James Locascio - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by James Locascio

Fishes

Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara), the largest reef fish in the Western Atlantic, ex... more Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara), the largest reef fish in the Western Atlantic, exhibit high site fidelity to home reefs but also undertake annual migrations to distant spawning sites. Once relatively common throughout Florida and the Caribbean, the species; is now considered vulnerable (i.e., threatened with extinction) due to overfishing and loss of juvenile mangrove habitat. Goliath grouper in the southeastern US form annual spawning aggregations on high-relief reefs located offshore of both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida, US. To determine spawning site fidelity and describe migration patterns to aggregations, we implanted 50 adult goliath grouper with acoustic transmitter tags from 2010 to 2013. Fish were tagged at known spawning sites off the Florida Atlantic coast and tracked as they moved through the FACT Network array of acoustic receivers. From 2010 to 2020, we collected ~7 million detections from tagged goliath grouper at 153 sites along the southea...

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 09524622 2008 9753758, Apr 13, 2012

Fishes

Reliable data on Atlantic Goliath Grouper abundance are prerequisite to informed management decis... more Reliable data on Atlantic Goliath Grouper abundance are prerequisite to informed management decisions, particularly as the State of Florida reopened a limited harvest on the species in 2023 after a 32-year moratorium. Limited data exist for this purpose and fisheries data have been unavailable for over three decades due to a fishery closure that began in 1990. The purpose of this study was to compare absolute abundance estimates of Goliath Grouper between two years using an efficient, cost-effective method developed by Koenig. An underwater tagging method was used to collect mark and resight data for use in a Peterson deterministic model. These data were collected at the same spawning aggregation sites off Jupiter, Florida near the time of the new moon in September 2013 and August 2022. We found that Goliath Grouper abundance had declined at all but one of six sites since 2013. Because data were not collected during the intervening years, interannual variability is unknown. However,...

Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fisheries and inverteb... more Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fisheries and invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico)-black drum. U.S. Fish. Wildl. Serv. Bio. Rep. 82 (11.51, U.S. Army Corps of Eng. TR EL82-4), 10 p.

Modern Acoustics and Signal Processing, 2016

Passive acoustics provides a near perfect ocean observatory sensor for biological activity in fis... more Passive acoustics provides a near perfect ocean observatory sensor for biological activity in fishes. For species whose sounds have been documented, we can use passive acoustic recording to learn about their ecology. In this chapter we review the history of the development of passive acoustics research on fishes. Today, fish passive acoustic monitoring is in a rapid stage of development as an additional tool for fisheries research. The latest studies have focused on temporal and spatial patterns of sound production of fishes, including many commercially important species such as groupers and cods. These studies have been conducted with long-term fixed passive acoustic recorders and more recently with gliders and other autonomous platforms. These methods are complementary, as long-term recorders provide excellent temporal coverage and gliders provide excellent spatial coverage. The greatest impediment to further advance is that for most fishes we still do not know what sounds they make. We suggest that miniature acoustic tags may be one way to increase our library of known fish sounds. The main challenges remaining are the development of tools to automatically analyze large datasets, and experimental studies to enable quantification of fish numbers and spawning using passive acoustics.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2008

Many fishes produce sound associated with courtship and spawning. Sound production can therefore ... more Many fishes produce sound associated with courtship and spawning. Sound production can therefore be used as a proxy for spawning activity and Long-Term Acoustic Recording Systems (LARS) are useful for documenting this activity on daily and seasonal time frames at high resolution. We used the LARS to investigate patterns of sound production in spawning aggregations of black drum (Pogonias cromis) during 2004-2006 in southwest Florida. Our purposes were to document trends in black drum sound production on daily and seasonal time scales and to investigate the temporal and quantitative relationships between egg production and sound production. Sound production was strongly diel, beginning near dusk and lasting for several hours. Sound production occurred from October through April and peaked in February-March, consistent with prior descriptions of the spawning season for this species based on the gonado-somatic index (GSI). To investigate the relationship between sound production and egg production, surface plankton tows were conducted hourly between 1600-0400 on two consecutive nights while continuous underwater acoustic recordings were made. This was done five times between January and April, 2006. Neither the timing nor quantity of sound production was correlated with egg production on a nightly basis. These results indicate that patterns in sound production are not useful for predicting patterns in egg production by black drum on a daily scale but do provide accurate characterization of spawning behavior on a seasonal basis. Sampling on consecutive nights also allowed us to estimate egg development and mortality rates, and female spawning stock biomass.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2008

