Across the world, changing ocean conditions are altering the productivity and distribution of fish stocks. These impacts can be observed in coastal and estuarine systems where multiple environmental drivers can shape the population dynamics of fish and invertebrates. Consequently, understanding how key environmental drivers affect fisheries is of the utmost importance. Here, we investigate environment-recruitment relationships of a recreational fish species, spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), in Alabama, USA. To accomplish this, we first conducted an integrated stock assessment of spotted seatrout to derive recruitment deviations from the assumed stock-recruit relationship. Next, we compared biologically relevant environmental (temperature and salinity) and habitat area (areas meeting salinity and temperature conditions) variables derived from a regional hydrodynamic model to investigate possible linkages with recruitment deviations. We demonstrate how poor recruitment of spotted seatrout is strongly associated with negative salinity anomalies at multiple temporal scales (annual and settlement season), and to a lesser extent, negative temperature anomalies, suggesting that fresher and cooler conditions result in poor recruitment. The environmentally-informed habitat area variables revealed a strong association between poor recruitment and cooler temperatures in oligohaline areas. However, low salinity areas appear to serve as important nursery grounds, likely due to the limited submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in meso- and polyhaline areas across the study region. We recommend the use of salinity anomalies as a forecasting tool and future explorations into the relevance of oligohaline SAV to early life history processes of spotted seatrout. The stock assessment results highlight the positive impacts of recent management actions despite environmental variables driving poor recruitment. As changes in coastal waters proceed, the establishment of environment-recruitment relationships could be valuable for monitoring and forecasting changes in recruitment and population productivity of economically relevant species.

The attraction‐production continuum in fishery management centers on the extent to which artificial reefs increase fish production or whether they simply redistribute fish. Reef systems could produce carbon to support growth of higher trophic levels. Therefore, we aimed to understand carbon flows at lower trophic levels on shallow‐water (11 m) artificial reefs within a region which hosts an extensive artificial reef network. We described benthic communities and quantified changes in oxygen content within in situ enclosures to assess reef, sediment, and water‐column community metabolism. We tested spatial and temporal differences in metrics by repeatedly sampling at three sites across two seasons for 2 yrs. Suspension feeders were abundant on reef surfaces and these communities were often heterotrophic. In sediments, lancelets, amphipods, and bivalves were scarcer adjacent to the reef (2 m) and more numerous 20 m away. Infauna communities at adjacent reefs were significantly dissimilar, suggesting biotic (e.g., predation) and, or abiotic (e.g., sand scour) conditions cause large differences in infauna communities near reefs. Sediment and water‐column communities were mostly autotrophic and net productivity did not consistently increase or decrease with distance from the reef. Metabolic metrics were often best explained by temporal intervals and site. The integrated system was autotrophic in 9 out of 11 instances where reef, sediment, and water‐column contributed −0.46 to 0.27, −14.8 to 66.8, and 33.5% to 91.4% respectively to net system productivity. When planning artificial reef deployment projects with heterotrophic reefs, managers should ensure ample water‐column space is provisioned to support them trophically.

For commercial and recreational fisheries of a wide-ranging species to be sustainable, abundance studies from neighboring regions should be unified. For the first time in the USA, a single research project to estimate the abundance of the Greater Amberjack {Seriola dumerili) is being undertaken at the continental scale. A major methodological challenge lies in 1) the difference in fish detection gears deployed by regional survey teams that produce gear-specific relative abundance indices, and 2) the unknown relationship between actual abundance and these indices. In this paper, we develop a conversion tool that is operationalized from a Bayesian hierarchical model in an inferential context akin to the change-of-support problem often encountered in large-scale spatial studies; though, the context here is to reconcile abundance data observed at various gear-specific scales. To this end, we consider a small calibration experiment in which 2 to 4 different underwater video camera types were simultaneously deployed on each of 21 boat trips. Alongside the suite of deployed cameras was also an acoustic echosounder that recorded fish signals along surrounding transects. Our modeling framework is used to derive calibration formulae for translating camera-specific relative indices to the actual abundance scale in surveys that deploy a single camera. Cross-validation is conducted using mark-recapture abundance estimates (only available for 10 trips, all observed at a single habitat type) and through a separate simulation study. We also briefly discuss the case when surveys pair one camera with the echosounder.

