Theses and Dissertations
Issuing Body
Mississippi State University
Advisor
Jackson, C. Donald
Committee Member
D’Abramo, R. Louis
Committee Member
Jones, Daryl W.
Date of Degree
12-11-2009
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Open Access
Major
Wildlife and Fisheries Science
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
College
College of Forest Resources
Department
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Abstract
Regression analyses and delta-lognormal models were used to investigate whether river discharge and environmental variables significantly affected relative abundance of brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus aztecus, in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Significant negative relationships were found between mean river flow during winter and spring months and catch rates (CPUE) off Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi/Alabama. However, during the same months significant positive relationships between CPUE and the variation in mean river discharge were found for each state. In Texas and Louisiana, delta-lognormal models revealed depth zone was the most significant variable (P≤0.001) in describing distribution, while time of day (P≤0.001) was most significant in describing CPUE and also distribution and CPUE in Mississippi/Alabama. These results suggest that brown shrimp relative abundance is effected by river discharge, while gulf-wide environmental variables exert no influence, except dissolved oxygen concentrations affecting distribution off Louisiana.
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/11668/15626
Recommended Citation
Pollack, Adam George, "Effects of river discharge and marine environmental factors on the brown shrimp fishery in the northern Gulf of Mexico" (2009). Theses and Dissertations. 1790.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/1790