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2006

Many fishes in the family Sciaenidae engage in nightly chorusing events where sound production st... more Many fishes in the family Sciaenidae engage in nightly chorusing events where sound production starts near dusk and lasts for several hours. This paper examines the periodicity and dynamics of chorusing in the Sciaenidae. Underwater acoustic recorders have been deployed in southwest Florida to record sound production with a high temporal resolution (10 s of recording every 10 min) over a large spatial area. Sound production was dominated by three sciaenid species: silver perch (Bairdiella chyrsoura), sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius), and spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus). Sounds produced by black drum (Pogonias cromis), gafftopsail catfish (Bagre marinus), and gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) were also recorded. Sound levels in sciaenid choruses typically reach levels of approximately 110–120 dB re 1 μPa spectrum level, and are among the loudest sources of sustained ambient noise in temperate and subtropical coastal waters. Little is known about the behavior accompanying sound production, because it o...

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2004

Diel periodicity in sound production of spawning aggregations of fishes was documented in Charlot... more Diel periodicity in sound production of spawning aggregations of fishes was documented in Charlotte Harbor, Florida from 7 May 2003–10 June 2003. The Long Term Acoustic Recording System (LARS) recorded 10 s of sound every 10 min within the frequency range of 0–1250 Hz. Field data collected in this study revealed diel patterns in fish sound production in great detail. Autocorrelation results demonstrated pronounced diel periodicity in fish sound production with significant lags occurring at 24‐h periods. Chorusing events dominated by sand seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius, lasted for several hours each night and were not highly variable in duration, maximum recorded SPL, or start and end times. Mean daily (24‐h period) maximum sound‐pressure level was 119 decibels, mean daily chorus start time was 17:26 h Eastern Standard Time, mean daily chorus end time was 02:10 h Eastern Standard Time, and the average nightly chorus duration lasted 8 h and 43 min.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2011

A four hydrophone linear array was used to localize calling black drum and estimate source levels... more A four hydrophone linear array was used to localize calling black drum and estimate source levels and signal propagation. A total of 1025 source level estimates averaged 165 dB RMS relative (re:) 1 lPa (standard deviation (SD) ¼ 1.0). The authors suggest that the diverticulated morphology of the black drum swimbladder increase the bladder's surface area, thus contributing to sound amplitude. Call energy was greatest in the fundamental frequency (94 Hz) followed by the second (188 Hz) and third harmonics (282 Hz). A square root model best described propagation of the entire call, and separately the fundamental frequency and second harmonic. A logarithmic model best described propagation of the third harmonic which was the only component to satisfy the cutoff frequency equation. Peak auditory sensitivity was 300 Hz at a 94 dB re: 1 lPa threshold based on auditory evoked potential measurements of a single black drum. Based on mean RMS source level, signal propagation, background levels, and hearing sensitivity, the communication range of black drum was estimated at 33-108 m and was limited by background levels not auditory sensitivity. This estimate assumed the source and receiver were at approximately 0.5 m above the bottom. Consecutive calls of an individual fish localized over 59 min demonstrated a mean calling period of 3.6 s (SD ¼ 0.48), mean swimming speed of 0.5 body lengths/s, and a total distance swam of 1035 m.

