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A Modeling and Field Approach to Identify Essential Fish Habitat for Juvenile Bay Whiff (Citharichthys spilopterus) and Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) Within the Aransas Bay Complex, TX

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Abstract

The goal of this study was to use an ecosystem-based approach to consider the effect of environmental conditions on the distribution and abundance of juvenile bay whiff and southern flounder within the Aransas Bay Complex, TX, USA. Species habitat models for both species were developed using boosted regression trees. Juvenile bay whiff were associated with low temperatures (<15 °C, 20–23 °C), moderate percent dry weight of sediments (25–60 %), salinity >10, and moderate to high dissolved oxygen (6–9 mg O2/l, 10–14 mg/l). Juvenile southern flounder were associated with low temperatures (<15 °C), low percent dry weight of sediment (<25 %), seagrass habitat, shallow depths (<1.2 m), and high dissolved oxygen (>8 mg O2/l). Our results indicate that conservation measures should focus along the eastern side of Aransas Bay and the north corner of Copano Bay to protect essential fish habitat. These findings provide a valuable new tool for fisheries managers to aid in the sustainable management of bay whiff and southern flounder and provide crucial information needed to prioritize areas for habitat conservation.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve Fellowship Program and the Fisheries and Ocean Health Laboratory at the Harte Research Institute for the Gulf of Mexico Studies for funding and support of this work. In addition, we thank Jason Slocum, Laura Payne, Rachel Brewton, and Brittany Blomberg for all of their hard work in the field. We also thank S. Bortone, P. Tissot, B. Sterba-Boatwright, J. Fox, and L. McKinney for their assistance with and comments on the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Bridgette F. Froeschke.

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Froeschke, B.F., Stunz, G.W., Robillard, M.M.R. et al. A Modeling and Field Approach to Identify Essential Fish Habitat for Juvenile Bay Whiff (Citharichthys spilopterus) and Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) Within the Aransas Bay Complex, TX. Estuaries and Coasts 36, 881–892 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-013-9600-9

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