Natural Habitat Associations and the Effects of Dredging on Coastal Pelagic and Benthic Forage Fish at the Canaveral Shoals, East-Central, FL

The habitat value and function of shoal complexes and associated habitat for various groups of fish are poorly understood.  These structurally complex, sand-rich features, support various life stages of many fish species and are often targeted for dredging and beach renourishment projects.  The goals of the study were to assess natural movements and broad habitat preferences of federally managed coastal fish species associated with the Canaveral Shoal complex, and also to monitor finer scale movements of small-bodied benthic fish in association with a dredging event.  Twenty-three acoustic receivers were deployed within the region off Cape Canaveral to complement an existing array of compatible receivers spanning 300 kilometers along the east coast of Florida.  Up to 40 red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and 40 finetooth shark (Carcharhinus isodon) were captured and tagged in the nearshore coastal environment for monitoring up to 5 years.  Initial space use of the shoal habitat in 6-months post-tagging were analyzed for these species.  Fifty-four spot croaker (Leiostomus xanthurus) and 66 Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) were also captured and tagged for monitoring up to 8 months.  For these species, site fidelity and movement across and between habitats were compared between the dredge site and a control site.