Journal of Fish Biology, 2012

The timing and levels of black drum Pogonias cromis sound production and egg production were comp... more The timing and levels of black drum Pogonias cromis sound production and egg production were compared in an estuarine canal basin of Cape Coral in south-west Florida. Surface plankton samples were collected hourly from 1800 to 0400 on two consecutive nights while continuous acoustic recordings were made simultaneously at five locations in the canal basin. Five pairs of nights were sampled during a part of the spawning season from late January to early April 2006. Pogonias cromis sound production and egg production occurred on all evenings that samples were collected; however, both the timing and levels of sound production were negatively associated with those of egg production. Egg production estimates ranged from a low of 4·8 eggs m(-3) in February to a high of 2889·2 eggs m(-3) in April. Conversely, maximum nightly sound pressure levels (SPL) ranged from a low of 89·5 dB in April to a high of 131·9 dB (re: 1 µPa) in February. The temporal centre of sound production was relatively stable among all nights sampled but spawning occurred earlier in the day as the season progressed and exhibited a strong, positive association with increased water temperature. The negative relationship between the levels of sound production and egg production was unexpected given the usefulness of sound production as a proxy for reproduction on a seasonal basis and may possibly be explained by differences in the spawning potential of the female population in the study area on nights sampled. Egg mortality rates increased throughout the season and were positively associated with densities of hydrozoans and ctenophores.

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2004

Seagrass beds provide food and shelter for many fish species. However, the manner in which fishes... more Seagrass beds provide food and shelter for many fish species. However, the manner in which fishes use seagrass bed habitats often varies with life stage. Juvenile fishes can be especially dependent on seagrass beds because seagrass and associated habitats (drift macroalgae) may provide an effective tradeoff between shelter from predation and availability of prey. This study addressed aspects of habitat use by post-settlement pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides (Linneaus), an abundant and trophically important species in seagrass beds in the western North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Abundance of post-settlement fish in seagrass beds was positively related to volume of drift macroalgae, but not to percent cover of seagrass, indicating a possible shelter advantage of the spatially complex algae. Tethering experiments indicated higher rates of predation in seagrass without drift macroalgae than in seagrass with drift macroalgae. Aquarium experiments showed lower predation with higher habitat complexity, but differences were only significant for the most extreme cases (unvegetated bottom, highest macrophyte cover). Levels of dissolved oxygen did not differ between vegetated and unvegetated habitats, indicating no physiological advantage for any habitat. Seagrass beds with drift macroalgae provide the most advantageous tradeoff between foraging and protection from predation for post-settlement L. rhomboides. The complex threedimensional shelter of drift macroalgae provides an effective shelter that is embedded in the foraging habitat provided by seagrass. Drift macroalgae in seagrass beds is a beneficial habitat for postsettlement L. rhomboides by reducing the risk of predation, and by providing post-settlement habitat

Endangered Species Research, 2009

Sound production by goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara was characterized on 2 aggregation sites ... more Sound production by goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara was characterized on 2 aggregation sites in the Gulf of Mexico off the southwest coast of Florida, which are likely to be spawning sites, based on the presence of fish with ripe gonads. Goliath grouper produced predominately lowfrequency single-pulse sounds with dominant frequencies around 60 Hz. Long-term acoustic recordings documented that sounds were most frequently produced between 01:00 and 03:00 h. Sound production had a lunar periodicity, with reduced levels occurring for several days around the full moon. A single goliath grouper was implanted with an acoustic telemetry transmitter that indicated the depth of the fish. This fish remained on the aggregation site for all but 1 d of the 2 mo record and was located near the bottom (46 m) for the majority of the time. Several forays to shallower depths were detected, most of which occurred near midnight and 03:00 h. These short-duration shallow-water forays could possibly indicate spawning ascents. The combination of passive acoustics and active acoustic telemetry indicates that efforts to document spawning should be concentrated around midnight. The prolific sound production of goliath grouper will allow large spatial and temporal scale mapping and monitoring of aggregation sites.

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2001

Biology Letters, 2005

Hurricane Charley, a category 4 hurricane, passed through Charlotte Harbor, Florida, directly ove... more Hurricane Charley, a category 4 hurricane, passed through Charlotte Harbor, Florida, directly over an autonomous underwater acoustic datalogger used to record sound production by fishes associated with courtship and spawning. Acoustic recordings made on 9 days prior to the storm, during and 3 days after the storm provided unprecedented documentation of the hurricane's passage and its effect on fishes' calling behaviour. The hurricane did not inhibit nightly chorusing events of spawning fish. Sound levels produced by spawning fish on the night of and 3 days after the hurricane were higher and lasted longer than any of the 9 days recorded prior to the hurricane.

