@article{damiano_shertzer_cao_2024, title={Exploring tradeoffs in southeast United States marine fisheries management using management strategy evaluation}, volume={275}, ISSN={["1872-6763"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.fishres.2024.107028}, abstractNote={Recreational fishing is the fastest growing sector in industrialized nations and can have substantial impacts on marine fish populations and ecosystems. Commercial objectives are typically characterized by maximizing yield and fishery stability whereas recreational anglers generally prefer sustained access to fishing and the availability of larger fish. Achieving these objectives while balancing tradeoffs between recreational and commercial fishing is essential to effective recreational and mixed-use fisheries management. Balancing multiple sector objectives is of particular concern in the southeast United States (US), where recreational fishing is the dominant source of mortality for marine fish stocks. We developed and applied a size-structured management strategy evaluation (MSE) tool, individually, to two stocks in southeast US Atlantic waters, black sea bass (Centropristis striata), a sedentary reef fish in overfished condition, and cobia (Rachycentron canadum), a migratory coastal pelagic fish, to evaluate the performance and tradeoffs of mixed management procedures against a variety of objectives. Several recreational and commercial objectives were aligned: fishers sought to conserve the stock and maximize catch, which simplified the evaluation of tradeoffs. We tested management procedures over alternate states of recruitment for black sea bass, and natural mortality for cobia. Management procedures that allowed harvest for black sea bass resulted in or risked an overfished status if the current weak recruitment regime continues, but could rebuild with no fishing regardless of recruitment state. Although results were sensitive to uncertainty in recruitment, no management procedures could achieve historic landings for either sector, and only management procedures that reduced effort consistently resulted in a reduced number of dead discards. No management procedures resulted in an overfished status for cobia. Management procedures for cobia generally achieved objectives and were robust to uncertainty in natural mortality. In both case studies, tradeoffs occurred between maximizing catch and season length and maintaining a stronger size structure in the population. This study resulted in a flexible MSE tool with strong potential utility for scoping management procedures that explicitly consider recreational fishing objectives.}, journal={FISHERIES RESEARCH}, author={Damiano, Matthew D. and Shertzer, Kyle W. and Cao, Jie}, year={2024}, month={Jul} }
 @article{shertzer_crosson_williams_cao_devictor_dumas_nesslage_2024, title={Fishery management strategies for Red Snapper in the southeastern US Atlantic: A spatial population model to compare approaches}, volume={1}, ISSN={["1548-8675"]}, DOI={10.1002/nafm.10966}, abstractNote={AbstractObjectiveRed Snapper Lutjanus campechanus is an iconic species in the southeast U.S. Atlantic Ocean, sought by both commercial and recreational fleets. Five stock assessments over the past quarter century have shown Red Snapper to be experiencing overfishing. Highly restricted landings since 2010 have been insufficient to end overfishing because fishing effort is not species specific but rather applies generally to a complex of reef‐associated species. Consequently, Red Snapper are discarded as bycatch when regulations prohibit their retention, and many of the discarded fish die from hook injury, barotrauma, or depredation.MethodsHere we developed a spatial population model of Red Snapper and the multispecies fishery that captures them in the southeast U.S. Atlantic. We then simulated and compared 25 different management measures that fall broadly into the categories of gear modifications, discard mortality mitigation, size limits, spatial approaches, or temporal approaches. Criteria for comparison address the management goals of decreasing dead discards, rebuilding the age structure, and increasing landings and spawning biomass.ResultWe found that the most effective measures reduced fishing effort, either temporally or spatially, and that benefits could largely be obtained by focusing on the recreational fleet. Discard mortality mitigation (e.g., through use of descender devices) displayed a wide range in effectiveness depending on plausible levels of mortality reduction, but it addressed all management goals and in practice could be paired with other measures. A measure with restricted recreational effort combined with full retention of all fish caught showed the greatest potential to simultaneously rebuild the stock, increase landings, and eliminate dead discards.ConclusionTo end overfishing of Red Snapper as required by law, resource managers should reconsider the policy of unrestricted effort of the private recreational fleet to this multispecies fishery. The benefits of restricted effort would include increased catch rates, larger landed fish, and fewer dead discards.}, journal={NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT}, author={Shertzer, Kyle and Crosson, Scott and Williams, Erik and Cao, Jie and Devictor, Rick and Dumas, Chris and Nesslage, Genevieve}, year={2024}, month={Jan} }
