Ecopath with Ecosim model of the West Florida Shelf representing 1980 for harmful algal bloom simulations

Cameron Ainsworth, Alisha Gray

Research output: Non-textual formDigital or Visual Products

Abstract

This is an Ecopath with Ecosim model of the West Florida Shelf. It is based on a model constructed by Mahmoudi (unpublished data) (see Okey et al. 2004 for an application) and later modified Gray et al. 2013 to incorporate additional exploited and non-exploited species and life stages known to be sensitive to harmful algal blooms (HABs). To incorporate HABs an additional (pseudo) fishing fleet is added into the model to provide a red tide mortality driver on adult fish and invertebrates. Biomass caught by this fleet is immediately cycled into the detritus pool, and thus nutrients from killed fish are made available to detritivores and the bacterial decomposition process. Included in the model are forcing functions to drive historical fishing and HABs from 1980 to 2009. NMFS (2013) was used to force fishing effort. J. Walter (unpublished data, SEFSC) provided a red tide composite series that is used as a driver of the red tide mortality (entered as an effort driver in Ecosim). The series also includes cell count information from FWRI. See Gray et al. 2013 for more information on model and time series development. This model was used in working papers for SEDAR 33 (Gray et al. 2013) and SEDAR 42 (Sagarese et al. 2014) benchmark assessments. Gray, A., Ainsworth, C., Chagaris, D. and Mahmoudi, B., 2013. Red tide mortality on gag grouper 1980-2009. Working paper. Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) 33. National Marine Fisheries Service’s [NMFS] 2013. Vessel Operating Units Database. Accessed: 05/24/13. Okey, T.A., Vargo, G.A., Mackinson, S., Vasconcellos, M., Mahmoudi, B. and Meyer, C.A., 2004. Simulating community effects of sea floor shading by plankton blooms over the West Florida Shelf. Ecological Modelling, 172(2004): 339-359. Sagarese, S.R., Gray, A.M., Ainsworth, C.H., Chagaris, D.D., Mahmoudi, B., (2014). Red tide mortality on red grouper (Epinephelus morio) between 1980 and 2009 on the West Florida Shelf. SEDAR 42 Working Paper. SEDAR, North Charleston, SC. 11 pp.

Original languageAmerican English
Media of outputOnline
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 13 2017

Keywords

  • Ecopath
  • Ecosim
  • Harmful algal blooms

Disciplines

  • Marine Biology

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