Drying Times: Integrating Citizen Science to Examine Survival of Florida Largemouth Bass in a Coastal Refuge Habitat

In aquatic systems, refuge habitats increase resistance to drying events and are necessary for maintaining populations in disturbed environments. However, reduced water availability threatens the existence and function of these habitats. To test refuge function we conducted a capture-mark-recapture (CMR) study, integrating citizen science angler sampling into fisheries-independent methods. The objectives of this study were twofold: 1) to determine the contribution of citizen science to improving CMR capture probability, and 2.) to quantify apparent survival of Florida Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides floridanus, in a coastal refuge habitat across a range of drying severity.

The inclusion of angler sampling was determined to be a feasible method for increasing capture probability. Apparent survival of Florida Bass varied among hydrologic periods, with lowest survival rates when upstream marshes functionally dried (< 10 cm). Abrupt decreases in survival after marshes fell below 10 cm, point to the notion of a critical level at which the capacity of refuge habitats to buffer from seasonal drying drops and mortality increases. Overall mortality from drying events increased with the duration of marsh drying. These findings have important implications for understanding and predicting how populations may respond under forecasted reductions in water availability and future restoration efforts.