Linking Oceanographic Modeling and Benthic Mapping with Habitat Suitability Models for Pink Shrimp on the West Florida Shelf

Peter J Rubec,Chris Jenkins,Jesse Lewis,Robert H Weisberg,Lianyuan Zheng,David Reed,Charles F Ashbaugh,Curt Lashley,Salvatore Versaggi,Christi Santi

doi:10.1080/19425120.2015.1082519

Abstract

AbstractResearch was undertaken to model and map the spatial distributions and abundances of pink shrimp Farfantepenaeus duorarum on the West Florida Shelf (WFS) using habitat suitability modeling (HSM). Data loggers and electronic logbook systems on three shrimp boats were used to gather catch and effort data along with bottom temperature, salinity, and depth data at the fishing locations. Vessel monitoring system (VMS) data supplied by the fishing company helped delineate areas with high fishing activity. For the vessels participating in this study, significantly higher mean catch per unit effort (CPUE) of pink shrimp was realized on the WFS during June–September 2004 and October–December 2004 than during January–March 2005 and April–June 2005. Suitability functions were created to predict CPUE in relation to depth, aspect, bottom type, bottom temperature, current speed, current direction, and VMS zone. Oceanographic modeling was conducted monthly from March 2004 to June 2005. Bottom current speed and d...

Highlights

For the vessels participating in this study, significantly higher mean catch per unit effort (CPUE) of pink shrimp was realized on the West Florida Shelf (WFS) during June–September 2004 and October–December 2004 than during January–March 2005 and April–June 2005
As part of the Magnuson–Stevens Conservation and Management Act of 1996, the U.S Congress mandated that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) develop guidelines to assist fisheries management councils nationwide in the creation of essential fish habitat (EFH) regulations for fishery management plans (NMFS 1996) and that the councils describe these habitats in text, tables, and maps in such plans (NMFS 1997b)
Since the present study focused on bottom conditions, data sets were created representing averaged monthly conditions (March 2004–June 2005) for bottom temperature, bottom salinity, bottom current direction, and bottom current speed on the WFS

Summary

Introduction

Essential fish habitat was defined as “those waters and substrates necessary for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity.”. It is the geographic area where a species occurs at any time during its life and comprises substrate (e.g., coral reefs, marshes, and kelp beds) and water column characteristics (e.g., turbidity zones, thermoclines, and fronts separating water masses) that focus the species’ distribution (NMFS 1997a). The councils were required to identify habitat areas of particular concern—areas judged important for the long-term productivity of one or more managed species or that were vulnerable to degradation. The shrimp industry and the scientific community would benefit from understanding what combination of habitat and environmental conditions contributed to high catch rates for shrimp. The time spent searching for areas with high shrimp concentrations might be reduced with better knowledge of the oceanographic and benthic-habitat conditions preferred by pink shrimp

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Conclusion