1. Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) establishment in and use of Nature Coast springs systems.
- Author
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Holzwart, Kym Rouse, Deak, Kristina, Miller, Jordan, Johnson, Eric, Simonton, Lynn, Dluzniewski, Taylor, Stanfill, Adrian, and Taylor, Alexandria
- Subjects
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WATERSHEDS , *CLIMATE change , *COASTS , *SPECIES distribution , *WINTER - Abstract
Located on Florida's Nature Coast, the Weeki Wachee River, Chassahowitzka River, Homosassa River, and Kings Bay/Crystal River Systems serve as winter thermal refugia for fish and wildlife and face complex threats, including climate change. Rising temperatures have resulted in species distribution shifts in the Gulf of Mexico, including the northward range expansion of Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis). We assessed whether Common Snook are utilizing these springs systems and if their abundance and distribution varied temporally, seasonally, and spatially. From Winter 2013 through Winter 2019, 3,690 Common Snook were captured; only 21 were captured in the Weeki Wachee River System, while 1,796 fish were captured in the Kings Bay/Crystal River System. The Kings Bay/Crystal River System Common Snook catch increased through time. The average number of fish caught during the winter was higher than the average summer catch for the Homosassa River System. Temporal and spatial patterns in the juvenile and adult Common Snook catch were found. Our results demonstrate the establishment of year-round populations of Common Snook in the Nature Coast springs systems and their importance as winter thermal refugia. The continued availability of winter thermal refugia is critical to the sustainability of Common Snook populations along the Nature Coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022