Linking Habitat Use and Trophic Ecology of Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) on a Restored Oyster Reef in a Subtropical Estuary

Abstract

Predicting population- and ecosystem-level benefits of habitat restoration minimally requires an understanding of the link between the trophic ecology of a species and their use of a habitat. This study combined novel, non-lethal natural tracers of trophic ecology with acoustic tagging techniques to examine spatial and temporal patterns of habitat use of spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus on Half Moon Reef (HMR), a recently restored oyster reef in Matagorda Bay, Texas. Forty-one spotted seatrout (408 ± 25 mm total length) were captured at HMR, surgically implanted with acoustic transmitters, and monitored by an array of underwater listening stations from December 2015 to August 2016. Patterns of presence-absence on HMR were strongly influenced by water temperature, and to a lesser extent, salinity and tidal height. Overall, spotted seatrout residency to HMR was low, with fish being present on the reef 24% of days. When present, individual fish exhibited strong site-attachment to small portions of the reef. Residency to HMR increased significantly with size, while scale stable isotope analysis revealed fish exhibiting high residency to HMR occupied significantly smaller isotopic niches. If indeed smaller fish with decreased residency rely upon a wider range of prey items across multiple habitats than larger, more resident individuals, restored oyster reef habitat may be expected to primarily benefit larger spotted seatrout.