Background Four Seriola species support recreational and commercial fisheries along the U.S. Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, with the S. dumerili Gulf of Mexico stock being overfished for over three decades. The study presented here is part of a fisheries-independent project initiated to determine an absolute abundance of S. dumerili, to expand biological knowledge of the species and to develop novel tools for fisheries management. Environmental DNA (eDNA) tools aimed at the detection and quantification of target species are starting to emerge in support of marine fisheries surveys. Key to progressing the field is Droplet Digital™ PCR (ddPCR™), a highly sensitive technique with advanced multiplexing and direct quantification capabilities that can provide fisheries scientists with improved interpretation of eDNA data. Methods We developed and validated a novel tetraplex ddPCR™ assay able to detect and distinguish between S. dumerili, S. fasciata, S. rivoliana, and S. zonata from seawater eDNA samples. In order to groundtruth ddPCR™ data, and explore its capacity to provide abundance estimates, we compared ddPCR™ detections and quantifications to abundance data inferred from multiple camera (ROV, S-BRUV, chevron trap) and acoustic (VPS array) gears deployed during a fisheries research gear-calibration cruise. Results We demonstrated that with eDNA contamination controls and best practice protocols, it is viable to conduct eDNA research as part of a fisheries survey cruise. eDNA sampling was completed in less time than camera gears (15 min vs 2 h). Both eDNA and camera gears detected the presence of S. dumerili and S. rivoliana at both sites and all sampling days, but not S. fasciata and S. zonata. eDNA concentration data was higher for S. dumerili than S. rivoliana at both sites for all sampling days, in line with abundance patterns obtained from camera gears. The highest correlation (r = 0.97) was obtained between the measures of eDNA between gear deployments and ROV. Discussion Incorporating eDNA in fisheries surveys would not require additional days at sea and could improve precision in fish detection and abundance. eDNA can be a valuable complement to camera gears deployed in geographic areas or seasons with poor visibility conditions, where fish may be present but cannot be confidently identified to the species level. The high correlation obtained between ROV and eDNA data collected between gear deployments adds to a growing number of studies demonstrating the potential of eDNA as an indicator of abundance for fisheries stock assessments. Time-series data from a carefully designed eDNA survey, that estimates relative abundance, could be used as an index of relative abundance for the S. dumerili stock assessment. To achieve this, investment into follow-up studies with increased sample sizes and spatial and temporal replication would be necessary to allow for year-to-year comparisons and validate the robustness of the correlation observed.

The decline of oyster reefs in estuaries has resulted from a combination of chronic and acute disturbances. The loss has resulted in decreased yield for the oyster fishery as well as a decline in ecological benefits that has led to increased efforts to restore oyster reefs. The need for scientific guidance in accomplishing these restoration goals has become even more pressing in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico in the wake of injury to oyster reefs resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Restoration of both the shallow, marsh-fringing oyster aggregations and the deeper subtidal oyster reefs is necessary. Historically, fringing oysters have been overlooked in the oyster habitat landscape because of their limited commercial value. Here, we use a biophysical transport model to examine the transport and settlement of oyster larvae in known oyster reefs along the coast of the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. The modeling demonstrated that the majority of oyster larvae settle within the embayment (>98%) or sub-basin (>65%) of their origin. Additionally, the model demonstrated the importance of fringing oysters as a source of larvae to re-seed other fringing oysters along marsh edges as well as subtidal oyster reefs. We conclude that networks of reefs, including both fringing oyster habitat and subtidal oyster reefs within sub-basins, are necessary to provide resilience to the population at the sub-basin level. Finally, we conclude that fringing oyster habitat may serve as an archipelago-like network to enhance larval supply and connectivity for oysters throughout the mesosaline portions of estuaries.

