Sharks associated with a large sand shoal complex: Community insights from longline and acoustic telemetry surveys.

Offshore sand shoals are a coveted sand source for coastal restoration projects and as sites for wind energy development. Shoals often support unique fish assemblages but their habitat value to sharks is largely unknown due to the high mobility of most species in the open ocean. This study pairs multi-year longline and acoustic telemetry surveys to reveal depth-related and seasonal patterns in a shark community associated with the largest sand shoal complex in east Florida, USA. Monthly longline sampling from 2012-2017 yielded 2,595 sharks from 16 species with Atlantic sharpnose (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae), blacknose (Carcharhinus acronotus), and blacktip (C. limbatus) sharks being the most abundant species. A contemporaneous acoustic telemetry array detected 567 sharks from 16 species (14 in common with longlines) tagged locally and by researchers elsewhere along the US East Coast and Bahamas. PERMANOVA modeling of both datasets indicate that the shark species assemblage differed more across seasons than water depth although both factors were important. Moreover, the shark assemblage detected at an active sand dredge site was similar to that at nearby undisturbed sites. Water temperature, water clarity, and distance from shore were habitat factors that most strongly correlated to community composition. Both sampling approaches documented similar single-species and community trends but longlines underestimated the shark nursery value of the region while telemetry-based community assessments are inherently biased by the number of species under active study. Overall, this study confirms that sharks can be an important component of sand shoal fish communities but suggests that deeper water immediately adjacent to shoals (as opposed to shallow shoal ridges) is more valuable to some species. Potential impacts to these nearby habitats should be considered when planning for sand extraction and offshore wind infrastructure.

Effects of Pile Driving on the Residency and Movement of Tagged Reef Fish.

The potential effects of pile driving on fish populations and commercial fisheries have received significant attention given the prevalence of pile driving occurring in coastal habitats throughout the world. Behavioral impacts of sound generated from these activities on fish typically have a greater area of influence than physical injury, and may therefore adversely affect a greater portion of the local population. This study used acoustic telemetry to assess the movement, residency, and survival of 15 sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) and 10 grey snapper (Lutjanus griseus) in Port Canaveral, Florida, USA, in response to 35 days of pile driving at a wharf complex. No obvious signs of mortality or injury to tagged fish were evident from the data. Received sound pressure levels from pile strikes on the interior of the wharf, where reef fish primarily occur, were on average 152-157 dB re 1 µPa (peak). No significant decrease in sheepshead daytime residency was observed during pile driving within the central portion of the wharf and area of highest sound exposure, and no major indicators of displacement from the exposure wharf with the onset of pile driving were observed. There was evidence of potential displacement from the exposure wharf that coincided with the start of pile driving observed for 2 out of 4 grey snapper, along with a decrease in daytime residency for a subset of this species with high site fidelity prior to the event. Results indicate that snapper may be more likely to depart an area of pile driving disturbance more readily than sheepshead, but were less at risk for behavioral impact given the lower site fidelity of this species.

Examination of metals from aerospace-related activity in surface water samples from sites surrounding the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida.

Metal contamination from Space Shuttle launch activity was examined using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy in a two-tier study sampling surface water collected from several sites at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and associated Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in east central Florida. The primary study examined both temporal changes in baseline metal concentrations (19 metals) in surface water (1996 to 2009, 11 sites) samples collected at specific long-term monitoring sites and metal deposition directly associated with Space Shuttle launch activity at two Launch Complexes (LC39A and LC39B). A secondary study examined metal concentrations at additional sites and increased the amount of elements measured to 48 elements. Our examination places a heavy focus on those metals commonly associated with launch operations (e.g., Al, Fe, Mn, and Zn), but a brief discussion of other metals (As, Cu, Mo, Ni, and Pb) is also included. While no observable accumulation of metals occurred during the time period of the study, the data obtained postlaunch demonstrated a dramatic increase for Al, Fe, Mn, and Zn. Comparing overall trends between the primary and secondary baseline surface water concentrations, elevated concentrations were generally observed at sampling stations located near the launch complexes and from sites isolated from major water systems. While there could be several natural and anthropogenic sources for metal deposition at KSC, the data in this report indicate that shuttle launch events are a significant source.