Bioacoustics, 2008

To study sound production in fishes, a variety of techniques are used, including hydrophones conn... more To study sound production in fishes, a variety of techniques are used, including hydrophones connected to recorders on the surface (e.g., Breder 1967), self-contained underwater recorders (e.g., Locascio & Mann 2005), and coupled underwater video and hydrophones (e.g., Lobel & Mann 1995). Coupled audio-video recordings can be used to identify sounds associated with specific behaviours. Long-term recordings with self-contained recorders can be used to infer diel and longer term behavioural patterns.

Aquatic Biology, 2010

Many fishes, including groupers, produce sounds associated with mating behavior; recording and an... more Many fishes, including groupers, produce sounds associated with mating behavior; recording and analyzing the occurrence of these sounds can provide long time-series records of grouper use of spawning habitat. Red hind Epinephelus guttatus sound production was recorded on spawning aggregation sites off the west coast of Puerto Rico and at Mona Island, Puerto Rico. Audiovideo recordings were used to identify a species-specific sound produced by male red hind, most commonly during territorial patrols, and also during interactions with females. This sound is low in frequency (50 to 400 Hz) and consists of a series of pulses repeated at a variable rate. Long-term acoustic recorders were placed off the west coast of Puerto Rico at Abrir La Sierra and at Mona Island to record the timing of red hind sound production from January through March. Red hind sounds were detected at all times of the day, with peaks in sound production just before dusk. Monthly peaks in sound production were evident in each time series, but the monthly peak in sound production at Abrir La Sierra was 6 d later than the peak at Mona Island, suggesting that the timing of spawning of these 2 aggregations, while on a lunar schedule, was not broadly synchronized during this time period. This research lays the groundwork for both long-term monitoring and mapping of red hind spawning sites that will be useful for managing spawning aggregations, especially in remote areas.

Gulf of Mexico Science, 2001

A total of 507 gafftopsail catfish, Bagre marinus, were captured by hook and line in Tarpon Bay a... more A total of 507 gafftopsail catfish, Bagre marinus, were captured by hook and line in Tarpon Bay and neighboring Pine Island Sound, Florida from June 3, 1999 to May 6, 2000 in order to identify foods of this understudied species. A total of 86 (17.0%) specimens contained only unidentifiable food, and 187 (36.9%) specimens were found with empty stomachs. Based on the index of relative importance, the pink shrimp, Farfmztepenaeus duorarum, was the most important food for specimens :5200 mm fork length (FL), amphipods the most important food for specimens 201-300 mm FL, and unidentifiable fish the most important food for specimens 2:301 mm FL. Diet of B. marinus was also compared among four seasons: June through August; September through November, December through February, and March through May. Unidentifiable fish was the most important food for June through August and September through November. Clupeid fishes were the most important food for December through February. The amphipod Ampelisca abdita was the most important food for March through May. The wide variety of foods consumed by B. marinus indicates an opportunistic feeding strategy. T he gafftopsail catfish, Bagre marinus, is an understudied species that inhabits coastal waters of Florida. It is eurythermal and euryhaline, and its morphological, reproductive, feeding and migratory patterns are linked to the heterogeneity of habitats encountered in estuaries (Yanez-Arancibia and Lara-Dominguez, 1 988). B. mminus ranges from Massachusetts to Panama and is reportedly common in bays and shallow areas of the northern Gulf of Mexico (Roese and Moore, 1998). In Florida, B. ma"linus is considered to be unexploited (Armstrong et al., 1996), with no recreational size limits or bag limits imposed. Literature suggests that B. mminus is an unselective feeder. Gudger (1910) found that the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is the staple food of B. mminusin North Carolina waters (quoted from Gunter, 1945) and also found C. sapidus in all five stomachs of B. mminus that he examined from Texas waters. Miles (1949) examined stomachs of 85 specimens from Texas and found 6 species of crabs, 11 species of fishes, and penaeid shrimp. Pew (1954) reported that, in Texas coastal waters, B. marinus usually fed near the bottom, consuming fishes, shrimps, and other small crustaceans. In Venezuela, Cervigon (1966) found that B. mminu.s fed on crabs, shrimp, and small fishes. Odum (1971) found in a sample of eight B. malinus (262-445 mm) taken from the North River, Florida, that three specimens had consumed C. sapidus, two had consumed unidentified fish, and three were empty. Yanez-Arancibia and

