Distribution and Habitat Associations of Billfish and Swordfish Larvae across Mesoscale Features in the Gulf of Mexico
Open accessAbstract
Ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted in surface waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGoM) over a three-year period (2006-2008) to determine the relative value of this region as early life habitat of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), white marlin (Kajikia albida), and swordfish (Xiphias gladius). Sailfish were the dominant billfish collected in summer surveys, and larvae were present at 37.5% of the stations sampled. Blue marlin and white marlin larvae were present at 25.0% and 4.6% of the stations sampled, respectively, while swordfish occurred at 17.2% of the stations. Areas of peak production were detected and maximum density estimates for sailfish (22.09 larvae 1000 m(-2)) were significantly higher than the three other species: blue marlin (9.62 larvae 1000 m(-2)), white marlin (5.44 larvae 1000 m(-2)), and swordfish (4.67 larvae 1000 m(-2)). The distribution and abundance of billfish and swordfish larvae varied spatially and temporally, and several environmental variables (sea surface temperature, salinity, sea surface height, distance to the Loop Current, current velocity, water depth, and Sargassum biomass) were deemed to be influential variables in generalized additive models (GAMs). Mesoscale features in the NGoM affected the distribution and abundance of billfish and swordfish larvae, with densities typically higher in frontal zones or areas proximal to the Loop Current. Habitat suitability of all four species was strongly linked to physicochemical attributes of the water masses they inhabited, and observed abundance was higher in slope waters with lower sea surface temperature and higher salinity. Our results highlight the value of the NGoM as early life habitat of billfishes and swordfish, and represent valuable baseline data for evaluating anthropogenic effects (i.e., Deepwater Horizon oil spill) on the Atlantic billfish and swordfish populations.
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Istiophoridae larvae are likely concentrated at or near the surface.
“In addition, the similarity in mean abundance for neuston and S-10 abundances of Istiophoridae indicate that larvae of this family are likely concentrated at or near the surface, confirming previous observations (Prince et al. 2005;Richardson et al. 2009;Rooker et al. 2012).”
From A comparison of sampling methods for larvae of medium and large epipelagic fish species during spring SEAMAP ichthyoplankton surveys in the Gulf of Mexico (2014) · cites this paper as Rooker et al. 2012
The Methods (page not provided) report collecting sailfish and marlin larvae with neuston nets sampling approximately the upper 0.6–1.0 m, supporting their presence near the surface. The paper does not compare catches across depths, so it does not establish that Istiophoridae larvae are concentrated there. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPrevious studies have associated increased larval pelagic abundance with specific mesoscale features.
“Previous studies have associated increased larval pelagic abundance with some of these specific mesoscale features (Richardson et al. 2009;Muhling et al. 2010;Rooker et al. 2012;Lindo-Atichati et al. 2012).”
From A comparison of sampling methods for larvae of medium and large epipelagic fish species during spring SEAMAP ichthyoplankton surveys in the Gulf of Mexico (2014) · cites this paper as Rooker et al. 2012
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Habtes, S., Muller‐Karger, F. E., Roffer, M. A., Lamkin, J. T., & Muhling, B. A. (2014) · Limnology and Oceanography: Methods · doi:10.4319/lom.2014.12.86 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
- Authors
- Rooker, J. R., Simms, J. R., Wells, R. J. D., Holt, S. A., Holt, G. J., Graves, J. E., & Furey, N. B.
- Affiliations
- Texas A&M University at Galveston (US)
- University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute (US)
- William & Mary (US)
- Corresponding author
- Rooker, Jay R.
- Venue
- PLoS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2012-04-11
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- e34180
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3324529
- OpenAlex
- W2002569737
- Cited by
- 105
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 5.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- W&M Publish (College of William & Mary) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- OakTrust (Texas A&M University Libraries) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Marine Fisheries Service
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Marine and fisheries research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Keywords
- sailfish, blue marlin, white marlin, ichthyoplankton, mesoscale ocean features, Loop Current, frontal zone, habitat suitability, larval density, sea surface temperature, salinity, Deepwater Horizon oil spill, northern Gulf of Mexico
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Larva, Models, Theoretical, Perciformes, Seawater, Time Factors, Ecosystem, Gulf of America, Gulf of Mexico
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