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Distribution and community structure of coastal sharks in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico

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Abstract

Coastal shark abundance and community structure was quantified across 10 geographic areas in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico using fishery-independent gillnet data from 2003 to 2011. A total of 3,205 sets were made in which 14,244 carcharhiniform sharks, primarily juveniles, were caught comprising 11 species from three families. The three most abundant species, Atlantic sharpnose Rhizoprionodon terraenovae, bonnethead Sphyrna tiburo and blacktip sharks Carcharhinus limbatus, were consistently captured over all sampling sites regardless of environmental conditions; however, some species (e.g., bull C. leucas, blacknose C. acrontous, finetooth C. isodon, and sandbar sharks C. plumbeus) were restricted to a specific area or a range of areas. Two-way crossed analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) found geographic area to significantly influence shark species-life stage assemblages while season did not. Resemblance matrices between environmental data and shark community assemblage found the two were weakly but significantly correlated, with the combination of salinity and water clarity producing the highest Spearman rank correlation value. Species diversity varied by geographic area, but was generally highest in areas with the greatest amount of fresh and saltwater fluctuations. Our results suggest that estuarine conditions adjacent to river mouths may affect juvenile shark assemblages across similar latitudes and some areas of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico may be considered important nursery areas for select shark species. This study provides important insight into the habitat use of a variety of coastal shark species and can be used to better manage these species through the determination of critical habitat.

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Acknowledgments

DM Bethea and JK Carlson thank the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Panama City Laboratory, especially K Smith, L Hollensead, and the numerous unpaid interns. E Hoffmayer thanks JM Hendon and the technicians, students, and interns of the USM Gulf Coast Research Laboratories Shark Research Program. G Burgess and JL Imhoff wish to thank the Florida Program for Shark Research lab members and interns. MJ Ajemian thanks LM Showalter and the technicians, students, and interns of the Fisheries Ecology Lab of SP Powers. RD Grubbs and C Peterson thank the various FSU Coastal & Marine Lab undergraduate volunteers and graduate students. The GULFSPAN Survey is funded through the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Highly Migratory Species Division. All animals were collected under guidelines in Scientific Research Permit SER05-092 and Special Activity Licenses 08SR-075 and 04SR-075. Opinions expressed herein are of the authors only. Reference to trade names does not imply endorsement by NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service or collaborating institutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Panama City Laboratory, Panama City, FL, USA