Fishes

Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara), the largest reef fish in the Western Atlantic, ex... more Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara), the largest reef fish in the Western Atlantic, exhibit high site fidelity to home reefs but also undertake annual migrations to distant spawning sites. Once relatively common throughout Florida and the Caribbean, the species; is now considered vulnerable (i.e., threatened with extinction) due to overfishing and loss of juvenile mangrove habitat. Goliath grouper in the southeastern US form annual spawning aggregations on high-relief reefs located offshore of both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida, US. To determine spawning site fidelity and describe migration patterns to aggregations, we implanted 50 adult goliath grouper with acoustic transmitter tags from 2010 to 2013. Fish were tagged at known spawning sites off the Florida Atlantic coast and tracked as they moved through the FACT Network array of acoustic receivers. From 2010 to 2020, we collected ~7 million detections from tagged goliath grouper at 153 sites along the southea...

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 09524622 2008 9753758, Apr 13, 2012

Fishes

Reliable data on Atlantic Goliath Grouper abundance are prerequisite to informed management decis... more Reliable data on Atlantic Goliath Grouper abundance are prerequisite to informed management decisions, particularly as the State of Florida reopened a limited harvest on the species in 2023 after a 32-year moratorium. Limited data exist for this purpose and fisheries data have been unavailable for over three decades due to a fishery closure that began in 1990. The purpose of this study was to compare absolute abundance estimates of Goliath Grouper between two years using an efficient, cost-effective method developed by Koenig. An underwater tagging method was used to collect mark and resight data for use in a Peterson deterministic model. These data were collected at the same spawning aggregation sites off Jupiter, Florida near the time of the new moon in September 2013 and August 2022. We found that Goliath Grouper abundance had declined at all but one of six sites since 2013. Because data were not collected during the intervening years, interannual variability is unknown. However,...

Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fisheries and inverteb... more Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fisheries and invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico)-black drum. U.S. Fish. Wildl. Serv. Bio. Rep. 82 (11.51, U.S. Army Corps of Eng. TR EL82-4), 10 p.

Modern Acoustics and Signal Processing, 2016

Passive acoustics provides a near perfect ocean observatory sensor for biological activity in fis... more Passive acoustics provides a near perfect ocean observatory sensor for biological activity in fishes. For species whose sounds have been documented, we can use passive acoustic recording to learn about their ecology. In this chapter we review the history of the development of passive acoustics research on fishes. Today, fish passive acoustic monitoring is in a rapid stage of development as an additional tool for fisheries research. The latest studies have focused on temporal and spatial patterns of sound production of fishes, including many commercially important species such as groupers and cods. These studies have been conducted with long-term fixed passive acoustic recorders and more recently with gliders and other autonomous platforms. These methods are complementary, as long-term recorders provide excellent temporal coverage and gliders provide excellent spatial coverage. The greatest impediment to further advance is that for most fishes we still do not know what sounds they make. We suggest that miniature acoustic tags may be one way to increase our library of known fish sounds. The main challenges remaining are the development of tools to automatically analyze large datasets, and experimental studies to enable quantification of fish numbers and spawning using passive acoustics.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2008

Many fishes produce sound associated with courtship and spawning. Sound production can therefore ... more Many fishes produce sound associated with courtship and spawning. Sound production can therefore be used as a proxy for spawning activity and Long-Term Acoustic Recording Systems (LARS) are useful for documenting this activity on daily and seasonal time frames at high resolution. We used the LARS to investigate patterns of sound production in spawning aggregations of black drum (Pogonias cromis) during 2004-2006 in southwest Florida. Our purposes were to document trends in black drum sound production on daily and seasonal time scales and to investigate the temporal and quantitative relationships between egg production and sound production. Sound production was strongly diel, beginning near dusk and lasting for several hours. Sound production occurred from October through April and peaked in February-March, consistent with prior descriptions of the spawning season for this species based on the gonado-somatic index (GSI). To investigate the relationship between sound production and egg production, surface plankton tows were conducted hourly between 1600-0400 on two consecutive nights while continuous underwater acoustic recordings were made. This was done five times between January and April, 2006. Neither the timing nor quantity of sound production was correlated with egg production on a nightly basis. These results indicate that patterns in sound production are not useful for predicting patterns in egg production by black drum on a daily scale but do provide accurate characterization of spawning behavior on a seasonal basis. Sampling on consecutive nights also allowed us to estimate egg development and mortality rates, and female spawning stock biomass.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2008

