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Statistical models built using different data sources and methods can exhibit conflicting patterns. We used the northern stock of black sea bass (Centropristis striata) as a case study to assess the impacts of using different fisheries data sources and laboratory‐derived physiological metrics in the development of thermal habitat models for marine fishes. We constructed thermal habitat models using generalized additive models (GAMs) based on various fisheries datasets as input, including the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) bottom trawl surveys, various inshore fisheries‐independent trawl surveys (state waters), NEFSC fisheries‐dependent observer data, and laboratory‐based physiological metrics. We compared each model's GAM response curve and coupled them to historical ocean conditions in the U.S. Northeast Shelf using bias‐corrected ocean temperature output from a regional ocean model. Thermal habitat models based on shelf‐wide data (NEFSC fisheries‐dependent observer data and fisheries‐independent spring and fall surveys) explained the most variation in black sea bass presence/absence data at ~15% deviance explained. Models based on a narrower range of sampled thermal habitat from inshore survey data in the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) and the geographically isolated Long Island Sound data performed poorly. All models had similar lower thermal limits around 8.5℃, but thermal optima, when present, ranged from 16.7 to 24.8℃. The GAMs could reliably predict habitat from years excluded from model training, but due to strong seasonal temperature fluctuations in the region, could not be used to predict habitat in seasons excluded from training. We conclude that survey data source can greatly impact development and interpretation of thermal habitat models for marine fishes. We suggest that model development be based on data sources that sample the widest range of ocean temperature and physical habitat throughout multiple seasons when possible, and encourage thorough consideration of how data gaps may influence model uncertainty., This study assesses the sensitivity of generalized additive models, frequently used in habitat modeling, to various fisheries data sources used as input by using black sea bass (Centropristis striata) as a case study. Results show that similarities and differences between habitat models can inform uncertainty estimates and can have strong implications for coupled oceanographic habitat models often used to represent spatial habitat distributions for a wide variety of applications.

A ventral midline surgical approach for fish celiotomy is commonly performed in veterinary clinical medicine and research, although the relevant ventral body wall anatomy of many fish species is not well documented. Histological evaluation of tissue samples from the ventral body wall of 12 fish species was performed to provide a reference for surgical approach and closure decisions. The width between muscle bundles running parallel to the long axis and total thickness of tissue layers varied among species. An appreciable space between longitudinal muscles of the ventral body wall and a lack of muscle, vessels and nerves on midline in all species examined supports recommendations of ventral midline incisions to spare important structures. Dense connective tissue consistent with an aponeurosis between musculature along the ventral body wall was not observed in any species evaluated. Connective tissue was concentrated within the dermis of all species evaluated, with an additional layer of collagen along the coelomic membrane in Russian sturgeon Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, koi Cyprinus carpio, goldfish Carassius auratus, black drum Pogonias cromis, black seabass Centropristis striata, tomtate Haemulon aurolineatum and scup Stenotomus caprinus. A sufficiently wide space on ventral midline for practical targeting during the surgical approach is present in A. gueldenstaedtii, C. carpio, striped bass Morone saxatilis, H. aurolineatum, P. cromis, rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and brown trout Salmo trutta. Sand perch Diplectrum formosum, C. auratus, S. caprinus, grey triggerfish Balistes capriscus and black sea bass Centropristis striata have a negligible space between longitudinal muscles on midline. The variation in ventral body wall structure observed in this study helps inform surgical decision making for celiotomy incision and closure in these species.

