................................. 46 Literature Cited ......................................................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER 5: Spot ................................................................................................................. 57 Section I. General Description of Habitat ................................................................................. 57 Part A. Spawning Habitat ...................................................................................................... 57 Part B. Egg Habitat ................................................................................................................ 58 Part C. Larval Habitat ............................................................................................................ 59 Part D. Juvenile Habitat ........................................................................................................ 60 Part E. Adult Habitat ............................................................................................................. 62 Section II. Essential Fish Habitats and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern ............................ 63 Section III. Threats and Uncertainties ....................................................................................... 64 Section IV. Recommendations for Habitat Management and Research .................................. 64 Literature Cited ......................................................................................................................... 65 CHAPTER 6: Spotted seatrout .............................................................................................. 70 Section I. General Description of Habitat ................................................................................. 70 Part A. Spawning Habitat ...................................................................................................... 70 Part B. Egg Habitat ................................................................................................................ 71 Part C. Larval Habitat ............................................................................................................ 72 Part D. Juvenile Habitat ........................................................................................................ 73 Part E. Adult Habitat ............................................................................................................