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2006

Many fishes in the family Sciaenidae engage in nightly chorusing events where sound production st... more Many fishes in the family Sciaenidae engage in nightly chorusing events where sound production starts near dusk and lasts for several hours. This paper examines the periodicity and dynamics of chorusing in the Sciaenidae. Underwater acoustic recorders have been deployed in southwest Florida to record sound production with a high temporal resolution (10 s of recording every 10 min) over a large spatial area. Sound production was dominated by three sciaenid species: silver perch (Bairdiella chyrsoura), sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius), and spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus). Sounds produced by black drum (Pogonias cromis), gafftopsail catfish (Bagre marinus), and gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) were also recorded. Sound levels in sciaenid choruses typically reach levels of approximately 110–120 dB re 1 μPa spectrum level, and are among the loudest sources of sustained ambient noise in temperate and subtropical coastal waters. Little is known about the behavior accompanying sound production, because it o...

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2004

Diel periodicity in sound production of spawning aggregations of fishes was documented in Charlot... more Diel periodicity in sound production of spawning aggregations of fishes was documented in Charlotte Harbor, Florida from 7 May 2003–10 June 2003. The Long Term Acoustic Recording System (LARS) recorded 10 s of sound every 10 min within the frequency range of 0–1250 Hz. Field data collected in this study revealed diel patterns in fish sound production in great detail. Autocorrelation results demonstrated pronounced diel periodicity in fish sound production with significant lags occurring at 24‐h periods. Chorusing events dominated by sand seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius, lasted for several hours each night and were not highly variable in duration, maximum recorded SPL, or start and end times. Mean daily (24‐h period) maximum sound‐pressure level was 119 decibels, mean daily chorus start time was 17:26 h Eastern Standard Time, mean daily chorus end time was 02:10 h Eastern Standard Time, and the average nightly chorus duration lasted 8 h and 43 min.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2011

A four hydrophone linear array was used to localize calling black drum and estimate source levels... more A four hydrophone linear array was used to localize calling black drum and estimate source levels and signal propagation. A total of 1025 source level estimates averaged 165 dB RMS relative (re:) 1 lPa (standard deviation (SD) ¼ 1.0). The authors suggest that the diverticulated morphology of the black drum swimbladder increase the bladder's surface area, thus contributing to sound amplitude. Call energy was greatest in the fundamental frequency (94 Hz) followed by the second (188 Hz) and third harmonics (282 Hz). A square root model best described propagation of the entire call, and separately the fundamental frequency and second harmonic. A logarithmic model best described propagation of the third harmonic which was the only component to satisfy the cutoff frequency equation. Peak auditory sensitivity was 300 Hz at a 94 dB re: 1 lPa threshold based on auditory evoked potential measurements of a single black drum. Based on mean RMS source level, signal propagation, background levels, and hearing sensitivity, the communication range of black drum was estimated at 33-108 m and was limited by background levels not auditory sensitivity. This estimate assumed the source and receiver were at approximately 0.5 m above the bottom. Consecutive calls of an individual fish localized over 59 min demonstrated a mean calling period of 3.6 s (SD ¼ 0.48), mean swimming speed of 0.5 body lengths/s, and a total distance swam of 1035 m.

