Rapid, in situ habitat assessments reinforce species-specific patterns of habitat use among juveniles of three recreationally important finfish in Texas

ABSTRACT Objective Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus, Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus, and Black Drum Pogonias cromis are among the most sought after finfish in Texas coastal waters. Understanding species-specific habitat associations and underlying causation will help to form and justify meaningful management actions that benefit a variety of species. This study describes juvenile (<300 mm) fish–habitat associations (using occurrence and biomass) along the lower Texas coast. Methods We leveraged data from a 5-year pilot study that incorporated rapid, in situ habitat assessments into Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s statewide fisheries-independent monitoring program. A generalized linear model with a binomial distribution was used to assess patterns in occurrence across physical (i.e., aquatic and shoreline habitat) and hydrographic (i.e., salinity) conditions, whereas a generalized linear model with a gamma distribution was used to assess nonzero biomass data. Results The relationships between habitat conditions and the occurrence of Spotted Seatrout, Red Drum, and Black Drum varied by species. The probability of occurrence of Spotted Seatrout juveniles was highest in sea grass and vegetated shoreline habitats and mildly decreased as salinity increased (0–50 psu). Red Drum occurrence was also highest in vegetated aquatic and shoreline habitats, but salinity was not a significant factor. There was no relationship between Black Drum occurrence and physical habitat type, but there was a strong inverse relationship between occurrence and salinity (0–50 psu). The relationships with biomass were less clear for all species, with Spotted Seatrout biomass slightly higher in sea grass aquatic habitats and Black Drum biomass higher in bare aquatic habitats and vegetated shoreline habitats. Conclusions Five years of rapid, in situ habitat assessments resulted in paired fisheries–habitat data with sufficient resolution to describe habitat associations among three of Texas’s most important finfish, demonstrating the effectiveness of integrating habitat assessments into fisheries-independent monitoring. The results presented here could aid resource managers in efforts such as habitat restoration and restitution, stock enhancement, and stock assessments to maximize the benefits of management efforts.