Fisheries are critical for sustaining waterfront communities. However, subsistence fishing is not well understood in the United States, despite its potential contributions to health and culture. We piloted a multivariable construct to classify subsistence vs. nonsubsistence fishers, identified the strongest predictor of participating in this practice, and tested for differences in place-based fishing motivations, behaviors, and community sharing. Among shore-based fishers in coastal Alabama, lower household income was the most powerful predictor of subsistence fishing. Subsistence fishers held more fishing motivations, targeted more specific fish groups, were more efficient in catching and keeping fish, and more frequently shared fish across social groups. Informed by these findings, we discussed management strategies to addressopportunities and barriers for shore-based subsistence fishing in coastal Alabama. More broadly, the framework piloted here offers a pathway to integrate subsistence fisheries into management using place-based evidence.

Determining the distributions of marine animals is a challenge, particularly for highly migratory species like sharks. In the United States, several shark populations are beginning to recover following exploitation, including the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Recently, reports of white sharks have increased in the northern Gulf of Mexico (hereafter Gulf), but determining whether these reports represent actual changes in distribution is difficult. Therefore, we examined two long-term fishery-independent camera datasets to assess whether the recent increase in reports of white sharks reflects changes in distribution or typical (albeit rare) events. Long-term fishery-independent stereo-baited remote underwater video (sBRUV) and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) datasets were examined. From 2010 – 2024, 8368 sBRUV and 2199 ROV surveys were conducted. From 2010 – 2023, no white sharks were seen on either camera gear, but two white sharks were observed on ROV videos in 2024. The first was a female estimated at 239 cm total length and the second was a male estimated at 191 cm total length. These observations lend support to the notion that recent reports of white sharks in the northern Gulf may indicate early evidence of range-edge expansion rather than increases in telemetry efforts or citizen observations. Studies like this one highlight the value of long-term, randomized, fishery-independent camera surveys for documenting changes in distribution for rare species.

Depredation (the partial or complete removal of a hooked species by a non-target species) is a human-wildlife conflict as old as humans and the sea. In some ways, depredation is no different today than it was a century ago. But in many ways, this conflict has become more complicated. Following three decades of successful management, some US shark populations have begun to rebuild. However, many anglers attribute perceived increases in shark depredation to management measures, claiming they have led to 'overpopulation' of sharks and/or learned behaviour by sharks. We investigated whether these factors could explain the reported increases in depredation. Based on fishery-independent surveys, neither shark population increases nor learned behaviour by sharks is evident. However, increases in angler effort provide an alternative explanation that is not often considered. While far from a smoking gun, at least four themes emerge from this thought exercise. First, it is important to understand historical predator baselines. Second, it is important to acknowledge lifting baselines, that is, instances where previously depleted populations are recovering. Third, it is important to remember that there are many instances when stakeholder observations were initially misaligned with traditional scientific observations but were ultimately recognized as pivotal for filling data gaps. Finally, and perhaps most important, is the acknowledgement that perceived conflict is as potent as real conflict. Arguably, it may not matter if depredation has increased or decreased; the overwhelming perception from stakeholders is an increase in depredation, and this is the perceived (or real) conflict that must be addressed.

The future of the wild oyster fishery in the northern Gulf of Mexico is largely uncertain due to changing environmental conditions and declining abundance of harvestable oysters. Specifically, rising temperatures can directly impact the physiological thresholds of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) at all life history stages and alter the narrow ecological niche this oyster occupies. The impact of rising temperatures is likely most pronounced during atmospheric heatwaves, defined as three or more days above the 90th percentile of daily maximum air temperatures, which have been shown to be increasing in frequency. Increasing exposure to high temperature extremes may contribute to and exacerbate an already declining oyster fishery. Critical to fishery health is recruitment i.e., the addition of new harvestable biomass, which is a dynamic process strongly driven by temperature. Here, we examine the relationship between heatwave characteristics and the prediction of poor oyster recruitment, measured as the abundance of post-larval oysters (e.g. spat) below the site-specific median density observed in historically productive oyster fisheries over 46-years (1976 – 2020) in Mobile Bay, Alabama and 21-years (1993 – 2014) in Apalachicola Bay, Florida. We acquired daily maximum air temperature measurements measured over 50 years (1970 – 2020) at weather monitoring stations adjacent to the bays to identify site specific annual heatwave events (maximum yearly air temperature, yearly and consecutive heatwave days, and number of annual heatwaves). Then, years with extreme heatwaves that exceeded the 75th percentile for the 50-year measurements were compared to years with non-extreme heatwave events. Years with extreme total heatwave days and extreme consecutive heatwave days were correlated with low post-larval oyster density. Across both bay systems, if consecutive heatwave days exceeded 11 days, then poor recruitment of oysters occurred 83 % of the time. Extreme heatwave duration as an indicator for poor recruitment has the potential to be a powerful tool for fishery managers to forecast recruitment and inform sustainable oyster harvest based on year-to-year variability in heatwave duration and long-term warming trends. Our findings illustrate how extreme temperatures can exacerbate multiple physiological and ecological stressors resulting in the loss of a keystone species for healthy and resilient coastal ecosystems.