Centropristis priaboniana Nolf & Stringer, 2003 Fig. 27A–D Centropristis priaboniana Nolf & Stringer, 2003: 8, pl. 4 figs 3–6. Centropristis priaboniana – Nolf 2013: 92, pl. 214. Remarks At a first glance, these small otoliths can be confused with the juveniles of “ Sparus ” elegantulus (Koken, 1888) (see below). Nevertheless, C. priaboniana has a nearly horizontal ostial crista inferior, forming a triangular ostium, while in “ S. ” elegantulus, the ostial crista inferior is evenly widened like that of the crista superior and forms an oval ostium. Otoliths of C. priaboniana are rare (n = 5), but our specimens from the Moodys Branch Formation, Mississippi expands their record to a lower level than their original type locality from the Yazoo Clay of Louisiana. Stratigraphic and geographic distribution Bartonian: Moodys Branch Formation, Louisiana and Mississippi. Priabonian: Yazoo Clay, Louisiana., Published as part of Lin, Chien-Hsiang & Nolf, Dirk, 2022, Middle and late Eocene fish otoliths from the eastern and southern USA, pp. 1-122 in European Journal of Taxonomy 814 on page 77, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.814.1745, http://zenodo.org/record/6484355, {"references":["Nolf D. & Stringer G. L. 2003. Late Eocene (Priabonian) fish otoliths from the Yazoo Clay at Copenhagen, Louisiana. Louisiana Geological Survey Geological Pamphlet 13: 1 - 23.","Nolf D. 2013. The Diversity of Fish Otoliths, Past and Present. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels.","Koken E. 1888. Neue Untersuchungen an tertiaren Fisch-Otolithen. Zeitschrift der deutschen geologischen Gesellschaft 40: 274 - 305."]}

The complete mitochondrial genome was sequenced from the marine teleost fish Black Sea Bass, Centropristis striata. The genome sequence is 16,986 bp in size and has a base composition of A (26.65%)...

Lernaeenicus radiatus, a mesoparasitic pennellid copepod, has long been known in the northwest Atlantic with metamorphosed females infecting the muscle of marine fish. The study herein is the first to identify a definitive first host, black sea bass Centropristis striata, for L. radiatus supporting larval development to adults and sexual reproduction in the gills. This finding suggests a two-host life cycle for L. radiatus, with black sea bass as the first host. Heavy infections in the gill were associated with considerable pathology related to a unique and invasive attachment process that penetrated the gill and selectively attached to the gill filament cartilage. The morphology of the developing copepod was highly conserved with that of a related pennellid copepod, Lernaeocera branchialis, though was distinguished by the attachment process, unique pigmentation and other morphologic features described herein. Sequencing the small and large subunits of the ribosomal RNA and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I genes demonstrated L. radiatus to share closer identities with Lernaeocera and Haemobaphes spp. pennellid copepods rather than other Lernaeenicus spp. available in GenBank to date. Taxonomy of L. radiatus is discussed in relation to life cycles, tissue tropism, morphology and genetics of other closely related pennellid copepods.

Fishes commonly exhibit diel rhythms in movements with consequences to feeding, reproduction, predator evasion, and resting. Such behaviors are conceived as plastic, persisting for phases (days to weeks), and then becoming disrupted, masked, and altered by changed environmental or ecological conditions. In telemetered black sea bass Centropristis striata (family Serranidae), we documented a remarkable 4‐month record of persistent diurnal vertical movements. Within the U.S. Mid‐Atlantic Bight June–October 2019 setting, biotelemetry data of 31 fish were examined through time series analysis and generalized additive modeling. Sun altitude played a dominant role throughout the series, where movements were diurnal. Thermal conditions were uniform until a September hurricane caused a 10°C rise in inhabited waters within the span of six hours, the result of water column mixing. This and other storms caused short‐term disruptions (