 @article{bacheler_iii_tarnecki_shertzer_buckel_hostetter_pacifici_zulian_bubley_2025, title={Spatiotemporal dynamics and habitat use of red snapper (<i>Lutjanus</i> <i>campechanus</i>) on the southeastern United States Atlantic continental shelf}, volume={281}, ISSN={["1872-6763"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.fishres.2024.107200}, journal={FISHERIES RESEARCH}, author={Bacheler, Nathan M. and Iii, William F. Patterson and Tarnecki, Joseph H. and Shertzer, Kyle W. and Buckel, Jeffrey A. and Hostetter, Nathan J. and Pacifici, Krishna and Zulian, Viviane and Bubley, Walter J.}, year={2025}, month={Jan} }
 @article{damiano_wager_rocco_shertzer_murray_cao_2023, title={Integrating information from semi-structured interviews into management strategy evaluation: a case study for Southeast United States marine fisheries (vol 9, 1063260, 2022)}, volume={10}, ISSN={["2296-7745"]}, DOI={10.3389/fmars.2023.1205418}, abstractNote={COPYRIGHT © 2023 Damiano, Wager, Rocco, Shertzer, Murray and Cao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. TYPE Correction PUBLISHED 16 May 2023 DOI 10.3389/fmars.2023.1205418}, journal={FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE}, author={Damiano, Matthew and Wager, Bethany and Rocco, Alex and Shertzer, Kyle W. W. and Murray, Grant D. D. and Cao, Jie}, year={2023}, month={May} }
 @article{damiano_wager_rocco_shertzer_murray_cao_2022, title={Integrating information from semi-structured interviews into management strategy evaluation: a case study for Southeast United States marine fisheries}, volume={9}, ISSN={["2296-7745"]}, DOI={10.3389/fmars.2022.1063260}, abstractNote={Management strategy evaluation (MSE) has become a more common tool for engaging stakeholders in fisheries management, and stakeholder participation in MSE is increasingly recognized as a vital component of the process. The participation of stakeholders, specifically fishers, in MSE is of particular importance because they often possess intimate knowledge of the socio-ecological management system that MSE seeks to model. When the resources to conduct a “full” MSE with direct fisher involvement are unavailable, MSEs are sometimes conducted by desk-based analysts with no fisher engagement. We propose an intermediate framework in which information collected from semi-structured interviews is used to inform a “desk-based” MSE. We demonstrate that semi-structured interviews with commercial and recreational fishers can elicit some of the same kinds of information that fishers provide during direct participation in MSE. We conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with commercial and recreational fishers from the Southeast United States participating in either Atlantic cobia (Rachycentron canadum) or black sea bass (Centropristis striata) fisheries. We collected primarily qualitative and some quantitative information about preferred conceptual objectives and management measures, and how their fishing behavior has changed in response to past management action. Commercial fishers generally preferred conceptual objectives and management measures that align with traditional MSY-based fisheries management, while recreational fishers’ responses were substantially more heterogeneous, indicating a more diverse range of desired objectives and preferred management measures. We synthesized this information to develop a suite of management procedures that employ a range of fishing mortality-based constant-catch harvest control rules and size-based management measures for simulation testing against preferred objectives by sector. We demonstrate that integrating information from semi-structured interviews with MSE in this way offers a cost-effective alternative intermediate approach to fisher participation in MSE when direct participation is not possible.}, journal={Frontiers in Marine Science}, author={Damiano, M. and Wager, B. and Rocco, A. and Shertzer, K. and Murray, G. and Cao, J.}, year={2022} }
 @article{karnauskas_shertzer_paris_farmer_switzer_lowerre-barbieri_kellison_he_vaz_2022, title={Source-sink recruitment of red snapper: Connectivity between the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean}, volume={8}, ISSN={["1365-2419"]}, DOI={10.1111/fog.12607}, abstractNote={AbstractGeopolitical fishery management boundaries are often misaligned with the ecological population structure of marine species, which presents challenges for assessment and management of these species. Red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, is an iconic and heavily exploited species in both the US Gulf of Mexico and off the southeastern US Atlantic coast and is managed separately in the two jurisdictions. It is hypothesized that the Atlantic red snapper stock is sustained partially by larval subsidies from the Gulf of Mexico. Here we use a biophysical modeling approach to simulate recruitment of red snapper across the entire Southeastern US region, and quantify rates of larval exchange across management jurisdictions. The biophysical framework simulates realistic red snapper behaviors and traits with respect to spatial distribution and timing of spawning, larval vertical migration and pelagic larval duration, and settlement habitat. Our results suggest that areas of the West Florida Shelf south of Tampa Bay are important sources of larvae for the Atlantic population, supplying as much as one third of the recruitment during some years. Yet, contributions of Gulf‐spawned red snapper to the Atlantic stock are highly dynamic given large variability in spatial and temporal patterns of red snapper recovery in each region. As such, effective management of the Gulf of Mexico red snapper stock, particularly the spawning population in southwest Florida, may have important consequences for the sustainable harvest of red snapper off the Atlantic coast.