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Bonefish in South Florida: status, threats and research needs

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgements

Brownscombe is supported by Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and Carleton University. Cooke is a BTT Fellow and is further supported by NSERC and the Canada Research Chairs Program. Adams and Boucek are supported by Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada

    Jacob W. Brownscombe & Steven J. Cooke

  2. Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Andy J. Danylchuk & Christopher R. Haak

  3. Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, 135 San Lorenzo Ave., Suite 860, Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA

    Aaron J. Adams, Brooke Black, Ross Boucek, Russ W. Fisher & Bill Horn

  4. Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, 5600 North Highway A1A, Fort Pierce, FL, USA

    Aaron J. Adams

  5. Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Michael Power

  6. Earth & Environment Department, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Jennifer S. Rehage & Rolando O. Santos

  7. Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 14 33199, USA

    Jennifer S. Rehage & Rolando O. Santos

  8. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, 33 East Quay Road, Key West, FL, 33040, USA

    Sean Morton

  9. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 27896 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL, 33050, USA

    John Hunt

  10. Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 14 32611, USA

    Robert Ahrens

  11. Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida, Post Office Box 110600, Gainesville, FL, 32653-3071, USA

    Michael S. Allen

  12. Department of Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 West University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL, 32904, USA

    Jonathan Shenker

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  1. Jacob W. Brownscombe
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  2. Andy J. Danylchuk
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  17. Steven J. Cooke
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Correspondence to Jacob W. Brownscombe.

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Brownscombe, J.W., Danylchuk, A.J., Adams, A.J. et al. Bonefish in South Florida: status, threats and research needs. Environ Biol Fish 102, 329–348 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-018-0820-5

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