States in the Northeast United States have the ambitious goal of producing more than 22 GW of offshore wind energy in the coming decades. The infrastructure associated with offshore wind energy development is expected to modify marine habitats and potentially alter the ecosystem services. Species distribution models were constructed for a group of fish and macroinvertebrate taxa resident in the Northeast US Continental Shelf marine ecosystem. These models were analyzed to provide baseline context for impact assessment of lease areas in the Middle Atlantic Bight designated for renewable wind energy installations. Using random forest machine learning, models based on occurrence and biomass were constructed for 93 species providing seasonal depictions of their habitat distributions. We developed a scoring index to characterize lease area habitat use for each species. Subsequently, groups of species were identified that reflect varying levels of lease area habitat use ranging across high, moderate, low, and no reliance on the lease area habitats. Among the species with high to moderate reliance were black sea bass (Centropristis striata), summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), and Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), which are important fisheries species in the region. Potential for impact was characterized by the number of species with habitat dependencies associated with lease areas and these varied with a number of continuous gradients. Habitats that support high biomass were distributed more to the northeast, while high occupancy habitats appeared to be further from the coast. There was no obvious effect of the size of the lease area on the importance of associated habitats. Model results indicated that physical drivers and lower trophic level indicators might strongly control the habitat distribution of ecologically and commercially important species in the wind lease areas. Therefore, physical and biological oceanography on the continental shelf proximate to wind energy infrastructure development should be monitored for changes in water column structure and the productivity of phytoplankton and zooplankton and the effects of these changes on the trophic system.

Microplastics are ubiquitous in marine and estuarine ecosystems, and thus there is increasing concern regarding exposure and potential effects in commercial species. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the effects of microplastics on larval and early juvenile life stages of the Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata), a North American fishery. Larvae (13–14 days post hatch, dph) were exposed to 1.0 × 104, 1.0 × 105, and 1.0 × 106 particles L−1 of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) microspheres (10–20 μm) directly in seawater and via trophic transfer from microzooplankton prey (tintinnid ciliates, Favella spp.). We also compared the ingestion of virgin and chemically-treated microspheres incubated with either phenanthrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, or 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (2,4-DTBP), a plastic additive. Larval fish did not discriminate between virgin or chemically-treated microspheres. However, larvae did ingest higher numbers of microspheres through ingestion of microzooplankton prey than directly from the seawater. Early juveniles (50–60 dph) were directly exposed to the virgin and chemically-treated LDPE microspheres, as well as virgin LDPE microfibers for 96 h to determine physiological effects (i.e., oxygen consumption and immune response). There was a significant positive relationship between oxygen consumption and increasing microfiber concentration, as well as a significant negative relationship between immune response and increasing virgin microsphere concentration. This first assessment of microplastic pollution effects in the early life stages of a commercial finfish species demonstrates that trophic transfer from microzooplankton can be a significant route of microplastic exposure to larval stages of C. striata, and that multi-day exposure to some microplastics in early juveniles can result in physiological stress.

The warming of the world’s oceans has resulted in the redistribution of many marine species globally. As species undergo range shifts, the expanding edge of the population often experiences novel environmental and demographic conditions that may result in the emergence of variation in life-history strategies. The northern stock of black sea bass, Centropristis striata, has recently expanded its distribution poleward, into the Gulf of Maine. Management has struggled to keep pace with this rapid range shift, in part, because very little is known about the expanding population. We compared life-history traits of black sea bass collected from 2013 to 2016 from the northern most point of the historic range of the northern stock (southern Massachusetts) to those from two areas in the newly expanded range (northern Massachusetts and Maine). We found significant differences in size, diet, condition, maturity and sex ratio between black sea bass from southern Massachusetts and the Gulf of Maine. Overall, sea bass in the newly expanded range consumed a less diverse diet and their condition was lower, but they reached maturity at a younger age. We also found greater length- and age-at-maturity estimates from all regions combined compared to the most recent black sea bass stock assessment which includes data from Cape Hatteras, NC to southern Massachusetts. This study represents initial observations of life-history traits of sea bass in its newly expanded range in the Gulf of Maine, and suggests that these sea bass exhibit life-history strategies that differ from their southern counterparts within their historic range. Given these findings, the stock assessment for the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf black sea bass stock may not be adequate for sea bass in the Gulf of Maine. Studies investigating the expanding edge of economically valuable fishery species are needed to aid in ongoing and future efforts to assess and manage their stocks.