}, journal={FISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY}, author={Karnauskas, Mandy and Shertzer, Kyle W. and Paris, Claire B. and Farmer, Nicholas A. and Switzer, Theodore S. and Lowerre-Barbieri, Susan K. and Kellison, G. Todd and He, Ruoying and Vaz, Ana C.}, year={2022}, month={Aug} }
 @article{runde_bacheler_shertzer_rudershausen_sauls_buckel_2021, title={Discard Mortality of Red Snapper Released with Descender Devices in the US South Atlantic}, volume={13}, ISSN={["1942-5120"]}, DOI={10.1002/mcf2.10175}, abstractNote={AbstractFishery regulations mandate the release of many caught fish, elevating the importance of having accurate estimates of discard mortality. Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus are overfished and undergoing overfishing in the southeast U.S. Atlantic, in part due to the high number of releases that die from discard mortality. We used acoustic telemetry to track the fine‐scale movements of hook‐and‐line‐caught Red Snapper released with descender devices at a hard‐bottom site off North Carolina, USA. Movement characteristics of known‐fate (live and dead) Red Snapper were used to infer fates of other individuals, from which we generated a proportional mortality estimate of 0.08 (95% CI = 0.00–0.17) for successfully descended Red Snapper with no hook trauma. This best‐case mortality estimate was then used in a simulation to estimate overall Red Snapper discard mortality for the recreational fishery in the southeast U.S. Atlantic based on hooking location and a depth of approximately 37 m. For this fishery, we estimated the median proportional rate of discard mortality to be 0.13 (2.5% and 97.5% percentiles = 0.10, 0.17) if all released individuals were descended. This estimate is lower than the discard mortality values (˜0.2–0.3 for the recreational fishery) used in the current Red Snapper stock assessment, but it is likely not reflective of the current reality given that descender use is not 100% in this region; this estimate is also depth specific. Increased use of descender devices will reduce discard mortality for Red Snapper, enhancing efforts to rebuild this stock.}, number={5}, journal={MARINE AND COASTAL FISHERIES}, author={Runde, Brendan J. and Bacheler, Nathan M. and Shertzer, Kyle W. and Rudershausen, Paul J. and Sauls, Beverly and Buckel, Jeffrey A.}, year={2021}, month={Aug}, pages={478–495} }
 @article{bacheler_shertzer_runde_rudershausen_buckel_2021, title={Environmental conditions, diel period, and fish size influence the horizontal and vertical movements of red snapper}, volume={11}, ISSN={["2045-2322"]}, DOI={10.1038/s41598-021-88806-3}, abstractNote={AbstractMost demersal fishes are difficult to observe and track due to methodological and analytical constraints. We used an acoustic positioning system to elucidate the horizontal and vertical movements of 44 red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) off North Carolina, USA, in 2019. Mean movement rate and distance off bottom varied by individual, with larger red snapper generally moving faster and spending more time farther off the bottom than smaller individuals. We used generalized additive mixed models that accounted for temporal autocorrelation in the data to show that mean hourly red snapper movement rate was lower during the day than at night and was negatively related to bottom water temperature. Moreover, red snapper spent more time off the bottom during the day than at night, and vertical movements were mostly related to bottom upwelling events that sporadically occurred in May–July. Our results and previous observations suggest that red snapper feed primarily on benthic organisms at night, and display diel vertical migration (i.e., thermotaxis) up to warmer waters (when present) during the day to aid digestive efficiency. Movement is a central organizing feature in ecology, and the sustainable management of fish will benefit from a better understanding of the timing and causes of fish movement.}, number={1}, journal={SCIENTIFIC REPORTS}, author={Bacheler, Nathan M. and Shertzer, Kyle W. and Runde, Brendan J. and Rudershausen, Paul J. and Buckel, Jeffrey A.}, year={2021}, month={May} }
