Selected Publications

You can find a full list on my Google Scholar profile.

Click on titles for abstracts and graphic summaries!

Using recreational tournament records to construct a 53-year time series of the Florida Keys recreational Bonefish fishery

Published in Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2023

Bonefish are a prized sportfish in the catch-and-release flats fisheries of Florida. Being a catch-and-release fishery, they are a data-poor species and population status cannot be assessed using stock assessment methods. To document historical changes in Bonefish populations in the Florida Keys, we pooled together annually occuring Bonefish fishing tournament records to track the status and trends of the fishery. We provide an example of a novel means for assessing data-limited recreational fisheries.

Recommended citation: Boucek, R. E., Rehage, J. S., Castillo, N. A., Dwoskin, E., Lombardo, S. M., Santos, R., ... & Adams, A. J. (2023). Using recreational tournament records to construct a 53-year time series of the Florida Keys recreational Bonefish fishery. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 106(2), 279-291. http://smlombardo.github.io/files/BonefishTournament.pdf

Biophysical larval dispersal models of observed bonefish Albula vulpes spawning events in Abaco The Bahamas An assessment of population connectivity and ocean dynamics

Published in PLoS ONE, 2022

Bonefish are a prized sportfish in the catch-and-release flats fisheries of the Caribbean. With the new discovery of spawning associations with the thermocline, biologically and ecologically accurate larval dispersal models could finally be created to evaluate within-region connectivity and the efficacy of The Bahamas marine protected areas network to protect potential Bonefish nursery habitats. The results of the larval dispersal simulations revealed the relationships with seasonal ephemeral gyres, the boom-or-bust success of spawning, and the thermal and depth environments that Bonefish larvae experience over their 41-71 day pelagic larval duration. The Bahamas marine protected areas network provided ample protection for Bonefish nurseries, though some suggestions were made for park expansions.

Recommended citation: Lombardo, S. M., Chérubin, L. M., Adams, A. J., Shenker, J. M., Wills, P. S., Danylchuk, A. J., & Ajemian, M. J. (2022). Biophysical larval dispersal models of observed bonefish (Albula vulpes) spawning events in Abaco, The Bahamas: An assessment of population connectivity and ocean dynamics. PLoS ONE, 17(10), e0276528. http://smlombardo.github.io/files/BonefishLarvalDispersal.pdf

Linking historical changes in salt‐marsh coverage to lost production of a nektonic bioindicator

Published in Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 2021

Coastal development has dramatically changed the functional capacity of habitats to provide for native species. Salt marshes are diverse and highly productive systems that have been dramatically reduced in the development process. We developed a biomass production projection method that links contemporary and historical arial imagery of salt marsh coverage with mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus abundance. This method provides a means for assessing ecosystem value-added or value-subtracted by restoration or development, respectively.

Recommended citation: Rudershausen, P. J., Lombardo, S. M., & Buckel, J. A. (2021). Linking historical changes in salt‐marsh coverage to lost production of a nektonic bioindicator. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 13(2), 131-139. http://smlombardo.github.io/files/SaltMarshProduction.pdf

Novel deep-water spawning patterns of bonefish Albula vulpes a shallow water fish

Published in Marine Biology, 2020

Bonefish are a prized target of the catch-and-release flats fisheries of the Caribbean. Their complete offshore spawning behaviors had yet to be documented, though few partial observations had been made. We used active acoustic telemetry to follow Bonefish offshore and document spawning behaviors at depths reaching 137 m - an incomparable disparity between homerange habitats (3 m) and spawning habitats. Spawning behaviors were associated with the thermocline. These observations helped to inform larval dispersal models, established spawning habitat requirements, and allowed for evaluation of marine protected area network protection efficacy within The Bahamas and elsewhere (i.e., Florida).

Recommended citation: Lombardo, S. M., Adams, A. J., Danylchuk, A. J., Luck, C. A., & Ajemian, M. J. (2020). Novel deep-water spawning patterns of bonefish (Albula vulpes), a shallow water fish. Marine Biology, 167, 1-11. http://smlombardo.github.io/files/BonefishSpawning.pdf

Evidence for temperature-dependent shifts in spawning times of anadromous alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and blueback herring Alosa aestivalis

Published in Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2020

Spawning migration phenology of River Herring was characterized from the 1970s through 2010s. The increased rate of warming for river waters during spring upstream migrations has resulted in earlier and condensed time spent on the spawning grounds for both species, with blueback herring being most negatively affected. These anadromous baitfish have been under a harvest moratorium in NC since 2007, and with climatic trends indicating further reduction in spawning duration and production it is unlikely that the fishery will re-open in the future.

Recommended citation: Lombardo, S. M., Buckel, J. A., Hain, E. F., Griffith, E. H., & White, H. (2020). Evidence for temperature-dependent shifts in spawning times of anadromous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 77(4), 741-751. http://smlombardo.github.io/files/RiverHerringPhenology.pdf

Research Scientist