Abstract

Coastal coral reef fish communities are under continuously growing stress from climate variation and human activity. The most apparent being: sedimentation from coastal development and altered estuarine outflow resulting in reduced water quality. Here we present data from 33 hydroacoustic surveys at five natural and artificial reefs ranging from 20 - 45 m in depth, and examine the relationship between precipitation, outflow rates, changes in physical water characteristics, fish abundance, and schooling activity. Results suggest that human induced alterations to the drainage regime of Lake Okeecho-bee following severe rainfall events in the Fall of 2015 resulted in: 1) dramatic changes to the acoustic properties of coastal waters, 2) subsequent decreases in fish biomass, and 3) changes in schooling behavior and structure in the study region. While the precise mechanism is unclear, increased suspended sediment load is known to elevate the perception of risk in prey species, potentially explaining the emigration of prey fish biomass from the study region. Furthermore, in the context of fisheries management, this event occurred during the peak of goliath grouper spawning season and potentially disrupted a mass spawning event for the ESA listed species. The links between water and fisheries management are not immediately apparent, but examination of these data offers new insight into the relationship between two high priority topics in South Florida, and identifies considerations for future management actions.

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