    Dana M. Bethea & John K. Carlson

  2. Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX, USA

    Matthew J. Ajemian

  3. NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center Mississippi Laboratories, Pascagoula, MS, USA

    Eric R. Hoffmayer

  4. The Florida State University, Coastal and Marine Laboratory, St. Teresa, FL, USA

    Johanna L. Imhoff, R. Dean Grubbs & Cheston T. Peterson

  5. The University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL, USA

    George H. Burgess

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  1. Dana M. Bethea
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Correspondence to Dana M. Bethea.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 1 Least-squared regression equations used to calculate fork length (FL) from precaudal length (PCL), total length (TL), and stretched total length (STL) for shark species collected by NOAA GULFSPAN collaborators, 2003–2011. Sexes are combined
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Table 2 Seasonal mean ± standard deviation (range) of abiotic variables by geographic area. Spring = April, May; Summer = June, July, August; Fall = September, October. Areas are abbreviated as follows: IN (inside the Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida barrier islands), MS (Mississippi Sound), MB (Mobile Bay), OUT (Gulf of Mexico-side of the Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida barrier islands), SAB-CIS-SJB (the St. Andrew Bay-Crooked Island Sound-St. Joseph Bay complex), SVI (the Gulf of Mexico-side of St. Vincent Island, Apalachicola Bay (Apalachicola), Apalachee Bay from St. Mark’s River to Horseshoe Beach (Apalachee), Suwannee Sound (SS, from Horseshoe Beach to Cedar Key), and Cedar Key to Anclote Key (CK-AK)
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Table 3 Inside Barrier Islands. Number caught (n), mean fork length (FL, in cm), sex ratios (* indicates significance), catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) by life stage (YOY = young-of-the-year [including neonates], JUV = juvenile, ADU = adult), and size of neonates and months in which neonates were encountered. Species are listed in descending order by n. Sex ratios were not made for species where n < 5 within an area or < 100 overall. H’ = index of species diversity
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Table 4 Mississippi Sound. Number caught (n), mean fork length (FL, in cm), sex ratios (* indicates significance), catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) by life stage (YOY = young-of-the-year [including neonates], JUV = juvenile, ADU = adult), and size of neonates and months in which neonates were encountered. Species are listed in descending order by n. Sex ratios were not made for species where n < 5 within an area or < 100 overall. H’ = index of species diversity
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Table 5 Mobile Bay. Number caught (n), mean fork length (FL, in cm), sex ratios (* indicates significance), catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) by life stage (YOY = young-of-the-year [including neonates], JUV = juvenile, ADU = adult), and size of neonates and months in which neonates were encountered. Species are listed in descending order by n. Sex ratios were not made for species where n < 5 within an area or < 100 overall. H’ = index of species diversity
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Table 6 Outside Barrier Islands. Number caught (n), mean fork length (FL, in cm), sex ratios (* indicates significance), catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) by life stage (YOY = young-of-the-year [including neonates], JUV = juvenile, ADU = adult), and size of neonates and months in which neonates were encountered. Species are listed in descending order by n. Sex ratios were not made for species where n < 5 within an area or >100 overall. H’ = index of species diversity
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Table 7 SAB-CIS-SJB Complex. Number caught (n), mean fork length (FL, in cm), sex ratios (* indicates significance), catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) by life stage (YOY = young-of-the-year [including neonates], JUV = juvenile, ADU = adult), and size of neonates and months in which neonates were encountered. Species are listed in descending order by n. Sex ratios were not made for species where n < 5 within an area or >100 overall. H’ = index of species diversity
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Table 8 Gulf-side of St. Vincent Island. Number caught (n), mean fork length (FL, in cm), sex ratios (* indicates significance), catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) by life stage (YOY = young-of-the-year [including neonates], JUV = juvenile, ADU = adult), and size of neonates and months in which neonates were encountered. Species are listed in descending order by n. Sex ratios were not made for species where n < 5 wihtin an area or >100 overall. H’ = index of species diversity
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Table 9 Apalachicola Bay. Number caught (n), mean fork length (FL, in cm), sex ratios (* indicates significance), catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) by life stage (YOY = young-of-the-year [including neonates], JUV = juvenile, ADU = adult), and size of neonates and months in which neonates were encountered. Species are listed in descending order by n. Sex ratios were not made for species where n < 5 within an area or >100 overall. H’ = index of species diversity
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Table 10 Apalachee Bay. Number caught (n), mean fork length (FL, in cm), sex ratios (* indicates significance), catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) by life stage (YOY = young-of-the-year [including neonates], JUV = juvenile, ADU = adult), and size of neonates and months in which neonates were encountered. Species are listed in descending order by n. Sex ratios were not made for species where n < 5 within an area or >100 overall. H’ = index of species diversity
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Table 11 Suwannee Sound. Number caught (n), mean fork length (FL, in cm), sex ratios (* indicates significance), catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) by life stage (YOY = young-of-the-year [including neonates], JUV = juvenile, ADU = adult), and size of neonates and months in which neonates were encountered. Species are listed in descending order by n. Sex ratios were not made for species where n < 5 within an area or >100 overall. H’ = index of species diversity
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Table 12 Cedar Key to Anclote Keys. Number caught (n), mean fork length (FL, in cm), sex ratios (* indicates significance), catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) by life stage (YOY = young-of-the-year [including neonates], JUV = juvenile, ADU = adult), and size of neonates and months in which neonates encountered. Species are listed in descending order by n. Sex ratios were not made for species where n < 5 within an area or >100 overall. H’ = index of species diversity
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Table 13 Results of BIO-ENV test identifying the combination of salinity and water clarity produced the highest spearman rank correlation value among the possible combination of the five environmental factors
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Bethea, D.M., Ajemian, M.J., Carlson, J.K. et al. Distribution and community structure of coastal sharks in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Environ Biol Fish 98, 1233–1254 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-014-0355-3

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