1 Spawning Aggregations of Recreationally Important Sciaenid Species in the Savannah Harbor:

• Main Authors: Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion Nebulosus, Red Drum Sciaenops Ocellatus, Weakfish Cynoscion Regalis, Black Drum Pogonias Cromis, Mark R. Collins, Bridget M. Callahan, William C. Post
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: Red drum; Sciaenops ocellatus
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.576.1262; http://sav-harbor.com/study reports/sciaenid final report.pdf

Members of the sciaenid family include some of the most recreationally important inshore fishes in the southeastern US, such as red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, and spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus. These fishes create signature noises in a chorus to attract mates, earning them such common names as drum or croaker. The sounds can be easily heard using passive acoustic techniques, allowing biologists to locate spawning aggregations with hydrophones. Identifying and better understanding the habitats used by sciaenid spawning aggregations may help avoid impacts to these economically important species from dredging activities in the Savannah Harbor. Instead of traditional fisheries sampling tools such as nets, electro-shockers, and hook-and-line, acoustic hydrophones were used to determine if, where, and when sciaenid spawning aggregations occur in the proposed harbor expansion project area. This innovative and cost-effective method has been successfully used in several southeastern studies to locate aggregations without interfering with the fish. From August to November, and again from February to June, hydrophone surveys were conducted in and around the Savannah River’s shipping channel to find and characterize