The importance of spawning behavior in understanding the vulnerability of exploited marine fishes in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico
The vulnerability of a fish stock to becoming overfished is dependent upon biological traits that influence productivity and external factors that determine susceptibility or exposure to fishing effort. While a suite of life history traits are traditionally incorporated into management efforts due t...
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PeerJ Inc.
2021-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/11814.pdf |
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| author | Christopher R. Biggs William D. Heyman Nicholas A. Farmer Shin’ichi Kobara Derek G. Bolser Jan Robinson Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri Brad E. Erisman |
| author_facet | Christopher R. Biggs William D. Heyman Nicholas A. Farmer Shin’ichi Kobara Derek G. Bolser Jan Robinson Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri Brad E. Erisman |
| author_sort | Christopher R. Biggs |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The vulnerability of a fish stock to becoming overfished is dependent upon biological traits that influence productivity and external factors that determine susceptibility or exposure to fishing effort. While a suite of life history traits are traditionally incorporated into management efforts due to their direct association with vulnerability to overfishing, spawning behavioral traits are seldom considered. We synthesized the existing biological and fisheries information of 28 fish stocks in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to investigate relationships between life history traits, spawning behavioral traits, management regulations, and vulnerability to fishing during the spawning season. Our results showed that spawning behavioral traits were not correlated with life history traits but improved identification of species that have been historically overfished. Species varied widely in their intrinsic vulnerability to fishing during spawning in association with a broad range of behavioral strategies. Extrinsic vulnerability was high for nearly all species due to exposure to fishing during the spawning season and few management measures in place to protect spawning fish. Similarly, several species with the highest vulnerability scores were historically overfished in association with spawning aggregations. The most vulnerable species included several stocks that have not been assessed and should be prioritized for further research and monitoring. Collectively, the results of this study illustrate that spawning behavior is a distinct aspect of fish ecology that is important to consider for predictions of vulnerability and resilience to fisheries exploitation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:34:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3015d4ebba4042a3b98d9e2a42c64dce |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:34:57Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-3015d4ebba4042a3b98d9e2a42c64dce2023-12-03T10:58:55ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592021-07-019e1181410.7717/peerj.11814The importance of spawning behavior in understanding the vulnerability of exploited marine fishes in the U.S. Gulf of MexicoChristopher R. Biggs0William D. Heyman1Nicholas A. Farmer2Shin’ichi Kobara3Derek G. Bolser4Jan Robinson5Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri6Brad E. Erisman7Marine Science Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, Texas, United StatesLGL Ecological Research Associates, Inc., Bryan, Texas, United StatesSoutheast Regional Office, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, St. Petersburg, Florida, United StatesDepartment of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United StatesMarine Science Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, Texas, United StatesAustralian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, AustraliaFisheries and Aquatic Science Program, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United StatesMarine Science Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, Texas, United StatesThe vulnerability of a fish stock to becoming overfished is dependent upon biological traits that influence productivity and external factors that determine susceptibility or exposure to fishing effort. While a suite of life history traits are traditionally incorporated into management efforts due to their direct association with vulnerability to overfishing, spawning behavioral traits are seldom considered. We synthesized the existing biological and fisheries information of 28 fish stocks in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to investigate relationships between life history traits, spawning behavioral traits, management regulations, and vulnerability to fishing during the spawning season. Our results showed that spawning behavioral traits were not correlated with life history traits but improved identification of species that have been historically overfished. Species varied widely in their intrinsic vulnerability to fishing during spawning in association with a broad range of behavioral strategies. Extrinsic vulnerability was high for nearly all species due to exposure to fishing during the spawning season and few management measures in place to protect spawning fish. Similarly, several species with the highest vulnerability scores were historically overfished in association with spawning aggregations. The most vulnerable species included several stocks that have not been assessed and should be prioritized for further research and monitoring. Collectively, the results of this study illustrate that spawning behavior is a distinct aspect of fish ecology that is important to consider for predictions of vulnerability and resilience to fisheries exploitation.https://peerj.com/articles/11814.pdfSpawning aggregationsReproductive resilienceMarine conservationMarine fisheriesFisheries managementVulnerability |
| spellingShingle | Christopher R. Biggs William D. Heyman Nicholas A. Farmer Shin’ichi Kobara Derek G. Bolser Jan Robinson Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri Brad E. Erisman The importance of spawning behavior in understanding the vulnerability of exploited marine fishes in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico PeerJ Spawning aggregations Reproductive resilience Marine conservation Marine fisheries Fisheries management Vulnerability |
| title | The importance of spawning behavior in understanding the vulnerability of exploited marine fishes in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico |
| title_full | The importance of spawning behavior in understanding the vulnerability of exploited marine fishes in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico |
| title_fullStr | The importance of spawning behavior in understanding the vulnerability of exploited marine fishes in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | The importance of spawning behavior in understanding the vulnerability of exploited marine fishes in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico |
| title_short | The importance of spawning behavior in understanding the vulnerability of exploited marine fishes in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico |
| title_sort | importance of spawning behavior in understanding the vulnerability of exploited marine fishes in the u s gulf of mexico |
| topic | Spawning aggregations Reproductive resilience Marine conservation Marine fisheries Fisheries management Vulnerability |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/11814.pdf |
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