Regional-scale migrations and habitat use of juvenile lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) in the US South Atlantic.

Resolving the geographic extent and timing of coastal shark migrations, as well as their environmental cues, is essential for refining shark management strategies in anticipation of increasing anthropogenic stressors to coastal ecosystems. We employed a regional-scale passive acoustic telemetry array encompassing 300 km of the east Florida coast to assess what factors influence site fidelity of juvenile lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) to an exposed coastal nursery at Cape Canaveral, and to document the timing and rate of their seasonal migrations. Movements of 54 juvenile lemon sharks were monitored for three years with individuals tracked for up to 751 days. While most sharks demonstrated site fidelity to the Cape Canaveral region December through February under typical winter water temperatures, historically extreme declines in ocean temperature were accompanied by rapid and often temporary, southward displacements of up to 190 km along the Florida east coast. From late February through April each year, most sharks initiated a northward migration at speeds of up to 64 km day(-1) with several individuals then detected in compatible estuarine telemetry arrays in Georgia and South Carolina up to 472 km from release locations. Nineteen sharks returned for a second or even third consecutive winter, thus demonstrating strong seasonal philopatry to the Cape Canaveral region. The long distance movements and habitat associations of immature lemon sharks along the US southeast coast contrast sharply with the natal site fidelity observed in this species at other sites in the western Atlantic Ocean. These findings validate the existing multi-state management strategies now in place. Results also affirm the value of collaborative passive arrays for resolving seasonal movements and habitat preferences of migratory coastal shark species not easily studied with other tagging techniques.

Alcoholic subtypes: are two sufficient?

AIMS: Guided by the literature on alcohol subtypes, cluster analytical solutions ranging from two to five were evaluated for a large (n = 802), ethnically diverse sample of alcoholic in-patients. DESIGN: Personal interview data were collected from in-patients regarding their substance abuse and psychiatric disorder status, risk factors for psychopathology and health outcomes. SETTING: The data were collected at five alcohol in-patient treatment settings in New York; three settings were in New York City, one in Rochester and one in Buffalo. PARTICIPANTS: The sample included 802 participants (481 males and 321 females) with racial/ethnic group diversity (418 blacks, 180 whites, 187 Hispanics, 17 of other ethnic origin). MEASUREMENTS: Subjects were assessed with standardized measures of substance abuse and psychiatric disorders, family history of alcoholism, psychopathy, temperament, alcohol expectancies and clinical health variables. FINDINGS: Based on internal and external criteria and compatibility with the existing literature, four subtypes were identified: mild course, polydrug, negative affect and chronic/antisocial. On external criteria, the polydrug subtype had the highest rate of family criminality, high-risk sexual behavior and intravenous drug use; the negative affect subtype had the highest rate of childhood sexual abuse, attempted suicide and childhood homelessness; the chronic/antisocial personality (ASP) subtype had the most severe pattern of drinking and antisocial behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are discussed with regard to the etiological and clinical utility of the four-subtype formulation, and consistency with recent studies in molecular genetics and pharmacology.

Composite index for aggregating nutrient density using food labels: ratio of recommended to restricted food components.

This article describes a ratio of recommended to restricted food components (RRR) designed to provide consumers with a summary of food label information to guide healthful, single-item food selections. As a ratio, RRR is interpreted such that better foods score over 1.0. The potential usefulness of the ratio is illustrated comparing foods within categories of the Food Guide Pyramid (eg, skim milk and whole milk). The RRR is proposed for use at the point of purchase for single food items, summarizing the food label, or providing concise information where none is currently presented, such as in restaurants.