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Pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus duorarum) are an economically important species in Biscayne Bay, FL, and support both food and bait commercial fisheries. Pink shrimp are also an important food resource for higher trophic level finfish species. This includes those fishes that support Florida’s iconic and highly valued recreational flats fisheries—which have experienced a severe decline in recent decades and may be impacted by the pink shrimp fisheries. Despite their economic and ecological importance, few studies have evaluated the long-term trends in Biscayne Bay’s pink shrimp fisheries. In this study, we evaluated over 30 years (1987–2020) of fisheries-dependent and economic data on the pink shrimp bait and food fisheries in Biscayne Bay with segmented regression to identify trends and potential breakpoints. We also evaluate trends in Biscayne Bay bonefish (Albula vulpes) over 25 years (1993–2018), based on recreational angler interview data, and assess potential interactions with the shrimp fisheries. We found that landings, value, effort, and participation (number of vessels and dealers) in both Biscayne Bay pink shrimp fisheries have exhibited declines from peaks in the late 1990s. No significant trends were detected in annual bonefish catch or catch per unit effort (catch/trip), but fishing effort declined over the time series. We did not find a significant relationship between annual bonefish catch per unit effort and commercial shrimp fishing landings or effort, suggesting that the pink shrimp fisheries are not a primary factor contributing to declines in the Biscayne Bay bonefish fishery. 

The recreational flats fishery (bonefish, tarpon, and permit) in South Florida is economically and culturally important and has declined recently for unknown reasons. Biscayne Bay is a shallow subtropical lagoon system with a flats fishery bordered by a large urban center. The Bay also supports commercial fisheries, including the pink shrimp bait and food fisheries. These two shrimp fisheries represent Biscayne Bay’s most valuable fisheries, but how these fisheries interact with the recreational flats fishery is relatively unknown. We conducted a literature review to identify the potential direct and indirect effects of the two shrimp fisheries on the recreational flats fishery in the Bay. Our review found that there are likely minimal impacts of the Biscayne Bay pink shrimp fisheries on the flats fishery in Biscayne Bay since (a) the species are not caught by shrimping gear, (b) the shrimp fishery removes less than 10% of the Bay’s shrimp population, and (c) damage to seagrass is minimal (but hardbottom is damaged). Yet, the potential for indirect prey removal cannot be ruled out and requires quantification with additional diet data, food web, and mass balance models.