Noaa S Estuarine Living Marine Resources Program Distribution And Abundance Of Fishes And Invertebrates In Gulf Of Mexico Estuaries Volume 2 Species Life History Summaries August 1997

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license. The Gulf of Mexico is an open and dynamic marine ecosystem rich in natural resources but heavily impacted by human activities, including agricultural, industrial, commercial and coastal development. The Gulf of Mexico has been continuously exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons for millions of years from natural oil and gas seeps on the sea floor, and more recently from oil drilling and production activities located in the water near and far from shore. Major accidental oil spills in the Gulf are infrequent; two of the most significant include the Ixtoc I blowout in the Bay of Campeche in 1979 and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010. Unfortunately, baseline assessments of the status of habitats and biota in the Gulf of Mexico before these spills either were not available, or the data had not been systematically compiled in a way that would help scientists assess the potential short-term and long-term effects of such events. This 2-volume series compiles and summarizes thousands of data sets showing the status of habitats and biota in the Gulf of Mexico before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Volume 2 covers historical data on commercial and recreational fisheries, with an analysis of marketing trends and drivers; ecology, populations and risks to birds, sea turtles and marine mammals in the Gulf; and diseases and mortalities of fish and other animals that inhabit the Gulf of Mexico.

Various papers are presented on the topics of invertebrate management ingeneral; the sampling of adults, juveniles and larval forms;population dynamics and models; exploration and multispecies interactions;and management strategies. An overall workshop summary is included.

"A major landmark contribution to fisheries science and fish ecology. Rockfish populations are in a severe decline throughout the Northeastern Pacific, and the need for a deep understanding of their biology, ecology, and management has never been more critical. This book addresses all aspects of our current knowledge of this diverse and interesting group of groundfish species, and it is written clearly and with humor. An outstanding work!"--Larry G. Allen, California State University, Northridge "Quite simply the best account ever of the fascinating, diverse, and valuable rockfishes. If you are interested in the marine fishes of the Pacific Coast, you need this book."--Peter B. Moyle, author of Inland Fishes of California

Ocean harvests have plateaued worldwide and many important commercial stocks have been depleted. This has caused great concern among scientists, fishery managers, the fishing community, and the public. This book evaluates the major models used for estimating the size and structure of marine fish populations (stock assessments) and changes in populations over time. It demonstrates how problems that may occur in fisheries data--for example underreporting or changes in the likelihood that fish can be caught with a given type of gear--can seriously degrade the quality of stock assessments. The volume makes recommendations for means to improve stock assessments and their use in fishery management.

This authoritative reference provides an accurate, up-to-date checklist of common and scientific names for all described and taxonomically valid fish species living in fresh and marine waters of North America. This edition contains 1,271 additional species and reflects numerous taxonomic changes that have occurred since 1991.This book includes: * 3,700 species * 262 families * 52 established exotics * 13 named hybrids * the rationale and methodology for common name allocation * history of changes from previous edition * extensive references * Spanish and French names * a companion CD-ROM