Science for the management of subtropical embayments: examples from Shark Bay and Florida Bay

 

A special issue of the journal Marine and Freshwater Research

 

Edited by: Jim Fourqurean (FIU), Gary Kendrick (UWA), David Hallac (Everglades National Park), Kim Friedman (DEC)  and Gary Jackson (Department of Fisheries)

 

Hard deadline for submission of manuscripts:  November 30, 2011

 

Last update of this document: August 24, 2011

 

 

Description of the special issue:

 

This special issue of the journal Marine and Freshwater Research highlights the science needed for responsible management of subtropical bays (our working title for the special issue: “Science for the management of subtropical embayments: examples from Shark Bay and Florida Bay.”  This issue will bring together multidisciplinary scientific approaches with an analysis of the scientific needs of ecosystem managers. The impetus for this special issue was a workshop held at the University of Western Australia in March 2011 that was partly funded by the Institute of Advanced Studies and the Oceans Institute at UWA and the US National Science Foundation.  At that workshop, we explored the state of knowledge about the status and functioning of Shark Bay, and explored what new knowledge and benefits could be gained by comparing Shark Bay with Florida Bay, a more well-studied but similar ecosystem.  There are many reasons for making such comparisons: both bays lie at the same latitudes (albeit one north and one south of the equator), and are carbonate-sediment, P-limited, hypersaline, seagrass-dominated large bays with special marine zoning and management in place. Both bays have been designated World Heritage sites, with Florida Bay a part of Everglades National Park and Shark Bay part of an integrated MPA network extending across the western coastline of Australia.  There are important differences between the systems as well:  Florida Bay is much closer to a large human population, and it receives 5-10 times the annual freshwater input of Shark Bay.  As a result, the pattern of hypersalinity is permanent in Shark Bay but seasonal in Florida Bay.  We feel that the individual papers contributed to this special issue will all be of high quality and will stand on their own as contributions to the literature, but the truly novel aspect of this collection will be the comparison between sites and the exploration how climate and human population drivers currently influence ecosystem structure in such systems, and how these systems are likely to change in the face of climate change and growing human populations.

 

We encourage authors of contributions to this special issue to use the list of authors and titles on this web page to communicate with scientists and managers with similar interests in different systems so that the contributions can be as integrated across ecosystems as possible.

 

Please note:  papers should focus of the applicability of the science presented in the papers to management of subtropical bays worldwide – and every effort should be made to make comparisons across ecosystems, where possible.

 

Timeline:

 

Completed manuscripts will be submitted for review by November 30, 2011.  This is a hard deadline, as we don’t want the whole issue to be delayed.  We expect to get the review and production of the papers done by April 15, 2012, with a target publication date of June-July 2012.

 

Process for submission and review:

 

These manuscripts will receive the same review process as regular papers submitted to MFR, and acceptance of the papers for publication will be made following the journal’s guidelines. Please note that submitting a paper to this special issue does not guarantee its publication, as they will have to get positive reviews and recommendation for publication from anonymous reviewers.  You will submit your paper through the journal’s online system.  Please make sure to indicate that your paper is for this special issue, there is a pull-down menu listing special issues on the submissions page.  When preparing you paper for submission, make sure to follow MFR’s instructions to authors.

 

 

Tentative list of paper titles for the special issue:

 

The following is a list of paper titles that have been submitted to the guest editors and were part of the proposal to the journal for the special issue.  We strongly encourage the submission of other papers that fit within the scope of the journal.  Direct all inquiries to one of the guest editors. Click on authors’ names to contact them to establish multidisciplinary and cross-ecosystem links among the papers in this special issue.

 

·         Learning about ecosystem function by comparison: Shark Bay and Florida Bay, two P-limited subtropical systems with different climatology and human pressures. Fourqurean, JW, G.A. Kendrick, M.R. Heithaus, et al.

·         Integrating science and management of subtropical embayments: how science has aided and will continue to aid management of two protected, subtropical bays. Kendrick, A., D. Hallac, K. Friedman, P. Ortner, G. Jackson.

·         Freshwater inputs, tidal mixing and hypersalinity in subtropical marine embayments. W.K. Nuttle et al.

·         The use of stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen in identifying the sources of water into estuaries with different hydrologic regimes Price, R.M., P. Grierson, and G. Skrzypek 

·         Historical and contemporary patterns in seagrass distribution in Shark Bay and Florida Bay: similarities and difference between temperate dominated versus tropical dominated seagrass systems. Kendrick GA, Fourqurean J, Walker DI, Kendrick A

·         Seagrass along the salinity gradient in Shark Bay: responses to hypersalinity and sediment sulphate concentrations. Cambridge, ML, Garrote Moreno, A., Holmer, M., Kendrick, GA

·         Organic and inorganic carbon storage in seagrass beds from two subtropical embayments with contrasting climatology.  Fourqurean, J.W., Kendrick, G.A. and Collins, L.

