Managed reef fish in the Atlantic Ocean of the southeastern United States (SEUS) support a multi-billion dollar industry. There is a broad interest in locating and protecting spawning fish from harvest, to enhance productivity and reduce the potential for overfishing. We assessed spatiotemporal cues for spawning for six species from four reef fish families, using data on individual spawning condition collected by over three decades of regional fishery-independent reef fish surveys, combined with a series of predictors derived from bathymetric features. We quantified the size of spawning areas used by reef fish across many years and identified several multispecies spawning locations. We quantitatively identified cues for peak spawning and generated predictive maps for Gray Triggerfish (Balistes capriscus), White Grunt (Haemulon plumierii), Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus), Vermilion Snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens), Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata), and Scamp (Mycteroperca phenax). For example, Red Snapper peak spawning was predicted in 24.7–29.0°C water prior to the new moon at locations with high curvature in the 24–30 m depth range off northeast Florida during June and July. External validation using scientific and fishery-dependent data collections strongly supported the predictive utility of our models. We identified locations where reconfiguration or expansion of existing marine protected areas would protect spawning reef fish. We recommend increased sampling off southern Florida (south of 27° N), during winter months, and in high-relief, high current habitats to improve our understanding of timing and location of reef fish spawning off the southeastern United States.
NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, St. Petersburg, Florida, United States of America;LGL Ecological Research Associates, Inc., Bryan, Texas, United States of America;NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fishery Science Center, Miami, Florida, United States of America;Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America;South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Research Institute, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America;South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Research Institute, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America;South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Research Institute, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America;South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Research Institute, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America;Meadows Ecological, Inc., Indialantic, Florida, United States of America;Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, United States of America;Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida, United States of America;Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida, United States of America;Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Jacksonville Field Laboratory, Jacksonville, Florida, United States of America;LGL Ecological Research Associates, Inc., Bryan, Texas, United States of America;Abundant Seafood, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America;NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Savannah, Georgia, United States of America
Recommended Citation:
Nicholas A. Farmer,William D. Heyman,Mandy Karnauskas,et al. Timing and locations of reef fish spawning off the southeastern United States[J]. PLOS ONE,2017-01-01,12(3)