Objective: Gray Snapper Lutjanus griseus constitute a significant recreational fishery and minor commercial fishery throughout the Gulf of Mexico. The overall stock appears healthy based on the results of the most recent assessment; in fact, shifting climate conditions have led to range expansions and subsequent population growth in the north-central Gulf of Mexico, a region for which the full suite of basic biological data is currently lacking for this species. This work presents the results of a comprehensive study on the age, growth, maturity, and mortality of Gray Snapper in Alabama and Mississippi waters. Methods: From 2011 to 2021, otoliths (n = 886) and gonads (n = 364) were sampled and processed according to standard microscopic techniques. Age data were used to fit three separate growth functions and derive estimates of total, natural, and fishing mortality, while testes and ovaries were categorized by reproductive phase to determine maturity at length and age. Result: Ages ranged from 0 to 27 years, representing one of the most comprehensive collections across published studies to date. Sex-specific growth curves constructed using the von Bertalanffy growth function were preferred over the Gompertz and logistic models based on Akaike information criterion and suggest that males reach a higher mean asymptotic length (L-t = 731.52[1-e(-0.15{t+1.34})]) than females (L-t = 704.28[1-e(-0.14{t+1.62})]). Based on histological analyses, we estimate total length at 50% maturity to be 181 mm for males and 273 mm for females and total length at 90% maturity to be 215 mm for males and 354 mm for females. We estimate the age at 50% maturity to be <1.0 year for males and 2.0 years for females and the age at 90% maturity to be 1.4 years for males and 3.6 years for females. Mortality rates calculated using preferred estimators (Z = 0.30-0.38; M = 0.26; F = 0.04-0.12) indicate relatively low levels of exploitation in the north-central Gulf of Mexico, with full recruitment to the fishery occurring at age 4. Conclusion: Based on these results, the Gray Snapper population in the north-central Gulf of Mexico is characterized by a relatively unexploited age structure with moderate longevity that has been subject to minimal fishing pressure. The findings from this study introduce new regional data for incorporation into assessments and provide an informed basis for future management decisions in this fishery.

Southern flounder are an iconic coastal finfish through the Southeast U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Southern flounder spend the early part of their lives in coastal and estuarine habitats, later moving offshore to spawn. Several decades of research have provided much clarity to the biology, life history, and aquaculture aspects of southern flounder-this information is summarized and reviewed in this study. Despite substantial improvement in understanding the species, major questions remain about their recruitment, offshore behaviors, captive rearing, and management. Recently, southern flounder have also been in focus because of substantial synchronous population declines throughout their range with specific concerns that recruitment failure and possibly climate change may be implicated. Management of southern flounder has thus far taken place within individual states, but coming into focus is the possibility that larger coastwide management approaches may need to be considered due to both the migratory nature of the species and the possibility of population stressors acting at regional scales. Many states have already begun aquaculture and enhancement efforts, with an eye toward supplementing wild populations. Large group efforts, like the symposium that led to this study, will likely be needed to tackle the complex challenges confronting southern flounder.

