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SUMMER FISH COMMUNITY OF THE COASTAL NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO: CHARACTGERIZATION OF A LARGE-SCALE TRAWL SURVEY
Citation:
LEWIS, M. A., S. J. JORDAN, C. A. CHANCY, L. C. HARWELL, L. R. GOODMAN, AND R. L. QUARLES. SUMMER FISH COMMUNITY OF THE COASTAL NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO: CHARACTGERIZATION OF A LARGE-SCALE TRAWL SURVEY. TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD, 137(3):829-845, (2007).
Impact/Purpose:
Journal article
Description:
This paper summarizes the trawled fish assemblage collected during 1992 - 1994 at 119 locations in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The 367 collection sites were located adjacent to five states and represented seven estuarine categories. Fish were collected using an otter trawl during summer months. The fish were identified, enumerated and measured for total length. Tissue contaminants (fillets) were determined and fish were examined for external abnormalities (body, buccal, branchial, ocular). The fish catch, based of approximately 31,000 individuals, was represented by 100 genera and 141 species. Thirteen species comprised 92 % of the total abundance; abundances of 118 species were less than 1 %. Dominant species were Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus), and Bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli). Fourteen of 141 species were collected from 10 % or more of the 367 sites and 85 species at 1 % or less of total sites. M undulatus and A. felis were the more frequently collected at 50 % or more of the sites. Indices of community structure ranged from 1.0 to 2.8 (Shannon-Wiener) 0.45 to 0.90 (Simpson's Index) and 0.49 to 0.65 (Pielou¿ s eveness index). Fillets of 2 to 4 percent of four target species contained contaminants, (usually mercury and total PCB5), above recommended consumption limits. External abnormalities occurred on 270 fish or 0.009% of total fish examined. Four distinct assemblages were identified by cluster analysis of species abundance. Cluster membership was associated with salinity, depth, dissolved oxygen, water clarity and geographic area.