Spatial and temporal variability in fish tissue lipid content may reflect resource availability, reproductive or maturity state, or environmental suitability. Here, we analyzed nonpolar (storage) lipid and morphometric condition indices of black sea bass (Centropristis striata) collected from coastal waters of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey to North Carolina, USA. We hypothesized that the elemental ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) within C. striata white muscle and liver tissue would be a robust proxy for nonpolar lipid content (NPLC) and that NPLC would predictably covary with traditional condition indices. Further, we analyzed our NPLC tissue indices to determine how regional and biological patterns in muscle and liver NPLC aligned with traditional condition indices. Our results indicated that muscle tissue NPLC was low compared to liver tissue, and regression analysis revealed strong positive relationships between C:N and NPLC for both tissues (muscle—best fit was linear; liver—best fit was asymptotic nonlinear). Correlations of muscle and liver NPLC with other condition indices were index and region dependent (e.g., a reproductive index was positively correlated with muscle NPLC, but negatively correlated with liver NPLC). Tissue NPLC and standard condition indices differed significantly as a function of region, sex, and fish length, although the patterns were not consistent across the different indices. Our results support the use of muscle and liver C:N values to estimate tissue-specific C. striata NPLC. Further, our results indicate that NPLC indices provide additional insight into C. striata physiological condition and could assist studies examining habitat suitability across large spatial or temporal scales.

Storm events are a significant source of disturbance in the Middle Atlantic Bight, in the Northwest Atlantic, that cause rapid destratification of the water column during the late summer and early fall. Storm-driven mixing can be considered as a seasonal disturbance regime to demersal communities, characterized by the recurrence of large changes in bottom water temperatures. Black sea bass are a model ubiquitous demersal species in the Middle Atlantic Bight, as their predominantly sedentary behavior makes them ideal for tagging studies while also regularly exposing them to summer storm disturbances and the physiological stresses associated with thermal destratification. To better understand the responsiveness of black sea bass to storm impacts, we coupled biotelemetry with a high-resolution Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM). During the summers of 2016–2018, 8–15 black sea bass were released each year with acoustic transponders at three reef sites, which were surrounded by data-logging receivers. Data were analyzed for activity levels and reef departures of black sea bass, and fluctuations in temperature, current velocity, and turbulent kinetic energy. Movement rates were depressed with each consecutive passing storm, and late-season storms were associated with permanent evacuations by a subset of tagged fish. Serial increases in bottom temperature associated with repeated storm events were identified as the primary depressor of local movement. Storm-driven increases in turbulent kinetic energy and current velocity had comparatively smaller, albeit significant, effects. Black sea bass represents both an important fishery resource and an indicator species for the impact of offshore wind development in the United States. Their availability to fisheries surveys and sensitivity to wind turbine impacts will be biased during periods of high storm activity, which is likely to increase with regional climate change.

Harvest restrictions (e.g. size, sex or species limitations) that are implemented to maintain sustainable fisheries often result in by-catch, e.g. unwanted non-target catch. By-catch is frequently discarded back into the ocean and assumed to survive. However, discarded fishes can succumb to delayed mortality resulting from accumulated stress from fishing activity, and such mortality can impede sustainability efforts. Quantifying reflex and behavioural impairments is a quick and cost-effective method to predict discard-related mortality in some species. We developed and evaluated the effectiveness of a release condition index, based on a reflex-action mortality prediction (RAMP) model, for predicting delayed mortality of black sea bass (Centropristis striata) caught and discarded by the commercial trap fishery in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. Accumulation of impairments, and therefore release condition index, was strongly correlated with delayed mortality of black sea bass discarded and held in sea cages. This is the first release condition index validation study to predict mortality in black sea bass and could be a useful approach for predicting delayed mortality in the commercial fishery.