Fishery-independent surveys are commonly used in modern stock assessment models to inform trends in abundance and these surveys may become more important when there are gaps in other data sources, such as harvest data. As a result of the federal harvest moratorium in the late 1980's, Gulf of Mexico red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) remains a data-limited species with little known about its post-escapement (6 - 46-year-old fish) abundance in offshore waters, which encompasses the spawning biomass of the stock. Historically, age and growth estimates were derived from purse seine collections, which was the industry's preferred harvest technique. Recently, the addition of fishery-independent surveys, i.e. bottom longline surveys, sought to provide a potential alternative to purse seines; however, their efficacy in sampling the breadth of the offshore red drum population has not been widely evaluated. Here, we compared the age composition and selectivity of red drum collected with purse seine and bottom long line in offshore coastal waters of Mississippi and Alabama. Red drum collected in the purse seines ranged from 561 to 1018 mm total length (2-26 years old) and 770 - 1090 mm (2-36 years old) in bottom longlines. Additionally, an opportunistic sampling of red drum from a large fish kill in 2015 was used to estimate selectivity of red drum sampled by purse seine and bottom long line. Red drum selectivity generally decreased with age for the purse seine, while there was an increase in selectivity for the bottom long line survey. This novel approach using a mass mortality event to derive gear selectivity may allow fisheries scientists to refine selectivity measurements in stock assessments. Characterization of selectivity for different survey gears will allow for a more informed comparison of historic and current surveys when gear type effects change.

Fisheries-independent surveys are commonly used to create indices of relative abundance. If properly designed and calibrated, these surveys may also be used to estimate absolute abundance. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of this approach by estimating the absolute abundance of red lionfish ( Pterois volitans), gray triggerfish ( Balistes capriscus), and red snapper ( Lutjanus campechanus) across an extensive network of artificial reefs using camera counts, indices of relative abundance, calibration factors, and index-removal estimators. From 2012 to 2017, per reef estimates increased for red lionfish (20×), gray triggerfish (2.1×), and red snapper (2.2×). Network-wide absolute abundances were calculated by multiplying the average per reef estimate by the estimated number of reefs in the network. All increases were consistent with predictions of stock assessment (red snapper), management actions (gray triggerfish), or invasive species colonization (red lionfish). Our methodology demonstrates how estimates of absolute abundance can be derived from fishery-independent surveys and used to evaluate the outputs of stock assessments both in direction and magnitude and quantify critical ecosystem components.

A better understanding of trophic interactions between hardhead catfish (Ariopsis felis) and gafftopsail catfish (Bagre marinus) is crucial for developing multi-species management strategies for the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). These two species are often aggregated in food web models; however, limited data are available to substantiate this approach. Therefore, the present study aimed to describe the dietary habits of hardhead catfish and gafftopsail catfish using analysis of stomach contents aided by DNA barcoding. Hardhead (n = 693) and gafftopsail (n = 655) catfish were sampled in the northern GOM from 2015–2019 using both fisheries-dependent and -independent techniques. The average percent number (%N), average percent mass (%M), prey specific number (%PN), prey specific mass (%PM), and prey-specific index of relative importance (%PSIRI) were computed to quantify prey species. The stomach content analysis identified distinct differences in diet between hardhead and gafftopsail catfish. Crustaceans were the most important prey for hardhead catfish, while gafftopsail catfish showed a significantly broader dietary breadth and were primarily piscivorous. Multivariate analyses indicated that the location of capture explained the greatest amount of diet variability for both species. These findings address fundamental knowledge gaps regarding the dietary habits of hardhead and gafftopsail catfish in northern GOM ecosystems.

Fluid (air or water) movements are key determinants of living systems from cellular to community levels of organization. Water flow can influence individual fitness and local population dynamics, but less is known about the collective response of natural communities to alteration in water flow because parameter responses to flow may be additive, juxtaposed, or interactive. To examine how changes in water flow affected initial larval settlement patterns of epifaunal and infaunal animals, colonization of larger individuals, and prey survival, we manipulated water flow (-50% or +47%) in situ using large wooden channels over small experimental oyster reefs. To test whether initial settlement patterns were additive or influenced by early post-settlement processes (i.e., predation or competition reduced the densities), we compared patterns in short-duration trials (two weeks) to those in longer duration deployments (six weeks). We found that minor changes in water flow (5-10 cm s(-1)) resulted in large changes in settlement of many species, predation levels, and the modification of initial settlement patterns. Settlement (two-week intervals) and subsequent recruitment (six-week intervals) increased for several species as flow rate increased. For most species, this relationship peaked at mid-level flows (mud crabs, barnacles, and bivalves), whereas others (oysters) continued to increase with higher flow rates. Settlement patterns were best preserved in recruitment under high flow conditions where post-settlement mortality was lower. Collectively, our results demonstrate how biological and physical processes are coupled in oyster reef systems, with relatively minor changes in water flow affecting pre- and post-settlement processes.