 @article{bacheler_runde_shertzer_buckel_rudershausen_2022, title={Fine-scale behavior of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) around bait: approach distances, bait plume dynamics, and effective fishing area}, volume={79}, ISSN={["1205-7533"]}, DOI={10.1139/cjfas-2021-0044}, abstractNote={ The behavior of fish around bait is poorly understood despite it being important for the fish catching process and estimating relative abundance. We used a fine-scale acoustic positioning system to quantify the movements of 26 red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) around 120 bait deployments in 2019 at a natural reef site (∼37-m deep) in North Carolina, USA. There were 39 instances of tagged red snapper approaching bait during four baiting days, some of which approached due to apparent sensory cues (28%), while most approached incidentally (72%). Tagged red snapper approached bait from initial distances of 1 to 1147 m (median = 27 m; mean = 86 m), and took 0–77 min (mean = 22 min) to approach. Fish were more likely to approach bait if they were located close to, and down-current of, the bait at deployment. Our estimated effective fishing area of 2290 m2 (within which >50% of red snapper responded to bait) could be used along with video counts and other information to estimate densities of red snapper. }, number={3}, journal={CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES}, author={Bacheler, Nathan M. and Runde, Brendan J. and Shertzer, Kyle W. and Buckel, Jeffrey A. and Rudershausen, Paul J.}, year={2022}, month={Mar}, pages={458–471} }
 @article{paxton_harter_ross_schobernd_runde_rudershausen_johnson_shertzer_bacheler_buckel_et al._2021, title={Four decades of reef observations illuminate deep‐water grouper hotspots}, volume={22}, ISSN={1467-2960 1467-2979}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/faf.12548}, DOI={10.1111/faf.12548}, abstractNote={AbstractFish often aggregate to spawn, feed, rest, or avoid predation. Direct observations of very high counts of large‐bodied grouper on deep shipwrecks, however, do not fit into typical descriptions of spawning‐, resource‐, or predation‐driven aggregations. To investigate whether these observations are rare or part of an underlying pattern, we synthesized four decades (1979–2019) of direct observations of groupers on deep‐water (50–300 m) habitats along the southeastern United States (Cape Hatteras, NC to Cape Canaveral, FL). The direct observations, which included 439 remotely operated vehicle transects, 235 human‐occupied vehicle transects, and 881 hook‐and‐line drops, revealed six hotspots of deep‐water groupers on three shipwrecks, two artificial reefs, and one boulder field. Grouper counts at these hotspots (0.10–5.40 grouper per linear m surveyed) exceeded counts of grouper outside of hotspots (<0.01–0.02 grouper per linear m surveyed) by multiple orders of magnitude. Commonalities among the sites with grouper hotspots included that all are relatively isolated structures surrounded by unconsolidated sediments and located in shelf‐edge to upper‐slope depths. Thus, it appears that these isolated habitats, despite their small spatial footprint, represent a disproportionate abundance of deep‐water groupers. Future research efforts should determine how groupers derive sufficient resources from, and thus co‐occur on, these small habitats and how these aggregations relate to the large‐scale dynamics of these populations.}, number={4}, journal={Fish and Fisheries}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Paxton, Avery B. and Harter, Stacey L. and Ross, Steve W. and Schobernd, Christina M. and Runde, Brendan J. and Rudershausen, Paul J. and Johnson, Katrina H. and Shertzer, Kyle W. and Bacheler, Nathan M. and Buckel, Jeffrey A. and et al.}, year={2021}, month={Mar}, pages={749–761} }
 @article{runde_michelot_bacheler_shertzer_buckel_2020, title={Assigning Fates in Telemetry Studies Using Hidden Markov Models: an Application to Deepwater Groupers Released with Descender Devices}, volume={40}, ISSN={0275-5947 1548-8675}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10504}, DOI={10.1002/nafm.10504}, abstractNote={AbstractFate assignment is crucial to the results of survival studies, particularly those that utilize acoustic tagging. Most current methodologies are at least partially subjective; thus, having a means of objectively assigning fates would improve the precision, accuracy, and utility of such studies. We released 57 acoustically tagged fish belonging to six deepwater grouper species off North Carolina, USA, via surface release and recompressed release with descender devices. We applied a three‐state hidden Markov model (HMM) in a novel way: to distinguish movement patterns between fish that were alive and fish that were dead (and might have been eaten by predators). We assigned fates using two approaches that differed in their reliance on HMMs. When HMMs were the predominant source of fate assignment, we estimated survival of 40 deepwater groupers released with descender devices at the continental shelf break (66–120‐m depth) to be 0.46 (95% CI = 0.33–0.65). When a combination of HMMs and prior information was utilized, we estimated survival of the same 40 groupers to be 0.61 (95% CI = 0.47–0.80). Both estimates represented a substantial improvement over the survival of surface‐released groupers (n = 9; survival ~0.0). Furthermore, HMMs estimated zero survival for an additional five descended groupers at a wreck site in 240‐m depth, although one analysis using prior information suggested that survival was possible in that depth. These estimates were aided by the objectivity of HMMs, and we recommend that future survival studies involving acoustic tagging employ similar methodologies. The improved survival of groupers after descending is an important finding for management, as this taxon contains several species of impaired stock status or fishery status.}, number={6}, journal={North American Journal of Fisheries Management}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Runde, Brendan J. and Michelot, Théo and Bacheler, Nathan M. and Shertzer, Kyle W. and Buckel, Jeffrey A.}, year={2020}, month={Nov}, pages={1417–1434} }
