MAP 3.2.3.7 Juvenile Spotted Seatrout Monitoring in Florida Bay

This project is a component of the Restoration Coordination and Verification (RECOVER) Monitoring and Assessment Plan (MAP) of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program (CERP). The objectives are to: (1) develop reference conditions that can be used as a baseline to evaluate trends in juvenile spotted seatrout populations and, as an exercise, compare data with Monitoring and Assessment Plan (MAP) data sets from 2004 through 2022; (2) develop a juvenile abundance index derived from mean density and frequency of occurrence observations and determine if annual differences in abundance occur among areas in the Bay; (3) examine the relationship between juvenile spotted seatrout abundance and salinity and use this analysis to gain insights into the potential response of spotted seatrout to CERP implementation; and (4) determine salinity preferences for other juvenile sportfish in Florida Bay.