Annotated bibliography on hypoxia and its effects on marine life, with emphasis on the Gulf of Mexico

This bibliography contains 73 annotated references from publications and reports concerning hypoxia, .,; 2.0 ppm dissolved oxygen concentration, in the Gulf of Mexico. Instances of hypoxia from similar habitats and the effects of low oxygen levels on marine or estuarine organisms are also included. (PDF file contains 15 pages.)

Migrations of yellowfin tuna tagged off the southern coast of Mexico in 1960 and 1969

ENGLISH: The map method, the Jones method, the variance-covariance method, and the Skellam method were used to study the migrations of tagged yellowfin tuna released off the southern coast of Mexico in 1960 and 1969. The first three methods are all useful, and each presents information which is complementary to that presented by the others. The Skellam method, as used in this report, is less useful. The movements of the tagged fish released in 1960 appeared to have been strongly directed, but this was probably caused principally by the distribution of the fishing effort. The effort was much more widely distributed in 1970, and the movements of the fish released in 1969 appeared to have been much less directed. The correlation coefficients derived from the variance-covariance method showed that it was not random, however. The small fish released in the Acapulco and 10°N-100°W areas in 1969 migrated to the Manzanillo area near the beginning of February 1970. The medium and large fish released in the same areas in the same year tended to migrate to the southeast throughout the first half of 1970, however. SPANISH: El método de mapas, el de Jones, el de la variancia-covariancia y el de Skellam fueron empleados para estudiar las migraciones del atún aleta amarilla marcado y liberado frente a la costa meridional de México en 1960 y 1969. Los tres primeros métodos son todos útiles, y cada uno presenta información que complementa la presentada por los otros. El método de Skellam, conforme se usa en este informe, es menos útil. Parece que los desplazamientos de los peces marcados y liberados en 1960 hubieran sido fuertemente orientados, pero ésto probablemente fue causado principalmente por la distribución del esfuerzo de pesca. El esfuerzo se distribuyó más extensamente en 1970, y parece que los desplazamientos de los peces liberados en 1969 fueran menos orientados. Los coeficientes de correlación derivados del método variancia-covariancia indicaron, sin embargo, que no eran aleatorios. Los peces pequeños liberados en las áreas de Acapulco y los 10°N-100°W en 1969 migraron al área de Manzanillo a principios de febrero 1970. Los peces medianos y grandes liberados en las mismas áreas en el mismo año tuvieron, sin embargo, la tendencia a desplazarse al sudeste durante el primer semestre de 1970. (PDF contains 64 pages.)

Actividades Pesqueras de Mexico en 1938

Catch statistics for Mexican waters 1938. (PDF has 181 pages.)

Panama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2008 Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 2008 1. Completed the first of a two-year Gulf sturgeon population study on the Choctawhatchee River, Florida. The sub adult and adult Gulf sturgeon population was estimated at 2,800 fish. 2. Gulf sturgeon eggs were collected at three hard bottom sites in the Apalachicola River, Florida; two sites were previously confirmed spawning areas and one was a newly confirmed spawning area. 3. Documented 55 potential environmental threats to Gulf sturgeon spawning habitat in the Pea River, Florida and Alabama. 4. Assigned the Eglin AFB Road-Stream Crossing Working Group to guide the closure, repair and maintenance of roads and road stream crossings that impact threatened and endangered species. 5. Conducted 81 assessments of fish and stream invertebrates on and in watersheds surrounding Eglin AFB. 6. Provided technical support for the 5-year status review and reclassification proposed rule for the Okaloosa darter. 7. Initiated an intensive population genetic analysis of the Okaloosa darter throughout its range. Tissues from over 200 Okaloosa darters were collected and analyzed. 8. Established a GIS database to serve as a host for data from any sites sampled for mussels in Northeast Gulf of Mexico drainages. 9. Conducted habitat surveys at 115 locations in the Apalachicola River to assess the effects of drought-related mussel mortality and strandings, evaluate habitat conditions, and assess population demography. 10. A land use/aerial imagery threats assessment data analysis was completed for the Chipola River. A total of 266 impoundments/borrow pits and 471 unpaved road crossings were identified among the threats. 11. Okaloosa darters marked with elastomeric dyes were monitored in Mill Creek, Eglin AFB, to determine movement and habitat use following completion of a fish passage project. 3 12. Partners for Fish and Wildlife funded a streambank and riparian restoration project on Econfina Creek consisting of 3,900 feet of streambank fencing to exclude cattle access. One acre of riparian floodplain was planted with native trees. 13. We provided design and on-the-ground assistance for restoring surface hydrology at St. Vincent NWR. The project restored approximately 1.5 miles of tidal stream and 100 acres of wetlands. 14. A study was completed on 11 coastal streams to document large wood debris relationships with fluvial geomorphic characteristics. 15. We developed a Population Viability Analysis model for the fat threeridge mussel to determine current and future risk of extinction. 17. A Gulf Sturgeon Friends Group, “Gulf Sturgeon Preservation Society” was organized in FY 08. 18. Multiple outreach projects were completed to detail aquatic resource conservation needs and opportunities, including National Fishing Week, Earth Day, several festivals and school outreach.

