RECOVER 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.

本项目为《大沼泽地综合恢复计划（Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program，CERP）》下属的恢复协调与验证（Restoration Coordination and Verification，RECOVER）监测与评估计划（Monitoring and Assessment Plan，MAP）的组成部分。本项目的研究目标如下：(1) 建立可作为评估基准的参考条件，用以研判幼体斑点海鳟（juvenile spotted seatrout）种群的动态变化，并作为一项验证性研究任务，将本数据集与2004年至2022年的MAP数据集进行比对；(2) 基于平均密度与出现频率的观测结果，构建幼体丰度指数，并研判该海湾内不同区域的种群丰度是否存在年度差异；(3) 分析幼体斑点海鳟丰度与盐度之间的关联，并通过该分析揭示斑点海鳟对CERP实施的潜在响应规律；(4) 明确佛罗里达湾（Florida Bay）内其他幼体游钓鱼种的盐度偏好。