New Fish on the Block: Ecological Implications of Black Sea Bass in the Gulf of Maine

 

Black sea bass historically ranged from the Gulf of Mexico to Cape Cod, but recently it has expanded its range as far north as midcoast Maine. Very little is known about the population dynamics of the expanded stock or the ecological impacts of sea bass range expansion on the Gulf of Maine (GOM). We conducted SCUBA surveys to quantify sea bass from the historical northern edge of their range (Rhode Island) into the GOM (northern Massachusetts and Maine) and found that abundance increased from spring to fall and decreased with latitude. Additionally, small juveniles were not present in the northern GOM. We also examined their diet, growth and reproductive effort throughout the GOM. Preliminary results indicate that the importance of crustaceans to the diet of sea bass increases with latitude and that sea bass are not currently spawning in the northern GOM. These results are the first documentation of sea bass feeding ecology and productivity in the northern GOM, and will inform efforts to determine the impacts of sea bass on food web dynamics and fisheries productivity of native GOM species. Furthermore, this study aims to assist efforts to assess and manage this species in its newly expanded range.