Symposia for the 2011 Southern Division Spring Meeting
Conservation of Darters
Darters (Family Percidae) are the second most diverse family of fishes in North America with 203 species. Unfortunately, 79 of these species were considered imperiled by the AFS Endangered Species Committee (Jelks et al. 2008). Another 16 species have one or more populations at risk. In this symposium, we examine activities helping darters persist in our streams and rivers. From research determining genetic flow within and between darter populations to estimating population trends, many scientists in the Southern Division are contributing to our knowledge. In addition, there are several stream restoration projects that were designed to benefit darters and other lotic species. Techniques for maintaining captive populations of darters have improved, so the return of darters to waters where they were extirpated is now possible.
Moderator(s):
Howard Jelks
US Geological Survey
7920 NW 71st Street
Gainesville, FL 32653
Phone: (352) 264-3492
hjelks@usgs.gov
Steve Walsh
US Geological Survey
Frank Jordan
Loyola University New Orleans
Ecology, Biology, Conservation, and Management of Snook: What have we learned?
This symposium consists of diverse researchers who will present new information to advance our understanding of the biology of common snook. Subjects will include: feeding, conspecific competition, predator/prey relationships, ‘skip’ spawning, the effects of the freeze of January 2010, the use of nearshore reefs, genetic determination of which species are present in Florida, discovery of a new source of recruits in southwest Florida, and how otolith microchemistry can identify ‘hotspots’ of juvenile survival. Not only will this knowledge refine the life history of this enigmatic species, but will provide the basis for fine tuning the management strategy of Florida’s premiere gamefish.
Moderator(s):
Ron Taylor
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
100 8th Ave. S.E.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: (727) 896-8626 ext. 1510
Ron.Taylor@MyFWC.com
Jennifer Rehage
Florida International University
Tools and Techniques Used to Conserve and Manage Freshwater Mussel Populations
The Southeastern United States is home to the greatest diversity of freshwater mussels in North America. Unfortunately, mussel populations are continuing to decline throughout the United States due to anthropogenic impacts. In the Southeastern United States, fifty-six freshwater mussel species are currently listed as threatened or endangered, 27 are species of concern, and 14 are candidate species. Understanding population dynamics, genetic structure, and habitat requirements is essential to restoring, conserving, and managing freshwater mussel populations. The use of molecular and ecological models, tools, and techniques is becoming an integral part in estimating population parameters and can allow alternative conservation scenarios to be explored. Contributors will discuss research that investigates the use of new tools to estimate population demographics, including effective population size, recruitment, survival, distribution, and age class structure, and techniques that can be used to assess and restore mussel populations. The main objective of this proposed symposium is to provide information on freshwater mussel conservation status and ecological and molecular tools and strategies used to conserve and manage freshwater mussel populations.
Moderator(s):
Nicole Rankin
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Warm Springs Fish Technology Center
National Fish Strain Registry
5308 Spring Street
Warm Springs, GA 31830
Phone: (706) 655-3382 ext. 246
nicole_rankin@fws.gov
Southeast U.S. Reef Fishes: Research, Monitoring, and Implications for Management
Reef fishes (especially snappers and groupers) have historically supported extensive commercial and recreational fisheries throughout much of the southeast United States coast. Despite their high productivity, the long-term sustainability of reef fish resources has recently come into question. A recent review of federally-managed stocks indicates that many reef fishes are currently overfished and/or undergoing overfishing. Along the Atlantic coast, recent concern for the status of red snapper has lead to the implementation of an emergency closure of commercial and recreational red snapper fisheries as well as a proposed establishment of a large area closure where all bottom fishing would be prohibited to reduce red snapper discard mortalities. In the Gulf of Mexico, where gag are currently overfished and undergoing overfishing, management alternatives currently under consideration include changes in bag/size limits for gag as well as the implementation of seasonal and/or area closures. The utility of fisheries-dependent data, which are used extensively in the assessment of most reef fishes, are severely compromised by the implementation of such severe management measures. Accordingly, recent stock assessments have repeatedly highlighted the need for expanded fisheries-independent surveys of reef fishes. Over the past year, both the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission have convened independent, multi-day workshops including scientists and resource managers to discuss how to best monitor reef fish populations. As a result of these workshops, recommendations have been made as to how to improve and/or expand upon existing reef fish surveys through the incorporation of new sampling methods and new technologies. The 2011 Southern Division spring meeting represents an excellent venue where scientists conducting surveys of reef fishes on both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts can come together to exchange ideas and disseminate results from recent studies. This exchange of information will have great utility given the participation of scientists from various federal, state, and academic institutions that are directly involved in the development and implementation of broadscale surveys of reef fishes on both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
Moderator(s):
Ted Switzer
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
100 8th Ave. S.E.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: (727) 896-8626 ext. 2116
Ted.Switzer@MyFWC.com
Sean Keenan
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Reproductive Resilience in Exploited Fishes of the Southeast U.S.: What do we need to know?