Overwintering conditions have long been known to affect fish survival and year-class strength as well as determine the poleward range limit of many temperate fishes. Despite this known importance, mechanisms controlling overwintering mortality are poorly understood and the tolerance of marine fishes to the combined effects of winter temperature, salinity, and size is rarely quantified. In recent years, higher abundances of the temperate Serranid, black sea bass Centropristis striata, have been observed at latitudes further north than their traditional range suggesting that warming water temperatures, particularly during winter, may be facilitating the establishment of a population at more northern latitudes. To examine overwintering survival of C. striata, the combined effects of temperature, salinity and body mass were quantified in laboratory experiments. We identified 6°C as the lower incipient lethal temperature for C. striata, below which fish cease feeding, lose weight rapidly and die within 32 days. A short cold exposure experiment indicated that temperatures below 5°C resulted in mortality events that continued even as the temperature increased slowly to 10°C, indicating that even short cold snaps can impact survival and recruitment in this species. Importantly, fish in lower salinity lived significantly longer than fish at higher salinity at both 3°C and 5°C, suggesting that osmoregulatory stress plays a role in overwintering mortality in this species. Size was not a critical factor in determining overwintering survival of young-of-the-year (YOY) C. striata. Overwintering survival of YOY C. striata can be effectively predicted as a function of temperature and salinity and their interaction with an accelerated failure model to project future range limits. Identifying temperature thresholds may be a tractable way to incorporate environmental factors into population models and stock assessment models in fishes.

Black sea bass (Centropristis striata) is an important fish species in both commercial and recreational fisheries of southern New England and the mid-Atlantic Bight. Due to the intense urbanization of these waters, this species is subject to a wide range of anthropogenic noise pollution. Concerns that C. striata are negatively affected by pile driving and construction noise predominate in areas earmarked for energy development. However, as yet, the hearing range of C. striata is unknown, making it hard to evaluate potential risks. This study is a first step in understanding the effects of anthropogenic noise on C. striata by determining the auditory bandwidth and thresholds of this species using auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), creating pressure and acceleration audiograms. These physiological tests were conducted on wild-caught C. striata in three size/age categories. Results showed that juvenile C. striata significantly had the lowest thresholds, with hearing sensitivity decreasing in the larger size classes. Furthermore, Centropristis striata has fairly sensitive hearing relative to other related species. Preliminary investigations into the mechanisms of their hearing ability were undertaken with gross dissections and an opportunistic micro computed tomography image to address the auditory structures including otoliths and swimbladder morphology. Crucially, the hearing range of C. striata, and their most sensitive frequencies, directly overlap with high-amplitude anthropogenic noise pollution such as shipping and underwater construction.

Understanding the dynamic processes that contribute to reproductive output is vital to determine appropriate harvest controls and sustain marine fisheries. For sequential hermaphrodites, the process of reproduction is complicated by sex transition within the life history. We examined the reproductive dynamics of black sea bass (Centropristis striata), a protogynous serranid, within a major fishing region of the Northwest Atlantic during two consecutive spawning seasons to quantify the strength of size-dependence and the magnitude of temporal variation in several key traits. Specifically, we estimated the size-dependence of sex ratio, maturity, spawning capability, batch fecundity, and spawning frequency at both fine (weeks/months) and broad (years) temporal scales. We observed fecundity to be highest in females of intermediate body size, which was entirely a function of reduced spawning frequency among the largest females. Female fecundity peaked at sizes well below the estimated size at sex transition, and contrary to the pattern typically observed for gonochoristic fishes in which the largest females yield the greatest number of eggs. Among protogynous fishes, females may decrease egg production prior to sex change and instead allocate energy to somatic growth, benefitting from larger body size during the subsequent male phase. The production of fewer batches of eggs by larger females directly impacted estimates of annual fecundity. In addition, we detected large interannual differences in the proportion of spawning capable females, and also spawning frequency, which resulted in considerable variation between annual fecundity estimates. The inclusion of temporal and size-dependent variation in female egg production should produce more robust estimates of stock reproductive potential and its response to changing harvest scenarios.