Panama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2006 Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 2006 1. Captured and tagged 475 Gulf sturgeons in five Florida rivers and one bay. 2. Documented Gulf sturgeon marine movement and habitat use in the Gulf of Mexico. 3. Assisted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with the collection of Gulf sturgeon, implantation of acoustic tags, and monitoring of fish in a study to examine movement patterns and habitat use in Pensacola and Choctawhatchee bays post-Hurricane Ivan. 4. Provided technical assistance to Jon “Bo” Sawyer in completing a study – Summer Resting Areas of the Gulf Sturgeon in the Conecuh/Escambia River System, Alabama-Florida – for acquiring a Degree of Master of Science at Troy University, Alabama. 5. Coordinated tagging and data collection with NOAA observers aboard trawlers while collecting Gulf sturgeon during dredging operations in the coastal Gulf of Mexico. 6. Hosted the 7th Annual Gulf Sturgeon Workshop. 7. Implemented Gulf Striped Bass Restoration Plan by coordinating the 23rd Annual Morone Workshop, leading the technical committee, transporting broodfish, coordinating the stocking on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river system, and evaluating post-stocking success. 8. Continued updating and managing the Freshwater Mussel Survey Database, a Geographic Information System (GIS) database, for over 800 unique sites in the Northeast Gulf (NEG) drainages in Alabama (AL), Georgia (GA), and Florida (FL). 9. Formed a recovery implementation team for listed mussels in the ACF river basin and oversaw grant cooperative agreements for 14 listed and candidate freshwater mussels in the NEG watersheds. 10. Initiated a project in the Apalachicola River to relocate mussels stranded as a result of drought conditions, and calculate river flows at which mussels would be exposed. 11. Initiated a project in Sawhatchee Creek, Georgia to determine the status of threatened and endangered (T&E) freshwater mussels and target restoration projects, population assessments, and potential population augmentation to lead toward recovery of the listed species. 12. Initiated a study to determine the age and growth of the endangered fat threeridge mussel (Amblema neislerii). 13. Provided technical assistance to the Panama City Ecological Services office for a biological opinion on the operations of Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam and its effects on the listed species and designated and proposed critical habitat in the Apalachicola River, Florida. 14. Assisted with a multi-State, inter-agency team to develop a management plan to restore the Alabama shad in the ACF river system. 15. Conducted fishery surveys on Tyndall AFB, Florida and Ft. Benning, Georgia and completed a report with recommendations for future recreational fishery needs. 16. Provided fishery technical assistance to four National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) (i.e., Okefenokee NWR, Banks Lake NWR, St. Vincent NWR, and St. Marks NWR). 17. Initiated an Aquatic Resources and Recreation Fishing Survey on Department of Defense facilities located in Region 4. 18. Identified 130 road-stream crossings on Eglin AFB for rehabilitation and elimination of sediment imputs. 19. Continued the Aquatics Monitoring Program at Eglin AFB to assess techniques that determine current status and sustainability of aquatic habitat and develop a measure to determine quality or degradation of habitat. 20. Assisted Eglin AFB Natural Resource managers in revising the installation’s Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) and its associated component plans. 21. Coordinated recovery efforts for the endangered Okaloosa darter including population/life history surveys, stream restoration, and outreach activities. 22. Initiated a comprehensive status review of the Okaloosa darter with analyses performed to assess available habitat, preferred habitats, range expansions/reductions/fragmentations, population size, and probability of extinction. 23. Assisted the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) under a Memorandum of Agreement to develop conservation strategies, implement monitoring and assessment programs, and secure funds for aquatic management programs in six watersheds in northwest Florida and southeast Alabama. 24. Entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Air Force to encourage the conservation and rehabilitation of natural resources at Hurlburt Field, Florida. 25. Multiple outreach projects were completed to detail aquatic resources’ conservation needs and opportunities; including National Fishing Week, Earth Day, several festivals, and school outreach.