With the recognition that many marine stocks are either fully-exploited or over-exploited, management objectives are shifting from optimizing yield to achieving conservation and recovery of fish stocks. In addition, the realization that traditional stock assessments are over-simplifications of complex systems has led to a call for a better understanding of biological processes and ecosystems. Although incorporating detailed reproductive data into all stock assessments is not a practical goal, the need to understand factors driving population productivity, and the role reproductive biology plays in this productivity is being increasingly recognized. As knowledge of fish reproductive biology rapidly evolves and fisheries science shifts from an equilibrium to a resilience perspective, a number of long-held assumptions are being challenged. One long-held assumption has been that spawning stock biomass (SSB) could be used as a proxy for egg production. However, studies have increasingly shown that older, larger females may disproportionately contribute to both egg production and reproductive success. Exploited marine species are typically highly fecund, yet differ in a range of other reproductive traits. Given that a species’ reproductive compensatory ability depends on the selection pressures under which it evolved, we need to better understand these reproductive traits, their genetic basis and phenotypic plasticity, and the role they play in population productivity and resilience to fishing pressure to improve our predictions of population growth and recovery rates in overfished populations. Much work towards this objective has been conducted in conjunction with a four-year, European COST action, entitled Fish Reproduction and Fisheries, predominantly on coldwater species. Because reproductive strategies differ with habitat and temperature, the 2011 Southern Division spring meeting represents an excellent venue for reproductive scientists and stock assessment scientists working with warmwater fishes in the S.E. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts to come together to improve communication between these two groups and discuss the current use of reproductive data in stock assessments, as well as exploring assumptions underlying SSB-based reference points, and our emerging understanding of reproductive biology which challenges many of these assumptions. The exchange of information will have great utility given the participation of scientists from federal, state, and academic institutions as well as a presentation from the Coordinator of the COST project in Europe.
Moderator(s):
Sue Lowerre-Barbieri
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
100 8th Ave. S.E.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: (727) 896-8626 ext. 4134
Susan.Barbieri@MyFWC.com
Gary Fitzhugh
NMFS/NOAA
Deb Murie
Univ. of Florida
Non-native Fishes in Florida (discussion panel)
Background and Purpose:
The Everglades is at a cross road with the management of non-native fishes.
Non-native fishes do not follow the political boundaries of the agencies and organizations tasked with restoring the Everglades. South Florida supports a greater numbers of non-native fishes than most other states, owing to the subtropical climate, and the vast network of inter-connecting canals. Most invasions of non-native fishes occur in proximity to pump stations and canals, which allow for the persistence and dispersal of these species. As the number of non-native fishes established in the canal systems in Florida continues to increase, the number of non-native fishes inside Everglades National Park has also increased as species established in the canal systems spread to the natural marshes. Everglades National Park was established to preserve biota in a natural condition. Non-native fishes violate this mandate. Philosophical differences in the management goals regarding non-native fishes may limit the ability to protect Florida's natural areas from the spread of non-native fishes. As Everglades restoration initiatives progress an unintended consequence maybe facilitating the spread of non-native fishes into protected areas. The goal of this discussion panel is to open a dialogue and bring forth new ideas regarding the management of non-native fishes in Florida in order to enhance the protection of the Everglades and other natural areas in South Florida from the spread of new non-native fishes."
Outline for the Discussion Panel
Moderator(s):
Kevin Whelan
National Park Service
South Florida/Caribbean Network Inventory and Monitoring
18001 Old Cutler Rd.
Suite 419
Miami, Florida 33157
Kevin_R_Whelan@nps.gov
Phone: (786) 249-0210 direct phone line
Phone: (305) 252-0347 mainline phone to leave messages
Tony Pernas
National Park Service