DOI: 10.5061/dryad.66t1g1jzz
title: Data related to: The recurring role of storm disturbance on black sea bass (Centropristis striata) movement behaviors in the Mid-Atlantic Bight

description: Summer storm events are a significant source of disturbance in the Middle
 Atlantic Bight (MAB) that cause rapid destratification of the water
 column.  Storm-driven mixing can be considered as a summertime
 disturbance regime to demersal communities, characterized by the
 recurrence of large changes in bottom water temperatures.  Black
 sea bass are a model ubiquitous demersal species in the MAB, as their
 sedentary behavior exposes them to summer storm disturbances and the
 physiological stresses associated with thermal destratification. 
 To better understand the responsiveness of black sea bass to storm
 impacts, we coupled biotelemetry with a high resolution Finite Volume
 Community Ocean Model (FVCOM).  During the summers of 2016-2018,
 8-15 black sea bass were released with acoustic transponders at each of
 three reef sites, which were surrounded by data-logging
 receivers.  Data were analyzed for activity levels, reef
 departures, and fluctuations in temperature, current velocity, and
 turbulent kinetic energy.  Movement rates were depressed with
 each consecutive passing storm, and late-season storms were associated
 with permanent evacuations. Consecutive, compounding increases in bottom
 temperature associated with repeated storm events were identified as the
 primary depressor of local movement. Storm-driven increases in turbulent
 kinetic energy and current velocity had comparatively smaller, albeit
 significant, effect. The need to better understand the effect of storms on
 fish populations in the MAB is relevant in understanding both coincident
 anthropogenic impacts as well as future fisheries management.
description: A total of nine VEMCO VR2AR (VEMCO Ltd.) acoustic-release
 receivers were deployed across study sites during June-October, 2016-2018.
 Three receivers were positioned to capture movement behaviors associated
 with each reef. Receivers were deployed 800 m away and at 0°, 120°, and
 240° angles from capture and tagging locations at each reef. Receivers
 were moored to the seabed with two 20.4 kg weight plates and positioned in
 the water column with one 10.8 kg buoyant buoy each. Receivers
 continuously recorded data on unique transmitter detections, recorded
 bottom water temperature (°C), and ambient noise at 69 kHz (mV) every 600
 seconds. During June 2016-2018 and at each site, 8-17 black sea bass were
 surgically implanted with VEMCO V9-2H acoustic transmitters. Animal
 collection, surgical, and release procedures were approved by the UMCES
 Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC-Secor-F-CBL-160-10).
 Transmitters emitted a 69 kHz signal at randomized 90-second intervals.
 Fish were captured at reef sites using rod-and-reel on a chartered
 recreational fishing boat, and immediately placed in a 57-liter tank
 containing ambient seawater until surgery. Fish selected for surgery were
 transferred to a surgery tank containing a mixture of sea water and Aqui-S
 anesthetic (20 mg L<sup>-1</sup>; active ingredient clove
 oil). Once anesthetized, individuals were transferred to a sling lined
 with synthetic foam to minimize damage to fins and epithelium, and, while
 the head and gills remained immersed, a 1-cm incision was made cranial to
 the vent, and lateral to the midline. The transmitter was inserted through
 the incision and was closed with 1-2 single surgical-knot sutures.
 Post-surgery fish were transferred back to the holding tank to monitor for
 recovery. Telemetry data were analyzed for changes in local and
 broad-scale movement behaviors relative to storm events. A movement index
 was estimated as the average number of movements detected by consecutive
 unique receivers per hr. Hourly movement indices were aggregated across
 tagged fish within each site to provide a site activity index.
 Oceangraphic variables (current velocity, turbulent kinetic
 energy, and bottom water temperature) were estimated during storm periods
 using  a Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM).  The model was
 configured for the MAB region, with the eastern boundary located
 approximately at 70° W, and the northern and southern boundaries located
 at approximately 42° N and 34° N, respectively. Initial conditions of
 salinity and temperature for the FVCOM were based on predictions from the
 Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) Experimental System for Predicting
 Shelf and Slope Optics (ESPreSSO) model. The FVCOM was run from August 25
 to December 31, 2016, and from January 1 to December 31 for 2017 and
 2018.  Time series of model-predicted current velocity, turbulent kinetic
 energy, and bottom water temperature were averaged across receivers to
 yield averaged hourly predictions per site. Time series data on modeled
 wind speed and direction were extracted at 3 hr intervals.  A cross
 section of triangulated grid-point estimates of bottom water temperature,
 current velocity, and turbulent kinetic energy were also obtained to
 investigate the response of the cold pool presence to identified storms.
 Estimated lateral outputs extended across the shelf in the Delmarva region
 of the MAB; estimated cross-sectional measurements were taken along a 39
 km transect that bisected the central study site.