Table Of Content: 55.2: ES 8/4/ V.2
NOAA's Estuarine Living Marine Resources Program
Distribution andAbundance of Fishes and
Invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico Estuaries
Volume Species Life History Summaries
II:
August 1997
U.S. Department of Commerce
National Oceanic andAtmosphericAdministration
National Ocean Service
NOAA's Estuarine Living Marine Resources Program
The Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) Division of NOAA's Office of Ocean Resources Conservation and
Assessment (ORCA) wascreated in responsetothe needforcomprehensive information onthe effects ofhuman activities
onthenation'scoastalocean. TheSEADivisionperformsassessmentsoftheestuarineandcoastalenvironmentsandofthe
resourcesofthe U.S. ExclusiveEconomicZone(EEZ). SEADivison'sBiogeographicCharacterizationBranchdevelopsand
disseminates information on the distribution and ecology of living marine resources throughout the Nation's estuarine and
coastal environments (Monaco and Christensen 1997).
InJune 1985, NOAAbegan aprogramto developacomprehensive information baseonthe life history, relativeabundance,
anddistributionoffishesandinvertebratesinestuariesthroughoutthenation. TheEstuarineLivingMarineResources(ELMR)
program hasbeenconductedjointlybytheSEADivision,theNational MarineFisheriesService(NMFS), andotheragencies
and institutions. The nationwide ELMR data basewascompleted in 1994, and includes datafor 153 speciesfound in 122
estuariesand coastal embayments. Ten reportsand reprintsare nowavailablefree upon request. This report, Distribution
and Abundance of Fishes and Invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico Estuaries, Volume II: Species Life History Summaries,
summarizesinformationontheestuarinelife historycharacteristicsof44fish andinvertebratespeciesoftheGulfofMexico.
Itcomplementsdistributionandabundanceinformationpresentedin VolumeI:DataSummaries(Nelsonetal.1992). Anational
reportsummarizing the dataand resultsfrom the ELMR program is plannedforpublication in late 1997.
Threetofivesalinityzones, as defined in NOAA's NationalEstuarineInventoryProgram (NOAA 1985) provided thespatial
frameworkfororganizinginformationonspeciesdistributionandabundancewithineachestuary. Theprimarydatadeveloped
foreachspecies includespatial distribution bysalinityzone, temporaldistribution bymonth, and relativeabundancebylife
stage, e.g., adult, spawning, juvenile, larva, and egg. In addition, life historysummaries andtables are developedforeach
species.
Additional information on this orotherprograms of NOAA's SEA Division isavailablefrom:
NOAA/NOS SEA Division, N/ORCA1
1305 East-West Hwy., 9th Floor
SilverSpring, Maryland 20910
Phone (301) 713-3000, Fax (301) 713-4384
Selected reports and reprints availablefrom NOAA's Estuarine Living Marine Resourcesprogram include:
Monaco, M.E., et al. 1990. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in west coast estuaries, Vol. I: Data
summaries. ELMR Rep. No. 4. NOAA/NOS StrategicAssessment Branch, Rockville, MD. 232 p.
Emmett, R.L.,etal. 1991. Distributionandabundanceoffishesandinvertebratesinwestcoastestuaries,Vol. II:Specieslife
historysummaries. ELMR Rep. No. 8. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, Rockville, MD. 329 p.
Nelson, D.M., etal. 1991. Distribution and abundance offishesand invertebrates in southeastestuaries. ELMR Rep. No.
9. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, Rockville, MD. 167 p.
Monaco, M.E., et al. 1992. Assemblages of U.S. west coast estuaries based on the distribution of fishes. Journal of
Biogeography 19: 251-267.
Nelson, D.M. (editor), et al. 1992. Distribution and abundanceoffishes and invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico estuaries, Vol.
I: Datasummaries. ELMR Rep. No. 10. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, Rockville, MD. 273 p.
