Climate-Related Hydrological Regimes And Their Effects On Abundance Of Juvenile Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) In The Northcentral Gulf Of Mexico

• Main Authors: Sanchez-Rubio, Guillermo, Perry, Harriet M., Biesiot, Patricia M., Johnson, Donald R., Lipcius, Rom
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: W&M ScholarWorks 2011
• Subjects: Mississippi Sound; Habitat Selection; Northern Gulf; Salt Marshes; Nekton Use; Louisiana; Usa; Predation; Megalopae; Fishery; Fisheries Science Peer-Reviewed Articles; Aquaculture and Fisheries; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsarticles/551; https://scholarworks.wm.edu/context/vimsarticles/article/1552/viewcontent/rubio.pdf

The abundance of juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico was investigated in response to climate-related hydrological regimes. Two distinct periods of blue crab abundance (1, 1973-94 and 2, 1997-2005) were associated with two opposite climate-related hydrological regimes. Period 1 was characterized by high numbers of crabs, whereas period 2 was characterized by low numbers of crabs. The cold phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and high north-south wind momentum were associated with period 1. Hydrological conditions associated with phases of the AMO and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in conjunction with the north-south wind momentum may favor blue crab productivity by influencing blue crab predation dynamics through the exclusion of predators. About 25% (22-28%) of the variability in blue crab abundance was explained by a north south wind momentum in concert with either salinity, precipitation, or the Palmer drought severity index, or by a combination of the NAO and precipitation.