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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Habitat Associations And Reproduction Of Fishes On The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico Shelf Edge, Elizabeth Marie Keller
Habitat Associations And Reproduction Of Fishes On The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico Shelf Edge, Elizabeth Marie Keller
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Several of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) shelf-edge banks provide critical hard bottom habitat for coral and fish communities, supporting a wide diversity of ecologically and economically important species. These sites may be fish aggregation and spawning sites and provide important habitat for fish growth and reproduction. Already designated as habitat areas of particular concern, many of these banks are also under consideration for inclusion in the expansion of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. This project aimed to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the communities and fish species on shelf-edge banks by way of gonad histology, …
Fish Assemblage Structure, Distribution, And Trophic Ecology At Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico Banks, Todd Langland
Fish Assemblage Structure, Distribution, And Trophic Ecology At Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico Banks, Todd Langland
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
The northwest Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) shelf-edge banks both provide unique hard bottom habitat and support the northernmost coral reefs on the North American continental shelf in a region that is generally characterized by low relief, soft sediments. The habitat value of many of these banks has led to their designation as Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) and the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). However, little is known about the fisheries resources and dynamics of the banks outside the FGBNMS. This study had three main objectives: 1) define reef fish assemblages at northwestern Gulf shelf-edge banks and …
Fish Biomass And Community Structure Around Standing And Toppled Oil And Gas Platforms In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Using Hydroacoustic And Video Surveys, Emily Marissa Reynolds
Fish Biomass And Community Structure Around Standing And Toppled Oil And Gas Platforms In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Using Hydroacoustic And Video Surveys, Emily Marissa Reynolds
LSU Master's Theses
There has been relatively little study of the efficacy of decommissioned oil and gas platforms as artificial reef habitats for fish assemblages in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). A variety of fish species have been reported on these structures, but the species biomass distribution and community structure has not been studied thoroughly. Hydroacoustic and video surveys were conducted quarterly from June 2013 to June 2014 at three standing and two toppled oil and gas platforms located approximately 130 km off the coast of Louisiana at 90 m depth; to gain information about the spatial biomass distribution and community structure …
Reef Fish Demographics On Louisiana Artificial Reefs : The Effects Of Reef Size On Biomass Distribution And Foraging Dynamics, Kirsten A. Simonsen
Reef Fish Demographics On Louisiana Artificial Reefs : The Effects Of Reef Size On Biomass Distribution And Foraging Dynamics, Kirsten A. Simonsen
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Understanding the role that habitat plays in the life history of reef-associated fishes is particularly significant given the dramatic increase in the number of artificial reefs deployed in coastal ecosystems over the past 50 years. In the Gulf of Mexico, the oil and gas industry has added a significant amount of structure to the Louisiana continental shelf, creating the largest de facto artificial reef deployment area in the world. Noting their usefulness as fish habitat, the Louisiana Artificial Reef Program was established to convert decommissioned platforms into artificial reefs. However, very little quantitative information exists on how these habitats affect …
Quantifying Changes In Fish Habitat Use In Coastal Waters Of Louisiana, Usa: A Hydroacoustic Approach, Kevin Mershon Boswell
Quantifying Changes In Fish Habitat Use In Coastal Waters Of Louisiana, Usa: A Hydroacoustic Approach, Kevin Mershon Boswell
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
The development of reliable tools for identifying essential fish habitat (EFH) has proven problematic. Knowledge of the distribution and biomass of fishes over discrete habitat types is a prerequisite for effective use of EFH in the management of important commercial and recreational fish species. Resolution of the influence of habitat type and environmental factors on the distribution of fishes is confounded by limitations of traditional sampling gears. To date, hydroacoustic technology has been widely accepted as a tool for surveying fishery resources; however few studies have implemented acoustics in ultra shallow (<2 m) coastal waters. Efforts should be made to utilize hydroacoustics for quantifying changes in fish distributions within estuarine environments given the benefits provided through acoustic technology (e.g. ease of deployment, reduced sampling effort, and non-invasive sampling attributes). A technique was developed for acoustically sensing fishes in the shallow, turbid waters of Barataria Bay, Louisiana. A robust and lightweight remotely-controlled transducer platform was designed for deploying acoustic gear. Sources of scattering within the bay were identified through a series of exclosure net experiments designed to quantify potential effects of plankton and suspended solids on acoustic scattering. Analysis filters were developed to reduce the effects of bubble-induced noise, often observed during periods when wind speeds were greater than 4.5 m s-1. Side-aspect acoustic target strength-length and target …
The Effects Of Fall Coldfront Passages On The Nekton Community In A Tidal Creek In Port Fourchon, La, As Monitored By Hydroacoustics, David J. Harmon
The Effects Of Fall Coldfront Passages On The Nekton Community In A Tidal Creek In Port Fourchon, La, As Monitored By Hydroacoustics, David J. Harmon
LSU Master's Theses
Split-beam hydroacoustic sampling with two, 420 KHz, 2x6 degree elliptical transducers was evaluated as a tool to quantify nekton movements in a Louisiana estuary. I measured the effects of atmospheric cold front passages on nekton in a tidal creek in Port Fourchon, LA during the fall of 2000. Six “fronts” were sampled between October 6 and December 18, 2000. Nekton density ranged from 0 to 24.4 fish/m3 with an overall mean of 2.44 fish/m3. Net samples were taken to supplement the acoustic data with species composition data. Species composition changed from October to December. A higher number …