Bulger, A.J., etal. 1993. Biologically-basedsalinityzonesderivedfrom a multivariate analysis. Estuaries 16: 311-322.
Stone, S.L., etal. 1994. Distribution and abundance offishes and invertebratesin Mid-Atlantic estuaries. ELMR Rep. No.
12. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, SilverSpring, MD. 280 p.
Jury, S.H., etal. 1994. Distribution andabundanceoffishesand invertebratesin NorthAtlanticestuaries. ELMR Rep. No.
13. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, SilverSpring, MD. 221 p.
Christensen, J.D., etal. 1997. An indexto assessthe sensitivityofGulfof Mexicospeciestochanges in estuarine salinity
regimes. Gulf Res. Rep. 9(4):219-229.
Pattillo, M.E.,etal. 1997. DistributionandabundanceoffishesandinvertebratesinGulfofMexicoestuaries,Vol. II:Species
life historysummaries. ELMR Rep. No. 11. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, SilverSpring, MD. 377p.
Distribution and Abundance of Fishes and
Invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico Estuaries
Volume II: Species Life History Summaries
Team
Project
Mark E. Pattillo1 and Thomas E. Czapla2
Galveston Laboratory
Southeast Fisheries Science Center
NOAA
National Marine Fisheries Service
Galveston, TX 77551
David M. Nelson3 and Mark E. Monaco
Biogeographic Characterization Branch
Strategic Environmental Assessments Division
Office of Ocean Resources Conservation and Assessment
NOAA National Ocean Service
Silver Spring, MD 20910
elmr Report Number
1 1 Pennsylvania Slate University
Libraries
August 1997
SEP 2 4 1997
Documents Collection
U.S. Depository Copy
c^„, o^
'Current address: U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers, Galveston TX 77553.
2Current address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, DenverCO 80225.
Correspondenceto: D.M. Nelson, NOAA N/ORCA1, SilverSpring MD 20910.
This report should be cited as:
Pattillo, M.E., T.E. Czapla, D.M. Nelson, and M.E. Monaco. 1997. Distribution and abundance of fishes and
invertebrates inGulfofMexicoestuaries, Volume II: Species life historysummaries. ELMR Rep. No. 11. NOAA/
NOS Strategic Environmental Assessments Division, Silver Spring, MD. 377 p.
1
Contents
Introduction 1
Rationale 1
Data Collection and Organization 2
Selection of Estuaries 2
Selection of Species 4
Data Sheets 5
Data Verification 6
Data Content and Quality 6
Life History Summaries and Tables 6
Life History Summaries 6
Life History Tables 1
Concluding Comments 11
Acknowledgements 11
Literature Cited 11
Species Life History Summaries
Bay scallop 13
American oyster 21
Atlantic rangia 32
Hard clam 38
Bay squid 49
Brown shrimp 55
Pink shrimp 64
White shrimp 73
Grass shrimp 81
Spiny lobster 88
Blue crab 97
Stone crab 108
Bull shark 118
Tarpon 122
Alabama shad 130
Gulf menhaden 134
Yellowfin menhaden 144
Gizzard shad 148
Bay anchovy 153
Hardhead catfish 161
Sheepshead minnow 169
Gulf killifish 176
Silversides 183
Common snook 193
Bluefish 203
Blue runner 211
Crevallejack 216
Florida pompano 222
Gray snapper 228
Sheepshead 235
Pinfish 241
Silver perch 247
Sand seatrout 252
Spotted seatrout 259
Spot 269
Atlantic croaker 277
Black drum 284
Red drum 291
Striped mullet 305
Code goby 315
Spanish mackerel 320
Gulf flounder 329
Southern flounder 334
Glossary 341
Life History Tables
Table 6. Habitat associations 355
Table 7. Biological attributes 365
Table 8. Reproduction 375
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
http://archive.org/details/distributionabunOOnels
Distribution andAbundance ofFishes and Invertebrates in GulfofMexico Estuaries
Volume II: Species Life History Summaries
Introduction Service (NOS), the National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS),andotherresearchinstitutions. Theobjective
Thisisthesecondoftwovolumesthatpresentinforma- of the ELMR program is to develop a consistent data
tion on the spatial and temporal distributions, relative base on the distribution, abundance, and life history
abundance, and life history characteristics of 44 fish characteristicsofimportantfishesand invertebrates in
and invertebrate species in 31 Gulf of Mexico estuar- the Nation's estuaries. This data base contains the
ies. This volume contains life history summaries for relative abundance and monthly occurrence of each
eachspecies. Eachsummaryidentifiesthelifehistory species' life stage by estuary for three to five salinity
characteristics that describe a species' occurrence in zones identified in NOAA's NationalEstuarine Inven-
theseestuaries. Thesesummariesweredevelopedto tory (NEI) Program (NOAA 1985b). The nationwide
complementdata presented in DistributionandAbun- data base is divided intofive study regions (Figure 1),
dance of Fishes and Invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico and contains information for 153fish and invertebrate
Estuaries, Volume I: Data Summaries (Nelson et species found in 122 U.S. estuaries.