Ecological science addresses a wide variety of research questions, ranging from purely academic to narrowly applied. Major advances in ecology have occurred when fundamental ecological theories were used to formulate questions designed to address pressing practical problems, especially the impacts of human activities in natural ecosystems (e.g., Murdoch, 1994; Tilman et al., 2002; Vitousek et al., 1997). Marine ecologists have played an especially important role in assessing the ecological impacts of anthropogenic disturbances, as well as enhancing our capacity to conserve, manage, and restore marine ecosystems (e.g., Bertness et al., 2014; Jackson et al., 2001; Schmitt & Osenberg, 1996). Charles H. “Pete” Peterson (1946–2020) was a trailblazer and leader in testing, developing, and, most importantly, applying ecological theory to meet environmental challenges (Figure 1). In doing so, he made substantial contributions to ecological science and scholarship. At a time when few academic ecologists wanted to conduct applied studies, Pete performed those studies at a high level of rigor and demonstrated how ecology could be advanced through the application of theory. Pete's rigorous approach to study design, statistical analysis, and interpretation of results showed the flaws in often biased approaches that were being advanced by industry scientists. Pete passed away on October 24, 2020, at his home in Pine Knoll Shores, NC, USA. To help honor Pete's important contributions to ecology we have assembled this Special Feature of Ecosphere in which we present an impressive set of papers that report new results in applied marine ecological science that were inspired by Pete's research, teaching, and mentorship. Inspection of the history of natural science indicates that marine community ecology emerged primarily with the intent to address marine resource management challenges, initially the trophic links between marine benthic invertebrate communities and exploited demersal fish populations in northern Europe (Petersen, 1914). A deeper appreciation of that history reveals how local ecological knowledge helped Pacific Island people manage nearshore marine fisheries sustainably for over a millennium (Johannes, 1981). Yet, as recently as the 1980s, researchers working in applied marine ecology were too often labeled as industry consultants, as nonacademics. Judging from the poor quality of some applied work, the criticism was warranted. Criticism of applied ecology overlapped with a major reexamination, a critique, of ecology captured by Peters (1991). This intradisciplinary assessment followed a transition, led by Professors Joseph Connell (1961) and Robert Paine (1966), in which a qualitative natural-history-based approach, heavily reliant on correlative relationships between community patterns and environmental conditions, evolved to a more theory-driven, mechanistic, and experiment-based form of ecology (e.g., Peterson, 1982). Peters' critique in 1991 initiated the expansion of ecological synthesis science as a means to broaden the generality of research questions and seek answers to the toughest problems we face, including global-scale extinctions, habitat loss, and climate change. Out of these transformative periods emerged a greater appreciation for well-executed applied ecology. Pete Peterson was a leader in this renaissance, especially in the marine environment (e.g., Christensen et al., 1996; Lubchenco et al., 1991). Pete was an exceptionally creative and productive scientist, who made key contributions to many aspects, or subdisciplines, in ecology and marine science. He was highly interdisciplinary in his thinking and general methodological approach. Pete obtained a BA in Biology at Princeton University in 1968 before receiving an MS in Zoology (1970) and a PhD in Biology (1972) working with Professor Connell at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After a brief stint at the University of Maryland (Baltimore County), Pete moved to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he taught, advised, and conducted research until he retired in 2019. Over the past half-century, Pete fundamentally transformed our understanding of marine ecosystems while also applying his research to solving environmental problems. He published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, and his research contributed conceptually to ecology, marine biology, environmental sciences, fisheries ecology, restoration ecology, and conservation biology. Trained as a benthic ecologist, Pete used coastal soft-sediment habitats as models to explore how key ecological processes such as competition, recruitment, and predation structure communities. He studied benthic boundary layer systems and fluid dynamics, at small and large spatial scales, to disentangle complex physical–biological processes. Pete examined how habitat created by seagrass beds, salt marshes, oyster reefs, beaches, deep-sea hydrothermal vent organisms, and Antarctic crustaceans influences marine communities and produces ecosystem services. Pete's research advanced basic ecological science, but some of his most profound contributions were in applied marine and fisheries ecology, a field he was influential in establishing. In the latter stages of his career, Pete's work touched on almost every aspect of marine conservation and restoration ecology. He recognized, long before many others, that fishing caused a plethora of ecological disturbances and worked tirelessly to develop sustainable fishing practices and management strategies (Botsford et al., 1997; Jackson et al., 2001; Lotze et al., 2006; Myers et al., 2007; Peterson et al., 1987, 2000, 2003a). He highlighted that oil spilled in coastal marine ecosystems triggers cascades of long-lasting ecological effects (Peterson et al., 2003b). Pete's exceptional capacity to integrate and synthesize ideas across disciplines led to his recognizing that