·         Assessing factors associated with recreational boating impacts to seagrass in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park and implementation of marine zoning. Hallac, D.E., F. Herling, J. Sadle, and L. Pearlstine.

·         The Shark Bay blue swimmer crab fishery - a review of its history, biology and management. Johnston, D.

·         Variability in the spatial and temporal distribution of the saucer scallop Amusium balloti in Shark Bay - management implications. Mueller, U., M.I.  Kangas, E.C. Sporer and N. Caputi

·         Prawn (shrimp) trawl bycatch selectivity in Shark Bay, Western Australia and implications for indicator species in biodiversity monitoring. Kangas, M.I and S. Morrison

·         Diel and seasonal variation in the use of a nearshore sandflat by a ray community in a near pristine system. Vaudo, J.J. and M.R. Heithaus

·         Fishtrap records along a salinity gradient in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Grol. M., M. Vanderklift, C. Bessey

·         Recovery of Shark Bay snapper (Pagrus auratus) stocks: good science can lead to effective fisheries management. Jackson G et al.

·         A holistic approach to understanding stock structure of snapper (Pagrus auratus) in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Jackson G et al

·         A review of snapper tagging studies in Shark Bay, Western Australia, 1980s to 2000s. Norriss J, Jackson G & Moran M

·         Comparison of the trends exhibited throughout life by the reproductive characteristics of four congeneric and co-occurring protogynous labrids (Choerodon). Fairclough, D. et al.

·          Similarities and differences in longevity, growth and age composition of four congeneric and co-occurring labrids (Choerodon) with very different maximum body sizes. Fairclough, D. et al.

·         Do the fish faunas of two mangrove systems in a sub-tropical embayment differ within and among those systems and does the role of those systems change with tide and season?  Fairclough, D. et al.

·         Fishery independent monitoring, prawn and scallop catch predictions and management strategies for breeding stock maintenance and improved yields in the Shark Bay trawl fisheries. Kangas, M.I., E. Sporer and N. Caputi

·         Assessing boat-based recreational fishing in Shark Bay 1997 to 2010. Lai E, Lenanton R, Wise B and G. Jackson

·         Long-term implementation of a fisheries dependent sportfish monitoring program in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park; utility for guiding shallow-water fisheries management Hallac, D.E. W.E. Perry, and J. Osborne.  .

·         Reducing resource-sharing conflicts in the Shark Bay (Western Australia) trawl fisheries and improving scallop catch value. Kangas, M.I., N. Caputi, and E.C. Sporer

·         Long-term movements of male loggerhead turtles on a relatively pristine feeding ground in Shark Bay.  Olson, E. , A. J. Wirsing, A. Solomon, M. R. Heithaus

·         Long term understanding of the Turtle Bay-Cape Levillain nesting population of loggerhead turtles. Prince, B et al. 

·         Feeding preferences of large-bodied marine herbivores in a relatively pristine seagrass ecosystem. Burkholder, D. et al.

·         Seasonal changes in critical foraging habitat of dolphins. Patterson, E.M., Mann, J. et al.

·         Creatures of habitat: Do dugongs make predictable behavioral shifts across landscapes.  Wirsing, A. and M. R. Heithaus

·         The relative importance of density-mediated and trait-mediated interactions in structuring communities in subtropical embayments.  Heithaus, MR et al.

·         Habitat and substrate maps for hypersaline microbial tidal flats in Shark Bay and their application to marine park management. Jahnert, R. and Collins, L.

·         Impact of projected future water level changes on coastlines and tidal flat ecosystems in Shark Bay. Collins, L. et al,

·         Airborne hyperspectral mapping of the physical and biological attributes of the Faure Sill region of Shark Bay.

Fearns, P., Lynch, M., Klonowski, W., Hacker, J., Johnsen, G., Broomhall, M., McKinna, L., and Garcia, R.

·         Airborne and in situ hyperspectral optical properties of the stromatolites of Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay. Fearns, P., Johnsen,  G., Lynch, M., Klonowski W., and Broomhall, M.

·         Remote sensing and in situ studies of the transport, dispersion and deposition of Wooramel River sediment flux into Shark Bay. Fearns, P., Klonowski, W.,  McKinna, L., Marrable, D., Lynch, M., Hacker, J., Broomhall, M., and Garcia, R.

·         Sea level variation and the zonation of stromatolites in Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay. Burne, R.V. and K. Johnson

·         Under the Boardwalk - Tourism's encounters with Stromatolites: Addressing the issues of stromatolite protection and visitor management. Burne, R.V. and R. Chapple

 

Funding for this special issue provided by:  FCE-LTER, WAMSI, UWA, UWA Oceans Institute