Larval Dispersal of Gray Snapper (<i>Lutjanus griseus</i>) on the West Florida Shelf
Gray snapper (<i>Lutjanus griseus</i>) move from inshore to offshore habitats as they mature and spawn along the West Florida Shelf. The connectivity between offshore spawning sites and inshore settlement regions along the Eastern Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico, hereafter Gulf)...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Oceans |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/6/1/12 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850280424380563456 |
|---|---|
| author | Eric Bovee Debra J. Murie Ana C. Vaz |
| author_facet | Eric Bovee Debra J. Murie Ana C. Vaz |
| author_sort | Eric Bovee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Gray snapper (<i>Lutjanus griseus</i>) move from inshore to offshore habitats as they mature and spawn along the West Florida Shelf. The connectivity between offshore spawning sites and inshore settlement regions along the Eastern Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico, hereafter Gulf) coast is unknown, and this study therefore predicted these larval dispersal pathways. To determine larval transport, an ocean model was integrated with the Connectivity Modeling System (CMS), which is a biophysical model that allowed for the inclusion of larval behavior and updated spawning information for the gray snapper. Our larval dispersal model showed that spawning sites offshore of Tampa, in the Florida Keys, and in the Florida Middle Grounds had the highest percentages of successfully settled larvae inshore. Larvae that were spawned at the offshore Tampa Bay and offshore Southwest Florida spawning sites were mostly transported to the Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida settlement regions, showing local retention. In contrast, larvae spawned offshore in the Florida Middle Grounds were transported northwest, exclusively to the Florida Panhandle. In addition, there was no difference in the proportion of successful larval settlers between full and new moon spawning events. Since gray snapper are an important recreational fishery in the eastern Gulf, especially off the west coast of Florida, it is important to identify spawning sites that have the largest proportions of settling larvae, such as offshore Tampa Bay. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-38e7d2bbc52848b495503a2961eb6079 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-1924 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oceans |
| spelling | doaj-art-38e7d2bbc52848b495503a2961eb60792025-08-20T01:48:45ZengMDPI AGOceans2673-19242025-02-01611210.3390/oceans6010012Larval Dispersal of Gray Snapper (<i>Lutjanus griseus</i>) on the West Florida ShelfEric Bovee0Debra J. Murie1Ana C. Vaz2School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, 7922 Northwest 71st Street, Gainesville, FL 32653, USASchool of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, 7922 Northwest 71st Street, Gainesville, FL 32653, USACooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USAGray snapper (<i>Lutjanus griseus</i>) move from inshore to offshore habitats as they mature and spawn along the West Florida Shelf. The connectivity between offshore spawning sites and inshore settlement regions along the Eastern Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico, hereafter Gulf) coast is unknown, and this study therefore predicted these larval dispersal pathways. To determine larval transport, an ocean model was integrated with the Connectivity Modeling System (CMS), which is a biophysical model that allowed for the inclusion of larval behavior and updated spawning information for the gray snapper. Our larval dispersal model showed that spawning sites offshore of Tampa, in the Florida Keys, and in the Florida Middle Grounds had the highest percentages of successfully settled larvae inshore. Larvae that were spawned at the offshore Tampa Bay and offshore Southwest Florida spawning sites were mostly transported to the Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida settlement regions, showing local retention. In contrast, larvae spawned offshore in the Florida Middle Grounds were transported northwest, exclusively to the Florida Panhandle. In addition, there was no difference in the proportion of successful larval settlers between full and new moon spawning events. Since gray snapper are an important recreational fishery in the eastern Gulf, especially off the west coast of Florida, it is important to identify spawning sites that have the largest proportions of settling larvae, such as offshore Tampa Bay.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/6/1/12larval connectivitybiophysical modeldispersalmarine fish larvaepelagic larval duration (PLD) |
| spellingShingle | Eric Bovee Debra J. Murie Ana C. Vaz Larval Dispersal of Gray Snapper (<i>Lutjanus griseus</i>) on the West Florida Shelf Oceans larval connectivity biophysical model dispersal marine fish larvae pelagic larval duration (PLD) |
| title | Larval Dispersal of Gray Snapper (<i>Lutjanus griseus</i>) on the West Florida Shelf |
| title_full | Larval Dispersal of Gray Snapper (<i>Lutjanus griseus</i>) on the West Florida Shelf |
| title_fullStr | Larval Dispersal of Gray Snapper (<i>Lutjanus griseus</i>) on the West Florida Shelf |
| title_full_unstemmed | Larval Dispersal of Gray Snapper (<i>Lutjanus griseus</i>) on the West Florida Shelf |
| title_short | Larval Dispersal of Gray Snapper (<i>Lutjanus griseus</i>) on the West Florida Shelf |
| title_sort | larval dispersal of gray snapper i lutjanus griseus i on the west florida shelf |
| topic | larval connectivity biophysical model dispersal marine fish larvae pelagic larval duration (PLD) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/6/1/12 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ericbovee larvaldispersalofgraysnapperilutjanusgriseusionthewestfloridashelf AT debrajmurie larvaldispersalofgraysnapperilutjanusgriseusionthewestfloridashelf AT anacvaz larvaldispersalofgraysnapperilutjanusgriseusionthewestfloridashelf |