Feeding live prey organisms in a commercial marine fish hatchery requires significant labor and resources. The effects of feeding frequency of live rotifers and Artemia on growth, survival, hyposalinity stress resistance, and Na+/K+ ATPase activity in black sea bass larvae Centropristis striata were evaluated. Newly hatched larvae (day 0 post-hatching = d0ph) were stocked (53 larvae/L) into twenty-four 30-L tanks supported by a recirculating seawater (35 g/L) system in a controlled-environment laboratory. Temperature (22 °C), aeration (225 mL/min), light intensity (~ 1000 lx), and photoperiod (18 L: 6 D) were constant. Beginning on d3ph, larvae were fed a prescribed daily ration of live prey (enriched s-type rotifers and/or Artemia nauplii), but distributed at different frequencies: (1) 1 ×/d at 0800 h, (2) 2 ×/d at 0800 and 1600 h, (3) 3 ×/d at 0800, 1200 and 1600 h, and (4) 4 ×/d at 0800, 1200, 1600 and 2000 h, with six replicate tanks per treatment. The daily ration of live prey (maximum of 750,000 rotifers and 90,000 Artemia) was divided equally among feedings; therefore, prey density at each feeding (i.e., meal size) decreased at higher frequencies. By d31ph, larvae fed 4 ×/d showed significantly (P

A tagging study was conducted off the New Jersey coast to study sex change in Black Sea Bass Centropristis striata as a function of size, age, and spawning season. Throughout 2011–2013, 3,670 fish were measured and 1,498 were tagged from research, charter, and commercial fishing vessels. Of the tagged fish, 437 were recaptured. Size at 50% probability of sex change was 355 mm TL; the proportion of female fish in sexual transition increased with body size from 0.5% at 175–225 mm to 15.7% at 375–425 mm and increased with age from 0.6% at 3 years old to 18.2% at 6 years old. Relatively few females (8 of 107) changed sex during the spawning season, but a larger proportion (8 of 22 females) transitioned between spawning seasons. The proportion of females with transitional gonads was lowest at the start of the spawning season in June (0.2%), slowly increased over the summer, and sharply peaked just after the spawning season in October (9.5%). In addition, a high proportion of young mature fish were male...

To investigate the effects of dietary salt supplementation on growth performance, survival, body composition, and plasma electrolytes of black sea bass Centropristis striata, a feeding trial was conducted in a semi-pilot scale RAS under low salinity (10.8 ± 0.69 g L−1) rearing conditions. Four isolipidic and isonitrogenous test diets were formulated with graded levels of sea salt (99.86% NaCl): 0%, 2.5%, 5%, and 7.5% dry wt. In addition, two control diets (0% salt test diet and a premium commercial diet) were tested for fish raised in full-strength seawater (34 g L−1). Twelve tanks (vol = 2-m3) of the low-salinity RAS were each stocked with black sea bass (mean wt. = 19.6 g) at a density of 100 fish per tank and at a starting salinity of 34 g L−1 and salinity was gradually decreased (0.5 g L−1 per day) to 10.1 g L−1 in 30 days. In addition, six tanks (2-m3) of a RAS supplied with full-strength seawater were each stocked with 100 fish from the same cohort, with 3 tanks fed either of the two control diets (0% salt or the commercial diet). After the 8-month feeding trial, fish grown at low salinity were fed their respective diets for an additional 5 weeks under adverse low-salinity conditions in which salinity was further decreased gradually from 10.1 g L−1 to 4 g L−1. Survival over the 8 months remained high (93–100%) among treatments. Growth (% body weight gain) among the treatments in low salinity ranged from 766 to 825%, comparable to fish raised in full seawater (788–813%). Plasma osmolality (mOsm kg−1) for fish ranged from 336 to 357 among all treatments. However, no significant relationships between weight gain, feed conversion ratio, survival, plasma osmolality, and electrolyte concentrations and dietary salt level were observed among fish raised in low salinity. When salinity was further reduced from 10.1 g L−1 to 4 g L−1, fish fed 0% salt showed poor survival (29%), whereas fish fed 7.5% salt showed highest survival (67%), and a significant (P