restoring molluscan populations decimated by red tides in coastal North Carolina was critical to local fishers while also providing novel insights into population connectivity and recruitment limitation (Peterson et al., 1996). His work on oyster reef management and restoration ignited a major research emphasis that is now global in scale (Beck et al., 2011; Lenihan & Peterson, 1998). His many contributions to marine conservation were widely recognized and awarded, resulting in a Pew Fellowship and several prizes. Pete spent a large proportion of his career actively shaping policy and engaging in management on a range of environmental issues. He interacted well with politicians, water people, managers, program administrators, and the lay public. Pete served on numerous international and national advisory committees, including ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea), GLOBEC (Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics), NSF (National Science Foundation), and NCEAS (National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis). He was equally proud of his work on the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission, just one of the several environmental commissions in the state that Pete served on over the past several decades. North Carolina's coastal habitats and resources are more resilient thanks to Pete's tireless efforts and dedication. Above all, Pete was an educator, mentor, and naturalist. His ability to articulate difficult concepts in the classroom and in the field coupled with his enthusiasm for teaching inspired and enabled many to pursue careers in marine ecology. His passion for nature, whether fishing, birding, or walking with his friends and students, was immense and provided purpose for his scholarly pursuits. He especially liked his daily swims in North Carolinas' Bogue Sound. While rigorous, demanding, and often intense in his mentorship, Pete was always a strong advocate for his students and colleagues. Pete leaves behind a large network of former students, postdocs, and colleagues whose careers he helped shape. Many of those students, postdocs, and colleagues collaborated on this Special Feature that presents 16 papers encompassing a wide spectrum of applied marine ecological research inspired by Pete's examples. These papers are dedicated to the important legacy that Pete built over a long, very productive, and impactful career. Our Special Feature presents papers that report new and exciting results from a suite of important research topics that Pete helped to develop and promote, often with seminal and high-impact publications. Four papers focus on the ecological implications and impacts of anthropogenic disturbance in coastal ecosystems. Swinea and Fodrie (2021) examine the role sustainable fisheries play in the recovery of coastal human societies from catastrophic disturbance, in this case, the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Fegley and Michel (2021) advance the way we should quantify the loss and recovery of ecosystem services on beaches degraded by oil spills. Pete played a big role in advancing beach ecology, a fact articulated by Emery et al. (2022), who report on how tides drive cyclical patterns of habitat partitioning by beach invertebrate species. Finally, Donaher et al. (2021) examine how facilitation by bivalves mediates the recovery of seagrass beds from disturbance. Another set of papers examines the role of seagrass as a coastal foundation species, but with a focus on trophic interactions, especially top-down effects on community dynamics. Namba and Nakaoka (2021) examine the influence of environmental conditions on the top-down control of eelgrass populations by herbivores in coastal Japan. Wong and Dowd (2021) explore how the functional traits of component species determine the level of secondary production in eelgrass communities. Alternatively, Geraldi et al. (2022) examine the effects of top-down control on foundation species, in this case the influence of predation on oyster abundance on subtidal oyster reefs. Pete was one of the first researchers to consider the role of landscape processes in driving marine population and community dynamics. To celebrate that research, Van Hoeck et al. (2021) develop a new technique to improve coastal management, specifically the population enhancement of target species, a model system that Pete often used to test both basic ecological theory and as a means to improve management outcomes. Linking land to sea, Gehman et al. (2021) uncover the influence that land use patterns have on estuarine ecosystems by modifying parasite–host interactions. Geissinger et al. (2022) introduce the use of stable isotopes as a technique to examine patterns of habitat use by the little-known, burrowing wrymouth that inhabit nearshore soft-sediment habitats along the US Pacific and Atlantic coasts. A final set of papers helps to advance restoration ecology, a topic of great interest and importance to Pete. Butler et al. (2021) reveal the role sponges play in helping to facilitate coral restoration. Grabowski et al. (2022) and Powers and Grabowski (2023) revisit and extend our understanding of the role that habitat structure, location, and hydrodynamics play in successful oyster restoration efforts. Paxton et al. (2022) provide a framework for better incorporating ecological principles, adaptive management, and experiments in the siting, design, construction, and evaluation of artificial reefs in the coastal ocean. To wrap up the Special Feature, Smith et al. (2022) and Lenihan et al. (2022) report on the ecological impacts of fishing and the use of marine reserves and collaborative fishery research in recovering, restoring, and managing coastal marine fisheries. In summary, the papers in our Special Feature represent a great tribute to the legacy of Charles H. Peterson and are research contributions that would have made him proud.