 @article{bogdanoff_shertzer_layman_chapman_fruitema_solomon_sabattis_green_morris_2021, title={Optimum lionfish yield: a non-traditional management concept for invasive lionfish (Pterois spp.) fisheries}, volume={23}, ISSN={["1573-1464"]}, DOI={10.1007/s10530-020-02398-z}, number={3}, journal={BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS}, author={Bogdanoff, Alex K. and Shertzer, Kyle W. and Layman, Craig A. and Chapman, Jennifer K. and Fruitema, Marc L. and Solomon, Jennifer and Sabattis, Julie and Green, Stephanie and Morris, James A., Jr.}, year={2021}, month={Mar}, pages={795–810} }
 @article{runde_buckel_shertzer_bacheler_rudershausen_sauls_2020, title={Repetitive capture of marine fishes: implications for estimating number and mortality of releases}, volume={77}, ISSN={1095-9289}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaa166}, DOI={10.1093/icesjms/fsaa166}, abstractNote={Abstract
               In some fisheries, releases are a high percentage of total catch. Recent tagging data of marine fishes have revealed that recapture of the same individual multiple times occurs frequently. We investigated the magnitude of this phenomenon and its effect on survival using previously collected mark-recapture data of four reef-associated species. We used Cox proportional hazard regression models to examine whether survival varied with release number. For three of four species, survival was significantly higher after the second, third, and/or fourth release as compared to the first release, perhaps resulting from selection for robust individuals. Repetitive recapture implies that the estimated number of unique released fish is biased. Increased survival following later releases as compared to the initial release suggests that the number of dead discards may be similarly overestimated. We analysed the sensitivity of stock assessment results to reduced estimates of dead discards using two of our species that had recently been assessed. We found that reduced estimates of dead discards had a modest effect on assessment results but could nonetheless affect the perception of fishery status. Our findings highlight the need to revise current practices for estimating live and dead discards, either internal or external to stock assessment models.}, number={7-8}, journal={ICES Journal of Marine Science}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Runde, Brendan J and Buckel, Jeffrey A and Shertzer, Kyle W and Bacheler, Nathan M and Rudershausen, Paul J and Sauls, Beverly}, editor={Poos, Jan JaapEditor}, year={2020}, month={Nov}, pages={2905–2917} }
 @article{shertzer_bacheler_pine_runde_buckel_rudershausen_macmahan_2020, title={Estimating population abundance at a site in the open ocean: combining information from conventional and telemetry tags with application to gray triggerfish (<i>Balistes capriscus</i>)}, volume={77}, ISSN={0706-652X 1205-7533}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2018-0356}, DOI={10.1139/cjfas-2018-0356}, abstractNote={ Estimates of animal abundance are widely used to support conservation and resource management. For populations in open systems, abundance estimates from tagging data can be highly uncertain or biased. Here, we develop a novel approach to estimate abundance of an open population by pairing two models, each utilizing distinct tagging data. Using data from telemetry tags, we infer movement rates to and from the study site with a Markovian model allowing for an environmental effect. Then, using data from conventional passive tags, we apply a Lincoln–Petersen abundance estimator modified to account for mortality and movement. After developing the model within a Bayesian framework, we demonstrate its application to data on gray triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) tagged in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina, USA. For this open population, we estimate site abundance to be ∼1000 fish (∼2000 fish·km–2) and additionally find evidence for an effect of hurricanes on movement. The general approach may be useful for fisheries, wildlife, and other ecological studies utilizing multiple tag types, particularly for estimating abundance of an open population. }, number={1}, journal={Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences}, publisher={Canadian Science Publishing}, author={Shertzer, Kyle W. and Bacheler, Nathan M. and Pine, William E., III and Runde, Brendan J. and Buckel, Jeffrey A. and Rudershausen, Paul J. and MacMahan, Jamie H.}, year={2020}, month={Jan}, pages={34–43} }