DOI: 10.5061/dryad.47bs5
title: Data from: Assessing reproductive behavior important to fisheries management: a case study with red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus

description: Spawning site selection and reproductive timing affect stock productivity
 and structure in marine fishes but are poorly understood. Traditionally,
 stock assessments measure reproductive potential as spawning stock biomass
 or egg production and do not include other aspects of reproductive
 behavior. Red drum make an excellent case study to assess these other
 aspects, as (1) they are highly fecund, pelagic spawners, like most
 exploited marine fishes; (2) their life cycle is delineated between
 nursery (estuarine) and adult (coastal and offshore) habitat; and (3) they
 are managed at these two spatial scales. This study was conducted from
 August 2012 to December 2013 and integrates data from multiple methods and
 spatial scales. Aerial surveys were used for large-scale monitoring of
 aggregations off two known estuarine nursery areas, Tampa Bay and
 Charlotte Harbor, Florida, USA. Capture-based sampling in Tampa Bay
 coastal (n = 2581) and estuarine waters (n = 158) was used to assess
 reproductive state and to confirm coastal spawning. To assess spatial
 dynamics, we acoustically tagged two population components in the Tampa
 Bay system, subadults from the estuary (n = 20) and adults from the
 coastal spawning site (n = 60). Behavioral plasticity was seen in subadult
 recruitment to coastal habitat, with some subadults maturing and
 recruiting before or during the spawning season and others (14 of 20
 acoustically tagged fish) recruiting at the end of the 2012 spawning
 season. Both adults and recruited subadults (n = 29) were consequently
 detected in the Charlotte Harbor array, 132 km to the south. Spawning-site
 fidelity to the Tampa Bay spawning site occurred at both the population
 and individual scales. Aggregations consistently occurred in Tampa Bay
 coastal waters during the spawning season, and approximately two-thirds of
 tagged adults returned in the 2013 spawning season. A similar proportion
 of subadults returned to the Tampa Bay spawning site, exhibiting natal
 homing. However, these first-time spawners arrived later than repeat
 spawners and were detected over shorter time periods. This study, and
 others like it, demonstrates how integrating data from individuals tracked
 over space and time with more traditional population-based sampling is
 changing our understanding of ecological processes that affect marine fish
 productivity and our ability to manage for sustainablity.
description: mastertelemforpaperMastertelemforpaper: data set includes all data used in the telemetry-based analyses a. TL=total length at implantation; Surg_min=surgery time in minutes; age =is the age in years assigned based on fin rays for subadult red drum collected in the estuary; fishtype is a categorical variable to distinguish between subadults captured in the estuary (1) and adults captured in coastal waters; system is a categorical variable to assign if fish were detected in Tampa Bay estuary (100), Tampa Bay coastal (1), or Charlotte Harbor coastal (2); num_dates is the number of dates a fish was detected; FishID assigned consecutive numbers to make it easier to follow individual fish; period is a categorical variable to assign the 2012 reproductive period (1); 2013 non-reproductive period (2) and 2013 reproductive period.adultreprov2Adultreprov2: Data set includes data from the 2007-2008 study (study 1) and fish collected by purse seine and sampled non-lethally in 2012 (study 2). a. Sex is set up as a character variable (F=female) and numeric (sexx, 2=female); tl=total length; small is a size category (&lt;850 mm TL=small); reproductive phases are based on Brown-Peterson et al. (2011). GSI=gonadosomatic index. Mature categorizes immature (1) and mature fish (2).Aerial surveys 2012 2013Aerial surveys 2012 2013: Data set includes the date, location, and method for identifying red drum spawning aggregations.subadultsSubadults: data set includes biological data for subadults sampled in the estuary. c. Parameters are the same as in the Adultreprov2 with the exception of total_weight which is measured in grams. Age is in years and based on fin rays.