al.1992), hereafter referred to as Volume I.
Rationale
The summaries presented here are not a complete
treatiseonallaspectsofeachspecies'biology,butthey EstuariesareamongtheEarth'smostproductivenatu-
provideaconciseaccountofthemostimportantphysi- ral systems and are important nursery areas that
cal and biological factors known to affect a species' provide food, refuge from predation, and valuable
occurrence within estuaries. As a supplement to the habitatfor many species (Gunter 1967, Joseph 1973,
life history summaries, their content was augmented Weinstein 1979, Mann 1982). Estuarine-dependent
with additional physical and biological criteria and organismsthatsupportimportantcommercialand rec-
condensed into three life historytables. Thesetables reationalfisheriesincludesciaenids,clupeids,shrimps,
present life history characteristics for each species andcrabs. Inspiteofthewell-documented importance
along with behavioral traits and preferred habitats. ofestuariestofishesand invertebrates,fewconsistent
and comprehensive data bases exist which allow ex-
This report is a product of the National Oceanic and aminationsoftherelationshipsbetweenestuarinespe-
Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Estuarine Liv- cies found in or among groups of estuaries. Further-
ing Marine Resources (ELMR) Program (see inside more, muchofthedistributionandabundanceinforma-
frontcover),acooperativestudyoftheNationalOcean tionforestuarine-dependentspecies (i.e.,speciesthat
North Atlantic
NOAANMFS
17estuaries,
Hammond, OR
58species
West Coast MaineDMR,
BoothbayHarbor, ME
32estuaries, UNH, Durham, NH
47species
Mid-Atlantic
22estuaries,
61 species
NOAASEADivision,
MD
SilverSpring,
VIMS, GloucesterPoint, VA
NOAA NMFS, Beaufort, NC
Southeast
20estuaries,
40species
Figure 1. ELMR study regions and regional research institutions.
require estuaries during their life cycle) is foroffshore Data Collection and Organization
lifestagesanddoesnotadequatelydescribeestuarine
distributions (Darnell et al. 1983, NOAA 1985a). Volume/containsdetaileddistributionandabundance
data for44 fish and invertebrate species in 31 Gulf of
Onlyafewcomprehensive sampling programscollect Mexico estuaries, and a complete discussion of the
fishesand invertebrateswith identical methodsacross methodsusedtocompilethesedata. However, abrief
groups of estuaries within a region (Hammerschmidt description of methods from Volume I is presented
and McEachron 1986). Therefore, most existing es- here to aid interpretation of distribution and relative
tuarine fisheries data cannot be compared among abundance tables included in the species life history
estuaries becauseofthevariablesamplingstrategies. summaries presented inthis report. Figure2 summa-
Inaddition,existing researchprogramsdonotfocuson rizes the major steps taken to collect and organize
howgroupsofestuaries maybe importantforregional informationonthedistributionandabundanceoffishes
fishery management, and few compile information for and invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico estuaries. The
species having little or no economic value. following sections provide an overview ofthe estuary/
species selection process, and development of the
Because life stages of many species use both estua- ELMR data base.
