SOUTHERN FLOUNDER PARALICHTHYS LETHOSTIGMA HEREAFTER FLOUNDER ARE AN IMPORTANT FIN FISH IN COASTAL WATERS O…

Assistance award details

Assistance award identifier

ASST_NON_F25AF02653_014

FAIN

F25AF02653

Recipient

TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT

Awarding agency

Department of the Interior

Funding agency

Department of the Interior

Assistance listing (CFDA)

15.634

Total obligated

$99,865

Period

Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2027

Fiscal year

2025

Place of performance state

TX

Source file

FY2025_All_Assistance_Full_20261006.zip

Description

SOUTHERN FLOUNDER PARALICHTHYS LETHOSTIGMA HEREAFTER FLOUNDER ARE AN IMPORTANT FIN FISH IN COASTAL WATERS OF TEXAS THE POPULATIONS HAVE BEEN DRASTICALLY DECLINING SINCE THE 1990S WHICH HAS PROMPTED RESEARCH ON FLOUNDER BIOLOGY TO UNDERSTAND POPULATION DYNAMICS AND DEVELOP HATCHERY PRODUCTION PROTOCOLS TO AUGMENT NATURAL RECRUITMENT CONSEQUENTLY MANAGERS NOW HAVE CONSIDERABLE KNOWLEDGE OF SURVIVAL GROWTH RECRUITMENT AND REPRODUCTION AMONG MANY OTHER ASPECTS OF FLOUNDER BIOLOGY MUCH OF THIS KNOWLEDGE HAS BEEN ELUCIDATED BY OBSERVING PATTERNS AND HYPOTHESIZING THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS THAT GENERATE SUCH PATTERNS IE CORRELATIVE APPROACH FOR EXAMPLE INDIVIDUAL GROWTH RATES DIFFER AMONG POPULATIONS AND THESE DIFFERENCES HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO DIFFERENCES IN TEMPERATURE AND PREY AVAILABILITY BECAUSE THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS ARE UNCERTAIN MANAGERS ARE CHALLENGED WITH PREDICTING HOW ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN HATCHERIES OR IN NATURE WILL AFFECT SURVIVAL GROWTH AND RECRUITMENT THUS PROCESS BASED AS OPPOSED TO PATTERN BASED CORRELATIVE APPROACHES ARE NEEDED TO ELUCIDATE THE ECOLOGICAL MECHANISMS THAT UNDERLIE PATTERNS SO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES CAN BE ACCURATELY PREDICTED BIOENERGETICS MODELING HEREAFTER BEM IS ONE SUCH APPROACH THAT USES A DAILY ENERGY BALANCE EQUATION TO PREDICT INDIVIDUAL GROWTH BASED ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ENERGY LOSS VIA RESPIRATION AND ENERGY GAIN VIA CONSUMPTION INPUTS FOR BEM INCLUDE INTRINSIC PARAMETERS IE TEMPERATURE AND MASS DEPENDENCE OF RESPIRATION AND CONSUMPTION THAT ARE SPECIES SPECIFIC AND EXTRINSIC PARAMETERS IE WATER TEMPERATURE AND PREY AVAILABILITY THAT VARY SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY THE OUTPUT OF BEM IS A THEORETICAL GROWTH CURVE THAT CAN BE COMPARED TO THE WEALTH OF EXISTING EMPIRICAL GROWTH DATA BEMS DEVELOPED FOR OTHER SPECIES HAVE INFORMED HATCHERY OPERATIONS AND WILD STOCK MANAGEMENT AND ALSO HAVE FORECASTED IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE INCLUDING RISING TEMPERATURES AND SHIFTING PREY BASES THIS PROJECT WILL USE LABORATORY ASSAYS