Journal of Fish Biology, 2012

The timing and levels of black drum Pogonias cromis sound production and egg production were comp... more The timing and levels of black drum Pogonias cromis sound production and egg production were compared in an estuarine canal basin of Cape Coral in south-west Florida. Surface plankton samples were collected hourly from 1800 to 0400 on two consecutive nights while continuous acoustic recordings were made simultaneously at five locations in the canal basin. Five pairs of nights were sampled during a part of the spawning season from late January to early April 2006. Pogonias cromis sound production and egg production occurred on all evenings that samples were collected; however, both the timing and levels of sound production were negatively associated with those of egg production. Egg production estimates ranged from a low of 4·8 eggs m(-3) in February to a high of 2889·2 eggs m(-3) in April. Conversely, maximum nightly sound pressure levels (SPL) ranged from a low of 89·5 dB in April to a high of 131·9 dB (re: 1 µPa) in February. The temporal centre of sound production was relatively stable among all nights sampled but spawning occurred earlier in the day as the season progressed and exhibited a strong, positive association with increased water temperature. The negative relationship between the levels of sound production and egg production was unexpected given the usefulness of sound production as a proxy for reproduction on a seasonal basis and may possibly be explained by differences in the spawning potential of the female population in the study area on nights sampled. Egg mortality rates increased throughout the season and were positively associated with densities of hydrozoans and ctenophores.

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2004

Seagrass beds provide food and shelter for many fish species. However, the manner in which fishes... more Seagrass beds provide food and shelter for many fish species. However, the manner in which fishes use seagrass bed habitats often varies with life stage. Juvenile fishes can be especially dependent on seagrass beds because seagrass and associated habitats (drift macroalgae) may provide an effective tradeoff between shelter from predation and availability of prey. This study addressed aspects of habitat use by post-settlement pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides (Linneaus), an abundant and trophically important species in seagrass beds in the western North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Abundance of post-settlement fish in seagrass beds was positively related to volume of drift macroalgae, but not to percent cover of seagrass, indicating a possible shelter advantage of the spatially complex algae. Tethering experiments indicated higher rates of predation in seagrass without drift macroalgae than in seagrass with drift macroalgae. Aquarium experiments showed lower predation with higher habitat complexity, but differences were only significant for the most extreme cases (unvegetated bottom, highest macrophyte cover). Levels of dissolved oxygen did not differ between vegetated and unvegetated habitats, indicating no physiological advantage for any habitat. Seagrass beds with drift macroalgae provide the most advantageous tradeoff between foraging and protection from predation for post-settlement L. rhomboides. The complex threedimensional shelter of drift macroalgae provides an effective shelter that is embedded in the foraging habitat provided by seagrass. Drift macroalgae in seagrass beds is a beneficial habitat for postsettlement L. rhomboides by reducing the risk of predation, and by providing post-settlement habitat

Endangered Species Research, 2009

Sound production by goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara was characterized on 2 aggregation sites ... more Sound production by goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara was characterized on 2 aggregation sites in the Gulf of Mexico off the southwest coast of Florida, which are likely to be spawning sites, based on the presence of fish with ripe gonads. Goliath grouper produced predominately lowfrequency single-pulse sounds with dominant frequencies around 60 Hz. Long-term acoustic recordings documented that sounds were most frequently produced between 01:00 and 03:00 h. Sound production had a lunar periodicity, with reduced levels occurring for several days around the full moon. A single goliath grouper was implanted with an acoustic telemetry transmitter that indicated the depth of the fish. This fish remained on the aggregation site for all but 1 d of the 2 mo record and was located near the bottom (46 m) for the majority of the time. Several forays to shallower depths were detected, most of which occurred near midnight and 03:00 h. These short-duration shallow-water forays could possibly indicate spawning ascents. The combination of passive acoustics and active acoustic telemetry indicates that efforts to document spawning should be concentrated around midnight. The prolific sound production of goliath grouper will allow large spatial and temporal scale mapping and monitoring of aggregation sites.

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2001

Biology Letters, 2005

Hurricane Charley, a category 4 hurricane, passed through Charlotte Harbor, Florida, directly ove... more Hurricane Charley, a category 4 hurricane, passed through Charlotte Harbor, Florida, directly over an autonomous underwater acoustic datalogger used to record sound production by fishes associated with courtship and spawning. Acoustic recordings made on 9 days prior to the storm, during and 3 days after the storm provided unprecedented documentation of the hurricane's passage and its effect on fishes' calling behaviour. The hurricane did not inhibit nightly chorusing events of spawning fish. Sound levels produced by spawning fish on the night of and 3 days after the hurricane were higher and lasted longer than any of the 9 days recorded prior to the hurricane.