rine and marine habitats, information on distribution,
abundance, temporal utilization, and life history char- SelectionofEstuaries. ThirtyestuariesoftheGulfof
acteristics is needed to understand the coupling of Mexico (Table 1, Figure 3) were initially selected from
estuarine, nearshore, and offshore areas. To date, a the National Estuarine Inventory (NEI) Data Atlas:
national, comprehensive, and consistent data baseof Volume /(NOAA 1985b). However, Florida Bay was
thistypedoesnotexist. Consequently,thereisaneed addedtothe NEI, andtothe ELMR program, because
to develop a program which integrates fragments of of its importance as habitat for Gulf of Mexico fishes
information on marineand estuarinespecies andtheir and invertebrates. Data on the spatial and temporal
associated habitats intoa useful, comprehensive, and distributions of species were initially compiled and
consistentformat. The ELMR program was designed organizedbasedonthreesalinityzonesdelineatedfor
to helpfulfill this need bydeveloping a uniform nation- eachestuaryinthe NEI;tidalfresh (0.0to0.5partsper
widedatabaseonselectedestuarinespecies. Results thousand (%o)), mixing (0.5 to 25.0%o), and seawater
complementNOAAeffortstodevelopanationalestua- (>25.0%o). The ELMRGulfofMexicodatabaseis now
rine assessment capability (NOAA 1985b), identify being revisedand updatedforfivebiologicallyrelevant
informationgaps,andassessthecontentandqualityof salinity zones (Bulger et al. 1993, Christensen et al.
existing estuarine fisheries data. 1997, NOAA 1997). While some Gulf of Mexico
estuariesdonotcontainallsalinityzones(e.g., Laguna
Madre has no mixing or tidal fresh zone), they were
Outputs
National
Compile Spatial
Estuarine 31 Estuary Distribution
Inventory Estuaries Information
Data
Temporal
Distribution
Prepare
Peer Review: Microcomputer
Species/Estuary
Data Sheets Data Verification Data Base
Relative
Abundance
Develop
Life History
Data
Summaries
Reliability
Figure 2. Major steps to complete the Gulf of Mexico ELMR study.
Table 1. ELMR Gulf of Mexico estuaries (n=31) and Table 2. ELMR Gulf of Mexico species (n=44).
associated salinity zones.
Estuary, State Zones present Common Name Scientific Name
Florida Bay, FL T M S Bay scallop Argopecten irradians
Ten Thousand Islands, FL T M S American oyster Crassostrea virginica
Caloosahatchee River, FL T M * Common rangia Rangia cuneata
Hard clam Mercenaria species
Charlotte Harbor, FL T M S
Bay squid Lolliguncula brevis
Tampa Bay, FL T M S Brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus
Suwannee River, FL T M S Pink shrimp Penaeus duorarum
Apalachee Bay, FL T M S White shrimp Penaeus setiferus
Apalachicola Bay, FL T M s Grass shrimp Palaemonetespugio
St. Andrew Bay, FL T M s Spiny lobster Panulirus argus
Blue crab Callinectes sapidus
Choctawhatchee Bay, FL T M s
Gulf stone crab Menippe adina
Pensacola Bay, FL T M s
Florida stone crab Menippe mercenaria
Perdido Bay, FL/AL T M s Bull shark Carcharhinus leucas
Mobile Bay, AL T M s Tarpon Megalops atlanticus
Mississippi Sound, MS/AL/LA T M s Alabama shad Alosa alabamae
Lake Borgne, LA T M * Gulf menhaden Brevoortia patronus
Lake Pontchartrain, LA * M * Yellowfin menhaden Brevoortia smithi
Gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum
Breton/Chandeleur Sounds, LA * M s
Bay anchovy Anchoa mitchilli
Mississippi River, LA T M * Hardhead catfish Arius felis
Barataria Bay, LA T M s Sheepshead minnow Cyprinodon variegatus
Terrebonne/Timbalier Bays, LA T M s Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis
