Saltwater Recreational Fishing

License

Communities of Fish and Selected Invertebrates in the

Little Manatee River

21.3-m Seine, 3.2 mm-mesh

6.1-m Otter Trawl3.2-mm mesh liner

The tidal portion of the the LMR is home to more than 100 species of fish and is an important nursery area for numerous economically valuable and ecologically important species. It also provides important nursery habitat for economically important invertebrates such as pink shrimp and blue crabs.

Red Drum

(Sciaenops ocellatus)

Spotted Seatrout

(Cynoscion nebulosus)

Common Snook

(Centropomus undecimalis)

River km Species 0 3.4 7.4 13.1 16.1 17.8

Pigfish Gulf flounder Spotted seatrout Scaled sardine Silver jenny Northern kingfish Sheepshead Pinfish Silver perch Sand seatrout Spot Striped mullet Tidewater mojarra Striped mojarra Red drum Southern kingfish Common snook Ladyfish Menhaden Bay anchovy Hogchoker Croaker Black drum

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Cat

ch p

er H

aul

0

1000

2000

3000

4000 Alafia seine LMR seine Manatee seine Braden seine

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Cat

ch p

er H

aul

0

100

200

300

400Alafia trawl LMR trawl Manatee trawl Braden trawl

All Fish

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0

20

40

60

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0

200

400

600

NETB (model = bottom cover, temperature, dist. from shore, depth)

LMR (model = temperature)

A

C

ABCAB

BC

B

A

AB B AB

Resident Planktivores

Bay Anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli)

Silversides (Menidia spp.)

Anchoa mitchilli

(Apr-Nov)

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0

10

20

30

40

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0

1

2

3

4

LMR (no significant covariates)

NETB (no significant covariates)

A

A A A A

A

AA

A

A

Menidia spp.

(May-Oct)

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0

40

80

120

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0

1

2

3

4

LMR (model = dist. from shore, depth)

NETB (no significant covariates)

A

AB

AB ABB

AB ABBB

A

Bay anchovy Silversides

Sur

face

Sal

inity

(pp

t)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30river km 0 river km 3 river km 7

Month

Jan-Feb

Mar-Apr

May-Jun

Jul-A

ug

Sep-Oct

Nov-Dec

Jan-Feb

Mar-Apr

May-Jun

Jul-A

ug

Sep-Oct

Nov-Dec

Jan-Feb

Mar-Apr

May-Jun

Jul-A

ug

Sep-Oct

Nov-Dec

Jan-Feb

Mar-Apr

May-Jun

Jul-A

ug

Sep-Oct

Nov-Dec

0

2

4

6

8

10 river km 12river km 16 river km 18

1988 1989 1990 1991

Little Manatee River

Anchoa mitchilli (bay anchovy)

Abundance in the Little Manatee River

Small Water-column Residents: Killifish (Cyprinodontidae)

Striped killifish (Fundulus majalis)

Rainwater killifish (Lucania parva)

Small water column

residents: livebearers

(Poeciliidae)

Eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)

Sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna)

Lucania parva

(May-Dec)

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0

1

2

3

4

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

LMR (model = moon phase, temperature,

depth)

NETB (model = cover)

A

A

AB

A

BC

BAB

BB

C

Fundulus majalis

(Apr-Dec)

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

LMR (no significant

covariates)

NETB (model = dist.

from shore, depth)

AB

A

A

A

A

A

ABABB

A

Rainwater killifish Striped killifish

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0.0

0.7

1.4

2.1

2.8

3.5

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0.0

0.7

1.4

2.1

2.8

3.5

Gambusia holbrooki, all months, LMR (model = moon, temp.)

ABC

A

B

A

B

A

C

AB

BC

B

Poecilia latipinna, Jun-Dec, LMR (model = moon, dis., temp.)

Eastern mosquitofish

Sailfin molly

Cyprinodontidae + Poeciliidae(native species only)

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0

3

6

9

12

15

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0.0

0.3

0.6

0.9

1.2

1.5

LMR (model = moon,

cover, temp., dist., depth)

B

A

B

A

B

A

AB

A

B

B

NETB (model = cover,

dist., depth)

Small Benthic Residents: Clown goby (Microgobius gulosus)

Small benthic residents: hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus)

Trinectes maculatus

(all months)

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0

2

4

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0.000

0.005

0.010

0.015

0.020

LMR (no sign. covariates;

sign. overall difference among years)

A

AA

A

A

A

A

AA

A

NETB (no sign. covariates)

Microgobius gulosus

(May-Oct)

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0.0

0.4

0.8

1.2

1.6

LMR (model = temp.)

A

C

A

C

B

A A

A

A

C

NETB (model = cover)

Clown goby Hogchoker

Demersal Transients:

Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides)

Lagodon rhomboides

(Feb-Jun)

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0

5

10

15

20

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

LMR (model = cover, depth)

B

CBC BC

A

B

A

BB

AB

NETB (model = cover)

Snook Life Cycle

Spawn

Eggs

Larvae

Tidalfreshwater

stream

Saltmarsh

Mangrove

Seagrass

Adapted from Lewis, Gilmore, Crewz and Odum, 1988

Economically Important Residents: Common snook (Centropomus undecimalis)

Centropomus undecimalis

(Jul-Dec)

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0.000

0.005

0.010

0.015

0.020

LMR (no sign. covariates)

A

B

A

ABAB

A

AAA

AB

NETB (no signif. covariates)

Economically Important Transients: Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)

Economically Important Transients: Spot

(Leiostomus xanthurus)

Economically Important

Transients: Striped mullet

(Mugil cephalus)

Economically Important

Transients: Menhaden

(Brevoortia spp.)

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0.0

0.7

1.4

2.1

2.8

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0

1

2

3

4

Red drum(Oct-Jan)

LMR (no sign. covariates)

C

A

A

A

A

AB

AB

BC

A

A

Spot(Jan-Jun)

LMR (no sign. covariates)

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-

Geo

met

ric M

ean

Cat

ch p

er 1

00 m

2

0.0

0.7

1.4

Increasing Freshwater Inflow

-2000- -1999- -1996- -1997- -1998-0

1

2

3

Striped mullet(Jan-Jul)

LMR (no sign. covariates)

B

AAA

A

B

A

BB

A

Menhaden(Feb-Jul)

LMR (no sign. covariates)

Midpoint, SL mm

5 25 45 65 85 105

Mea

n S

urfa

ce S

alin

ity

0

4

8

12

16

20

24

MESO

OLIGO

FRESH

+

71

30

72238

111177391

498

346

5

Sciaenops ocellatus