Bioacoustics, 2008

To study sound production in fishes, a variety of techniques are used, including hydrophones conn... more To study sound production in fishes, a variety of techniques are used, including hydrophones connected to recorders on the surface (e.g., Breder 1967), self-contained underwater recorders (e.g., Locascio & Mann 2005), and coupled underwater video and hydrophones (e.g., Lobel & Mann 1995). Coupled audio-video recordings can be used to identify sounds associated with specific behaviours. Long-term recordings with self-contained recorders can be used to infer diel and longer term behavioural patterns.

Aquatic Biology, 2010

Many fishes, including groupers, produce sounds associated with mating behavior; recording and an... more Many fishes, including groupers, produce sounds associated with mating behavior; recording and analyzing the occurrence of these sounds can provide long time-series records of grouper use of spawning habitat. Red hind Epinephelus guttatus sound production was recorded on spawning aggregation sites off the west coast of Puerto Rico and at Mona Island, Puerto Rico. Audiovideo recordings were used to identify a species-specific sound produced by male red hind, most commonly during territorial patrols, and also during interactions with females. This sound is low in frequency (50 to 400 Hz) and consists of a series of pulses repeated at a variable rate. Long-term acoustic recorders were placed off the west coast of Puerto Rico at Abrir La Sierra and at Mona Island to record the timing of red hind sound production from January through March. Red hind sounds were detected at all times of the day, with peaks in sound production just before dusk. Monthly peaks in sound production were evident in each time series, but the monthly peak in sound production at Abrir La Sierra was 6 d later than the peak at Mona Island, suggesting that the timing of spawning of these 2 aggregations, while on a lunar schedule, was not broadly synchronized during this time period. This research lays the groundwork for both long-term monitoring and mapping of red hind spawning sites that will be useful for managing spawning aggregations, especially in remote areas.

Gulf of Mexico Science, 2001

A total of 507 gafftopsail catfish, Bagre marinus, were captured by hook and line in Tarpon Bay a... more A total of 507 gafftopsail catfish, Bagre marinus, were captured by hook and line in Tarpon Bay and neighboring Pine Island Sound, Florida from June 3, 1999 to May 6, 2000 in order to identify foods of this understudied species. A total of 86 (17.0%) specimens contained only unidentifiable food, and 187 (36.9%) specimens were found with empty stomachs. Based on the index of relative importance, the pink shrimp, Farfmztepenaeus duorarum, was the most important food for specimens :5200 mm fork length (FL), amphipods the most important food for specimens 201-300 mm FL, and unidentifiable fish the most important food for specimens 2:301 mm FL. Diet of B. marinus was also compared among four seasons: June through August; September through November, December through February, and March through May. Unidentifiable fish was the most important food for June through August and September through November. Clupeid fishes were the most important food for December through February. The amphipod Ampelisca abdita was the most important food for March through May. The wide variety of foods consumed by B. marinus indicates an opportunistic feeding strategy. T he gafftopsail catfish, Bagre marinus, is an understudied species that inhabits coastal waters of Florida. It is eurythermal and euryhaline, and its morphological, reproductive, feeding and migratory patterns are linked to the heterogeneity of habitats encountered in estuaries (Yanez-Arancibia and Lara-Dominguez, 1 988). B. mminus ranges from Massachusetts to Panama and is reportedly common in bays and shallow areas of the northern Gulf of Mexico (Roese and Moore, 1998). In Florida, B. ma"linus is considered to be unexploited (Armstrong et al., 1996), with no recreational size limits or bag limits imposed. Literature suggests that B. mminus is an unselective feeder. Gudger (1910) found that the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is the staple food of B. mminusin North Carolina waters (quoted from Gunter, 1945) and also found C. sapidus in all five stomachs of B. mminus that he examined from Texas waters. Miles (1949) examined stomachs of 85 specimens from Texas and found 6 species of crabs, 11 species of fishes, and penaeid shrimp. Pew (1954) reported that, in Texas coastal waters, B. marinus usually fed near the bottom, consuming fishes, shrimps, and other small crustaceans. In Venezuela, Cervigon (1966) found that B. mminu.s fed on crabs, shrimp, and small fishes. Odum (1971) found in a sample of eight B. malinus (262-445 mm) taken from the North River, Florida, that three specimens had consumed C. sapidus, two had consumed unidentified fish, and three were empty. Yanez-Arancibia and