Atchafalaya/Vermilion Bays, LA T M * Silversides Menidia species
Calcasieu Lake, LA T M * Snook Centropomus undecimalis
Sabine Lake, LA/TX T M * Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix
Blue runner Caranxcrysos
Galveston Bay, TX T M s
Crevalle jack Caranxhippos
Brazos River, TX T M * Florida pompano Trachinotus carolinus
Matagorda Bay, TX T M s Gray snapper Lutjanus griseus
San Antonio Bay, TX * M s Sheepshead Archosargusprobatocephalus
Aransas Bay, TX * M s Pinfish Lagodon rhomboides
Corpus Christi Bay, TX * M s Silver perch Bairdiella chrysoura
Sand seatrout Cynoscion arenarius
Laguna Madre, TX * * s
Spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus
Baffin Bay, TX * * s Spot Leiostomus xanthurus
Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus
T - Tidal fresh zone Black drum Pogonias cromis
M - Mixing zone Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus
S - Seawaterzone Striped mullet Mugilcephalus
* - salinity zone not present Code goby Gobiosoma robustum
Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus maculatus
Gulfflounder Paralichthys albigutta
Southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma
Estuary names are primarily from NOAA 1985b. Common andscientific names are primarilyfrom Rob-
ins et al. 1980, Turgeon et al. 1988, Williams et al.
1989, and Robins et al. 1991.
. . . .
included because they provide important habitat for 2) Recreational value - a species that recreational
many euryhaline species. fishermen specificallytrytocatchthat mayor may not
be of commercial importance. Recreational species
Selection ofSpecies. To ensure that important Gulf (e.g., red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, and common
of Mexico estuarine species were included in the snook, Centropomus undecimalty were determined
ELMR study, a species list was developed (Table 2) by consulting regional experts and NMFS reports.
and reviewed by regional experts. Four criteria were
used to identify the 44 species entered into the data 3) Indicatorspeciesofenvironmentalstress-identified
base: from the literature, discussions with fisheries experts,
and from monitoring programs such as NOAA's Na-
1) Commercial value - a species that commercial tional Status and Trends Program (O'Connor 1990).
fishermen specifically try to catch (e.g., gulf menha- These species (e.g., American oyster, Crassostrea
den, Brevoortia patronus, and blue crab, Callinectes virginica, and Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias
sapidus),asdeterminedfromcatchandvaluestatistics undulatus)aremolluscsorbottomfishesthatconsume
of the NMFS and state agencies. benthicinvertebratesorhaveastrongassociationwith
bottomsediments. Theirphysiologicaldisorders, mor-
Central Gulf of Mexico
14. Mississippi Sound
15. Lake Borgne
16. Lake Pontchartrain v
17. Breton/Chandeleur Sound
18. Mississippi River Eastern Gulf of Mexico
19. Barataria Bay 1 Florida Bay
20. Terrebonne/Timbalier Bay 2. Ten Thousand Islands
21 AtchafalayaA/ermilion Bay 3. Caloosahatchee River
22. Calcasieu Lake 4. Charlotte Harbor
Western Gulf of Mexico 5. Tampa Bay
23. Sabine Lake 6. Suwannee River
24. Galveston Bay 7. Apalachee Bay
25. Brazos River 8. Apalachicola Bay
26. Matagorda Bay 9. St. Andrew Bay
27. San Antonio Bay 10. Choctawhatchee Bay
28. Aransas Bay 11 Pensacola Bay
29. Corpus Christi Bay 12. Perdido Bay
30. Laguna Madre 13. Mobile Bay
31 Baffin Bay
Figure 3. ELMR Gulf of Mexico estuaries.
