Marine fish ecology.
Our research addresses the fisheries, ecology and behavior of marine fishes. These studies have included age and growth, reproduction, early-life-history, predator-prey relations, diet analysis, movements, behavioral interactions, and in general the effects of habitats both natural and artificial on the fish populations in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
PRESENT RESEARCH
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Present research projects include: 1) The effects of explosive removal of oil-gas platforms on resident reef fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico; 2) The habitat use and fine scale movements of red snapper, gray triggerfish, and shark species using ultrasonic telemetry; 3) A comparison of telemetry and conventional tagging of red snapper for mortality estimates; 4) The effects of the BP oil spill on shelf (e.g., red snapper) and slope (e.g., roughtongue bass) reef fish species; 5) A comparison of red snapper populations across a decade of management from 1998-2004 to 2010-2015 using fishery independent methods; 6) A comparison of fish communities on different artificial reef types at different depths using a combination of fishery independent methods, side scan sonar, and hydroacoustics; 7) Age determination of red snapper through shape analysis and validation of otolith annular increments; 8) The diet of red snapper using DNA analysis of gut content; 9) The early post-settlement ecology of northern Gulf of Mexico reef fish species.
PAST RESEARCH
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Past studies have included many aspects of marine fishes including but not limited to movements of coastal sharks, gray triggerfish ecology and behavior, early life history studies of red snapper, red snapper ecology, behavior, distributions, and habitat associations, and Blenniidae fish distributions on gas platforms. See publications for more information on past studies.
Professional affiliations
- American Fisheries Society
- Marine fisheries section
- Early life history section
- American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Publications
Williams-Grove, L.J., and S.T. Szedlmayer. In press. Depth preferences and three-dimensional movements of red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, on an artificial reef in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Fisheries Research.
Williams-Grove, L.J., and S.T. Szedlmayer. In press. Mortality Estimates for Red Snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, based on Ultrasonic Telemetry in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. North American Journal of Fisheries Management.
Topolski M and Szedlmayer ST. 2004. Vertical distribution, size structure, and habitat associations of four Blenniidae species on gas platforms in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 70:193-201.
Szedlmayer ST and Lee JD. 2004. Diet shifts of red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, with changes in habitat and fish size. Fishery Bulletin, U.S., 102:366-375.
Ouzts AC and Szedlmayer ST. 2003. Diel feeding patterns of red snapper on artificial reefs in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 132:1186-1193.
Szedlmayer ST and Conti JJ. 1999. Nursery habitats, growth rates, and seasonality of age-0 red snapper Lutjanus campechanus, in the northeast Gulf of Mexico. Fishery Bulletin, U.S., 97:626-635.
Szedlmayer ST. 1998. Comparison of growth rate and formation of otolith increments in age-0 red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus. Journal of Fish Biology, 53:58-65.
Szedlmayer ST and Howe JC. 1997. Substrate preference in age-0 red snapper Lutjanus campechanus. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 50:203-207.
Szedlmayer ST. 1997. Ultrasonic telemetry of red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, at artificial reef sites in the northeast Gulf of Mexico. Copeia, 1997(4):846-850.
Szedlmayer ST and Able KW. 1996. Patterns of seasonal availability and habitat use by fishes and decapod crustaceans in a southern New Jersey estuary. Estuaries, 19:697-709.
Szedlmayer ST and Howe JC. 1995. An evaluation of six marking methods for age-0 red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus. Fishery Bulletin, U.S., 93:191-195.
Maceina MJ, and Rider SJ, Szedlmayer ST. 1995. Density, temporal spawning patterns, and growth of age-0 and age-1 largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in vegetated and unvegetated areas of Lake Guntersville, Alabama. pp. 497-511. In: D.C. Secor, J.M. Dean, and S.E. Campana, eds. Recent developments in fish otolith research. Univ. South Carolina Press, Columbia, SC.
Szedlmayer ST and Shipp RL. 1994. Movement and growth of red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus from artificial reefs in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Bulletin of Marine Science, 55:887-896.
Szedlmayer ST and Able KW. 1993. Ultrasonic telemetry of age-0 summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus, in southern New Jersey estuary. Copeia, 1993(3):728-736.
Szedlmayer ST and Able KW. 1992. Validation studies of daily increment formation for larval and juvenile summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 49:1-7.
Szedlmayer ST, and Able KW, Rountree RA. 1992. Growth and temperature induced mortality of young-of-the-year Summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) in Southern New Jersey. Copeia, 1992(1):120-128.
Szedlmayer ST. 1991. Distribution and abundance of nearshore fishes in the Anclote River estuary, west‑central, Florida. Northeast Gulf Science, 12:75-82.
Szedlmayer ST, and Szedlmayer MM, Sieracki ME. 1991. Automated enumeration by computer digitization of age-0 weakfish Cynoscion regalis scale circuli. Fishery Bulletin, U.S., 89:337-340.
Szedlmayer ST, and Able KW, Musick JA, Weinstein MP. 1991. Are scale circuli deposited daily in juvenile weakfish, Cynoscion regalis? Environmental Biology of Fishes, 31:87-94.
Szedlmayer ST, and Weinstein MP, Musick JA. 1990. Differential growth among cohorts of age-0 weakfish Cynoscion regalis in Chesapeake Bay. Fishery Bulletin, U.S., 88:745-752.
Szedlmayer ST. 1987. Hormone‑induced spawning of weakfish. The Progressive Fish‑Culturist, 49:158‑160.
Weinstein MP, and Scott L, O’Neil SP, Siegfried II RC, Szedlmayer ST. 1984. Population dynamics of spot, Leiostomus xanthurus, in polyhaline tidal creeks of the York River estuary, Virginia. Estuaries, 7(4a):444‑450.