Panama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2005 Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 2005 1. Assisted with a study to assess hurricane impacts to Gulf sturgeon critical foraging habitat. 2. Documented Gulf sturgeon marine movement and habitat use in the Gulf of Mexico. 3. Documented Gulf sturgeon spawning with the collection of fertilized eggs in the Apalachicola River, Florida. 4. Documented Gulf sturgeon spawning with the collection of fertilized eggs in the Yellow River, Florida. 5. Assisted with benthic invertebrate survey at Gulf sturgeon marine foraging grounds. 6. Implemented Gulf Striped Bass Restoration Plan by coordinating the 22nd Annual Morone Workshop, leading the technical committee, transporting broodfish, and coordinating the stocking on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river system. 7. Over 87,000 Phase II Gulf striped bass were marked with sequential coded wire tags and stocked in the Apalachicola River. Post-stocking evaluations were conducted at 45 sites in the fall and spring and 8 thermal refuges in the summer. 8. Completed fishery surveys on 4 ponds on Eglin AFB totaling 53 acres, and completed a report with recommendations for future recreational fishery needs. 9. Completed final report for aquatic monitoring at Eglin AFB from 1999 to 2004. 10. Completed a field collection of the endangered Okaloosa darter to be incorporated into a status review to be completed in FY06. 11. Provided technical assistance to the Region 4 National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) program on changes to the fishery conservation targets for the region. Also provided technical assistance to four NWRs (i.e., Okefenokee NWR, Banks Lake NWR, St. Vincent NWR, and St. Marks NWR) relative to hurricanes and recreational fishing. 12. A draft mussel sampling protocol was tested in wadeable streams in Northwest Florida and southwest Georgia, and an associated field guide, poster, and Freshwater Mussel Survey Protocol and Identification workshop were completed in FY05. 13. Implemented recovery plan and candidate conservation actions for 14 listed and candidate freshwater mussels in the Northeast Gulf Watersheds. 14. Initiated or completed multiple stream restoration and watershed management projects. A total of 7.5 stream miles were restored for stream fishes, and 11 miles of coastline were enhanced for sea turtle lighting. A total of 630 acres of wetlands and 2,401 acres of understory habitat were restored. 15. Conducted a watershed assessment to develop a threats analysis for prioritizing restoration, protection, and enhancement to natural resources of Spring Creek, Georgia and Canoe Creek, Florida. 16. Continued the formation of an Unpaved Road Interagency Team of Federal, State, and local agencies in Northwest Florida to promote stream protection and restoration from unpaved road sediment runoff. Began the development of a technical committee agreement. 17. Conducted Alabama Unpaved Road Inventory within the Northeast Gulf Ecosystem. Data collection will be completed during FY06. 18. Finalized the development of two North Florida hydrophysiographic regional curves for use by the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) and others involved with stream restoration and protection. Initiated the development of the Alabama Coastal Plain Riparian Reference Reach and Regional Curves for use by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM). 19. Provided technical assistance in collecting data, analysis, and thesis formulation with Troy University, Alabama, to identify the influence of large woody debris in southeastern coastal plain streams. 20. Completed pre- and post-restoration fish community monitoring at several restoration projects including Big Escambia Creek, Magnolia Creek, and Oyster Lake, Florida. 21. Established a watershed partnership for the Chipola River in Alabama and Florida and expanded development and participation in the Spring Creek Watershed Partnership, Georgia. 22. Continued to identify barriers which inhibit the movement of aquatic species within the Northeast Gulf Ecoregion. 23. Completed a report on road crossing structures in Okaloosa darter streams to guide the closure/repair/maintenance of roads to contribute to recovery of the endangered species. In cooperation with Three Rivers RC&D Council, fish passage sites identified in the report were prioritized for restoration. 24. Monitored Aquatic Nuisance Species in the Apalachicola River and tested the sterility of exotic grass carp. 25. Multiple outreach projects were completed to detail aquatic resources conservation needs and opportunities. Participated in National Fishing Week event, several festivals, and school outreach.

