Using Fishery-Independent Video Surveys to Describe Spatial Dynamics and Habitat Use of Scamp Mycteroperca phenax

Fishery-independent surveys are an important data source for assessing and sustainably managing fisheries. While their primary purpose is for developing indices of abundance that inform stock trends, fishery-independent surveys can also provide biological and ecological information relevant to fisheries management. We demonstrate this by using a suite of fishery-independent video surveys with varying spatiotemporal sampling footprints, methodologies, and target habitat types to characterize the spatial distribution, biotic and abiotic associations, and ontogenetic habitat shifts of a socioeconomically important reef fish (scamp Mycteroperca phenax) in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (aka Gulf of America; Gulf). Using spatially explicit generalized additive models, we demonstrate that geographic location (across all models) and habitat complexity (in the surveys sampling natural hardbottom) are important predictors of scamp relative abundance across surveys, in accordance with previously reported studies. We also demonstrate the high affinity of scamp for natural hardbottom habitats, but note that artificial habitats may be somewhat suitable, especially for individuals yet to recruit into the fishery. Using morphometric measurements opportunistically collected during the video surveys, we document varying strengths of the positive relationship between fish length and depth (suggesting ontogenetic movement), likely due to the variable range of depths covered by the surveys and presumed population connectivity between habitat types and survey domains. To our knowledge, this study is among the first to comprehensively integrate a suite of fishery-independent surveys to characterize Gulf scamp spatial distribution and habitat associations. Our results provide examples of life history information that can be derived from fishery-independent video surveys in support of fisheries assessment and management, and can inform the development of novel surveys or modifications to those already existing to optimize their utility. Doing so will be increasingly important as fishery-independent surveys are subject to sampling effort constraints (e.g., funding cuts) and emerging management needs arise, such as monitoring the effects of climate on population, community, and ecosystem processes.