Bonefish in South Florida: status, threats and research needs

Bonefish ( Albula vulpes ) support a world-renowned fishery in South Florida, USA. However, fishing guides and anglers have been reporting significant declines in bonefish angling quality over that past three decades. In the absence of any long-term bonefish stock and ecosystem assessments, the caus...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Environmental biology of fishes Vol. 102; no. 2; pp. 329 - 348
Main Authors:	Brownscombe, Jacob W., Danylchuk, Andy J., Adams, Aaron J., Black, Brooke, Boucek, Ross, Power, Michael, Rehage, Jennifer S., Santos, Rolando O., Fisher, Russ W., Horn, Bill, Haak, Christopher R., Morton, Sean, Hunt, John, Ahrens, Robert, Allen, Michael S., Shenker, Jonathan, Cooke, Steven J.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-02-2019 Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:	Agricultural management Agricultural runoff Angling Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography Anoxia Anoxic conditions Benthic flora Biomedical and Life Sciences Ecological effects Ecosystem assessment Environment Extreme cold Extreme weather Fisheries Fishing Flora Freshwater Freshwater & Marine Ecology Habitat selection Habitats Inland water environment Juveniles Larvae Life Sciences Nature Conservation Plants Pollutants Runoff Sport fishing Stock assessment Urban agriculture Urban runoff Zoology South Florida Florida United States > US Catch-and-release Pollution Fisheries management Recreational angling Habitat loss Exploitation
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Bonefish ( Albula vulpes ) support a world-renowned fishery in South Florida, USA. However, fishing guides and anglers have been reporting significant declines in bonefish angling quality over that past three decades. In the absence of any long-term bonefish stock and ecosystem assessments, the cause of this decline in the fishery is unclear. Here we summarize our current knowledge of bonefish ecology in Florida and discuss potential causes of fishery decline. Reductions and alterations in freshwater flows from the Everglades have caused major changes in bonefish habitat, including acute (anoxic conditions) and chronic (changes in benthic flora and fauna) effects in Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay. Various pollutants from agricultural and urban runoff may also be impacting bonefish population(s) directly and/or indirectly throughout their range. Efforts to locate juvenile A. vulpes in Florida have been largely unsuccessful to date, suggesting abundances may be low, and/or juveniles have unknown habitat requirements in Florida. Further, bonefish larvae may be sourced from adult individuals outside of Florida in areas such as Cuba or Mexico, in which case bonefish conservation in other regions is highly relevant to the Florida population. Extreme weather events may have also contributed to the decline; an extreme cold spell in 2010 caused significant bonefish mortality and coincided with documented declines in the fishery. The fishery may also be impacting the population. We outline research needs and potential approaches to better understand the causes of the bonefish decline in Florida and restore populations of this ecologically and socioeconomically important species.
ISSN:	0378-1909 1573-5133
DOI:	10.1007/s10641-018-0820-5