Panama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2004 Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 2004 1. Completed the second of a 3-year Gulf sturgeon population estimate on the Escambia River, Florida. 2. Completed the first of a 2-year Gulf sturgeon population estimate on the Apalachicola River, Florida. 3. Conducted Gulf sturgeon presence-absence surveys in three other Florida river systems. 4. Documented Gulf sturgeon marine habitat use in the near shore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. 5. Identified environmental threats to Gulf sturgeon spawning habitat in the Choctawhatchee River, Florida. 6. Initiated a study to document Gulf sturgeon spawning with the collection of fertilized eggs in the Yellow River, Florida. 7. Implemented Gulf Striped Bass Restoration Plan by coordinating the 21st Annual Morone Workshop, leading the technical committee, transporting broodfish, and coordinating the stocking on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river system. 8. Over 86,000 Phase II Gulf striped bass were marked with sequential coded wire tags and stocked in Lake Seminole and the Apalachicola River. Post-stocking evaluations were conducted at 31 sites. 9. Drafted updates to Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Striped Bass Restoration and Evaluation Five-Year Plan with partners. 10. Fishery surveys were conducted on Tyndall Air Force Base and St. Marks and St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuges. 11. Habitat evaluations and population surveys were completed at 153 Okaloosa darter stream sites. 12. Aquatic insect biomonitoring and identification of over 39,000 individual aquatic macroinvertebrates was completed and provided to Eglin Air Force Base. 13. Ten years of fishery data from Okefenokee and Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuges was analyzed with recommendations incorporated into the refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan. 14. A draft mussel sampling protocol was tested in wadeable streams in northwest Florida and southwest Georgia. 15. Implemented recovery plan and candidate conservation actions for 14 listed and candidate freshwater mussels in the Northeast Gulf Watersheds. 16. Worked with partners in developing the Spring Creek Watershed Partnership in the Flint River basin, Georgia. 17. Multiple stream restoration and watershed management projects were initiated or completed. A total of 6.8 stream miles were restored for stream fishes, along with 56.4 miles of coastline were enhanced for sea turtle lighting. A total of 135 acres of wetlands and 58 acres of understory habitat were restored. 18. Multiple outreach projects were completed to detail aquatic resources conservation needs and opportunities. Participated in National Fishing Week event, BASS ProShops event, several festivals, and school outreach.

Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico): Bay anchovy and Striped Anchovy

(PDF contains 24 pages)

Freshwater biological research in Mexico: A brief historical review

Apart from a couple of early papers in the 1600s, the development of freshwater biology as a science in Mexico began in the last century. Taxonomic studies were made especially on algae, aquatic insects, crustaceans, annelid worms and aquatic plants. The great impetus acquired by limnology in Europe and America in the first half of the 20th Century stimulated foreign researchers to come and work in Mexico. During this period the Instituto de Biologia, belonging to the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, was created in 1930. The Institute had a section of Hydrobiology that contributed to the limnological characterization of Mexican lakes and ponds. In 1962, the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Biologico-Pesqueras was created to bring together the work of several institutes working on the native ichthyofauna, the restocking of reservoirs, and aquaculture.

The aquatic biota of the now extinct lacustrine complex of the Mexico basin

The commonest organisms of the original Mexico lake complex are listed, including those that exist today in the Lago Viejo. In addition, a brief hydraulic history of this endorheic basin is given.