Regression analyses used to describe a species’ distribution in relation to environmental conditions often employ global models based on the assumption that the influence of environmental variables is constant or uniform across geographic space. We tested the assumption of spatial stationarity in relationships between environmental variables and the distributions (encounters/non-encounters) of black sea bass (Centropristis striata) and scup (Stenotomus chrysops) caught during fishery-independent bottom trawl surveys conducted in US shelf waters of the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). Our tests employed global logistic generalized linear models (GLMs), global logistic generalized additive models (GAMs), and local logistic geographically weighted regression models (GWR). GWR models had a higher goodness-of-fit and predictive accuracy than GLMs and GAMs for both species, and the residuals of the GWR models also demonstrated less spatial autocorrelation. Results of GWR analyses indicated that local relationships between species' distributions and environmental conditions were significant and varied spatially in strength and direction between sampling locations. Local GWR parameter coefficients and t-values were mapped for further evaluation and a k-means cluster analysis using t-values was performed to identify any areas within the survey region with distinct species and environmental relationships. Overall, our results provided new insight about local spatial variability in habitat associations for black sea bass and scup and how environmental conditions shape their distributions in the MAB. Further, our results suggest that GWR should be considered for exploring spatial varying habitat relationships for other species in the MAB as well.

Fish traps were soaked for long (d) and short (min) intervals to examine the relationship between the catch of Black Sea Bass Centropristis striata and soak time for traps used in the Middle Atlantic Bight commercial fishery. First, we soaked traps over a 14-d period to examine how catch changes over time and modeled catch as a function of soak time using two three-parameter models from the literature. Maximum catches were obtained after 11 soak days before declining. Models applied to catch and soak time data fit reasonably well and may be used to correct for changes in soak time to develop abundance estimates. Second, we used a modified trap equipped with video cameras to observe fish interactions, including entry and escapement dynamics with traps over short (~60 min) soak times. Out of all the fish that were observed entering the trap, 48 (84.2%) exited while 9 (15.8%) were caught. Patterns for cumulative distributions of entries and exits indicated that entry and escapement behaviors may lead...

Eight isonitrogenous (46% crude protein) and isolipidic (14% crude lipid) diets were formulated for juvenile black sea bass Centropristis striata to replace menhaden fish meal (FM) protein (59.5% CP) by three cottonseed meal (CSM) proteins: a CSM prepared from glandless seed (GCSM, 50.4% CP), a CSM that had been solvent extracted with acidic ethanol to remove the gossypol (SCSM, 53.8% CP), and a CSM prepared from regular (glanded) cottonseed (RCSM, 45% CP). Three diets replaced 50, 75 and 100% of FM protein with GCSM, and three diets replaced 50, 75 and 100% of FM protein with SCSM. One diet replaced 100% FM protein with RCSM protein. A control diet (0% CSM) was formulated with high FM protein and other practical protein sources. l -methionine and l -lysine were supplemented to the diets to equal the control diet. Fifteen fish were stocked in each of twenty-four 75-L tanks, and each test diet was fed to triplicate groups of fish (mean initial weight = 7.7 ± 0.10 g) for 56 days at 22–24 °C, 32–35 salinity, and ambient photoperiod conditions. Fish were fed twice per day to apparent satiation. Final (day 56) mean body weight (BW, 24.16–31.62 g), body weight gain (BWG, 211.2–311.3%), specific growth rate (SGR, 1.70–2.18%/d), and feed intake (FI, 0.37–0.43 g/fish/d) were not significantly different (P > 0.05) among the control, GCSM or SCSM treatments, but were reduced (P Statement of relevance Cotton seed flour is an inexpensive agricultural by-product. The results demonstrate successful replacement of fish meal protein with genetically-improved cottonseed flour protein in the diet of black sea bass. These findings may substantially lower aquafeed costs (a key operational cost) for finfish growout operations to boost profitability and accelerate expansion of commercial production of black sea bass and other finfish species.