Oyster reefs are a vital but declining component of nearshore, estuarine ecosystems. Global efforts to restore this important habitat are ongoing but have had varied success. The potential for biotic factors such as predation to influence restoration trajectories is rarely considered; however, there is mounting evidence that a better understanding of trophic relationships could aid in the restoration of the ecologically critical Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica). A common predator-prey interaction within the oyster reef community was examined through manipulative experiments to determine what effect predator presence had on early survivorship of oyster spat - a factor known to influence the success of oyster reef restoration. The juvenile stone crab (Menippe spp.) is a known predator of spat (<30 mm) sized Eastern oysters but also serves as prey for mobile predatory fish. Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus), a fish with a diet high in structure-associated invertebrates, are one of many predatory fishes that utilize oyster reefs. Adult Sheepshead presence was found to significantly increase oyster spat survival. Oyster spat survival can be attributed to both trait and density-mediated indirect interactions. These results suggest that changes in the presence of an exploited finfish species can influence oyster spat survivorship.

ABSTRACT Greenheck, E.M.; Andres, M.J.; Fox, D.A.; Kiene, D.; Kreiser, B.R.; Nelson, T.R.; Peterson, M.S.; Powers, S.P.; Rider, S.J., and Slack, W.T., 2023. Gulf Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) in the Mobile Bay Estuary, Alabama: Documentation of use outside of designated critical habitat. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(6), 1021–1043. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Gulf Sturgeon (GS) are an anadromous, federally threatened subspecies of Atlantic Sturgeon that feed primarily in estuarine and marine systems in the northern Gulf of Mexico from October to April. All extant natal river systems and adjacent estuarine and marine environments were designated as critical habitat for GS in 2003, excluding the Mobile River Watershed because of lack of data indicating an extant spawning population at the time of listing. Previous studies had identified that GS from river systems east of Mobile Bay use habitats within the Mississippi Sound, suggesting GS must at least traverse Alabama waters. Therefore, this study's objective was to quantify the use of the Mobile Bay Estuary by GS. GS were acoustically tagged in all extant natal river systems and detected by an array of receivers deployed in the Mobile Bay Estuary during 2016–21. A total of 210 adult and subadult GS from western (n = 97) and eastern (n = 113) river systems were detected in the Mobile Bay Estuary for up to 4 months, with 110 individuals detected from 2 to 6 years during the monitoring period. The sustained use of the Mobile Bay Estuary by GS from western and eastern river systems strongly indicates that Alabama's waters are suitable habitat despite extirpation of the natal spawning population in the Mobile River Estuary. Foraging in the Mobile Bay Estuary is probable because previous sediment and benthic macroinvertebrate sampling in this system indicated relatively low-percent sand content and high polychaete richness, which are characteristic of foraging habitats previously identified in the Pascagoula River delta. The Mobile Bay Estuary is not designated as critical habitat for GS; however, this study indicates nonanomalous use of this habitat by GS during the foraging period, so inclusion of this system under the critical habitat designation should be considered.