The lakes of Michoacan (Mexico): A brief history and alternative point of view

This article is intended to open a discussion about the historical development of lakes Zirahuen, Patzcuaro and Cuitzeo in the state of Michoacan, and the postulated relationships between lake ecology and evolution. Dr Fernando De Buen was the first man dedicated to limnology in Mexico who came to the country in the 1930s. He was adviser at the Estacion Limnologica de Patzcuaro and wrote outstanding papers dealing with Mexican lakes. The lakes of Michoacan probably formed in the late Pliocene or Holocene, and were part of a tributary to the Lerma River, which became isolated by successive volanic barriers to form lake basins. Lake Zirahuen is a warm monomictic waterbody with unique water dynamics amongst the Michoacan lakes. Because it is relatively deep (max depth 40m), seasonal patterns of alternating circulation and thermal stratification develop in the lake, a feature not shared by the other two polymictic shallow lakes, Patzcuaro and Cuitzeo.

Spatial and temporal distribution of grouper larvae (Serranidae: Epinephelinae: Epinephelini) in the Gulf of Mexico and Straits of Florida

Little is known about the seasonality and distribution of grouper larvae (Serranidae: Epinephelini) in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the southeast United States. Grouper larvae were collected from a transect across the Straits of Florida in 2003 and 2004 and during the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program spring and fall surveys from 1982 through 2005. Analysis of these larval data provided information on location and timing of spawning, larval distribution patterns, and interannual occurrence for a group of species not easily studied as adults. Our analyses indicated that shelf-edge habitat is important for spawning of many species of grouper—some species for which data were not previously available. Spawning for some species may occur year-round, but two peak seasons are evident: late winter and late summer through early fall. Interannual variability in the use of three important subregions by species or groups of species was partially explained by environmental factors (surface temperature, surface salinity, and water depth). A shift in species dominance over the last three decades from spring-spawned species (most of the commercial species) to fall-spawned species also was documented. The results of these analyses expand our understanding of the basic distribution and spawning patterns of northwest Atlantic grouper species and indicate a need for further examination of the changing population structure of individual species and species dominance in the region.

Climate-related hydrological regimes and their effects on abundance of juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico

The abundance of juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico was investigated in response to climate-related hydrological regimes. Two distinct periods of blue crab abundance (1, 1973–94 and 2, 1997–2005) were associated with two opposite climaterelated hydrological regimes. Period 1 was characterized by high numbers of crabs, whereas period 2 was characterized by low numbers of crabs. The cold phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and high north-south wind momentum were associated with period 1. Hydrological conditions associated with phases of the AMO and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in conjunction with the north-south wind momentum may favor blue crab productivity by influencing blue crab predation dynamics through the exclusion of predators. About 25% (22–28%) of the variability in blue crab abundance was explained by a north–south wind momentum in concert with either salinity, precipitation, or the Palmer drought severity index, or by a combination of the NAO and precip

Distribution, growth, and mortality of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) larvae in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted in shelf and slope waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico during the months of May–September in 2005 and 2006 to investigate the potential role of this region as spawning and nursery habitat of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). During the two-year study, 2426 sailfish larvae were collected, ranging in size from 2.0 to 24.3 mm standard length. Mean density for all neuston net collections (n=288) combined was 1.5 sailfish per 1000 m2, and maximum density was observed within frontal features created by hydrodynamic convergence (2.3 sailfish per 1000 m2). Sagittal otoliths were extracted from 1330 larvae, and otolith microstructure analysis indicated that the sailfish ranged in age from 4 to 24 days after hatching (mean=10.5 d, standard deviation [SD]=3.2 d). Instantaneous growth coefficients (g) among survey periods (n=5) ranged from 0.113 to 0.127, and growth peaked during July 2005 collections when density within frontal features was highest. Daily instantaneous mortality rates (Z) ranged from 0.228 to 0.381, and Z was indexed to instantaneous weight-specific growth (G) to assess stage-specific production potential of larval cohorts. Ratios of G to Z were greater than 1.0 for all but one cohort examined, indicating that cohorts were gaining biomass during the majority of months investigated. Stage-specific production potential, in combination with catch rates and densities of larvae, indicates that the Gulf of Mexico likely represents important spawning and nursery habitat for sailfish.