We used fish body depth to predict trap center-to-center mesh sizes that would optimize size selection of black sea bass Centropristis striata for both current and proposed minimum size limits for this species. We fished trap types of five different square mesh sizes/configurations: (1) 38.1 mm mesh, (2) 38.1 mm mesh on five sides and 50.8 mm mesh on one side (back panel trap), (3) 50.8 mm mesh, (4) 57.2 mm mesh, and (5) 63.5 mm mesh. The 38.1 mm mesh trap was the control trap type. Back panel traps are the minimally legal mesh configuration in this region while 50.8 mm mesh traps are commonly used in this fishery to further reduce culling of sub-legal black sea bass by fishers. Two previously untested mesh sizes, 57.2 and 63.5 mm, were evaluated because a previously published morphometric relationship between black sea bass body depth and total length (TL) predicted that the diagonal openings of these two respective mesh sizes would retain black sea bass close to the current (279 mm) and proposed minimum TL limits (305 mm). We estimated size selection of each experimental trap type by comparing catches of control and experimental traps. All but the back panel trap displayed relatively steep selection around the fish length at which 50% of individuals were selected ( l 50 ). Initial size at retention ( l 10 ) by the 57.2 and 63.5 mm trap types were nearly identical to current and proposed minimum fish sizes, respectively. Predictions from the body depth: TL relationship were very similar to estimates of l 10 and l 50 , based on uncompressed body depth and compression to 93%. The 57.2 mm mesh and 63.5 mm mesh trap types maintained catches of legal fish but reduced catches of sub-legal fish compared to the back panel and 50.8 mm mesh trap types. Relative to back panel and 50.8 mm mesh traps, use of 57.2 mm mesh traps would reduce rates of discard and discard mortality given current size limits in this fishery.

Time–area closures have been widely used in fisheries management to prevent overfishing and reduce the bycatch of protected species. Due to quota overages and concerns about entanglement of federally protected North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis, the commercial harvest of Black Sea Bass Centropristis striata using pot gear has been prohibited in the southeastern United States in winter since 2009. Following the rebuilding of the Black Sea Bass stock and a change to the start date of the fishing year, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) increased the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) and is considering twelve alternatives to the pot gear closure that would revise the timing and/or spatial extent of the closure. Changes to this closure could affect the annual catch of Black Sea Bass and increase the risk of right whale entanglement in pot gear. Using historical fishing effort, landings, and right whale sightings data, we projected Black Sea Bass landings and the relat...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218390.].

Over the last decade, ocean temperature in the U.S. Northeast Continental Shelf (U.S. NES) has warmed faster than the global average and is associated with observed distribution changes of the northern stock of black sea bass (Centropristis striata). Mechanistic models based on physiological responses to environmental conditions can improve future habitat suitability projections. We measured maximum, resting metabolic rate, and hypoxia tolerance (Scrit) of the northern adult black sea bass stock to assess performance across the known temperature range of the species. A subset of individuals was held at 30°C for one month (30chronic°C) prior to experiments to test acclimation potential. Absolute aerobic scope (maximum – resting metabolic rate) reached a maximum of 367.21 mgO2 kg−1 hr−1 at 24.4°C while Scrit continued to increase in proportion to resting metabolic rate up to 30°C. The 30chronic°C group had a significant decrease in maximum metabolic rate and absolute aerobic scope but resting metabolic rate or Scrit were not affected. This suggests a decline in performance of oxygen demand processes (e.g. muscle contraction) beyond 24°C despite maintenance of oxygen supply. The Metabolic Index, calculated from Scrit as an estimate of potential aerobic scope, closely matched the measured factorial aerobic scope (maximum / resting metabolic rate) and declined with increasing temperature to a minimum below 3. This may represent a critical value for the species. Temperature in the U.S. NES is projected to increase above 24°C in the southern portion of the northern stock’s range. Therefore, these black sea bass will likely continue to shift north as the ocean continues to warm.