416 
Fishery Bulletin 115(3) 
increased, although only marginally, from low to high 
relief habitats in their study. Additionally, guarding 
territory was a behavior exhibited by nuchal black sea 
bass around rocky outcroppings and may be an indica- 
tion that outcroppings, along with other structures, are 
important for activities such as spawning (Fabrizio et 
al., 2013). 
There was one key limitation to our sampling ap- 
proach, which involved the use of bait only during the 
first 2 deployments on each sampling day. It is possible 
that the bait may have attracted black sea bass to the 
area, where they remained for some time afterward, 
and may have resulted in recounts on videos from sub- 
sequent deployments despite the -200 m distance be- 
tween each deployment. Additionally, the re-use of bait 
after the first baited drop may have reduced its quality 
and ability to produce an adequate odor plume for at- 
tracting fish to the trap. Nevertheless, the earlier TFA 
of fish to the camera system, as well as higher trap en- 
tries and catches when the trap was baited compared 
with the period when it was unbaited (Cullen and Ste- 
vens, 2017), may be an indication that bait would im- 
prove underwater video sampling for black sea bass. Be- 
cause of the high variability in deployment locations in 
relation to habitat structure at each site and the small 
sample size (n = 20 deployments with bait, n=20 without 
bait), a statistically significant result for bait method 
was not found; a power analysis (power=0.8) indicated 
that, when the trap was either baited or unbaited, only 
a 200% change in MeanCount could be detected with a 
2-tailed test for our sample size. Exploratory plots of 
MeanCount for baited and unbaited trap deployments 
and for bait methods (i.e., baited, unbaited) within each 
habitat type provided no indication that the use of bait 
resulted in higher counts. However, we believe that the 
influence of bait on video counts of black sea bass in 
coastal waters off Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic coast 
should be investigated once a method is developed for 
identifying habitats before sampling. We recommend 
that samples be collected over a greater temporal and 
spatial scale with a paired design with equal replica- 
tion of habitat types across deployments. Unbaited de- 
ployments should be conducted first, followed by baited 
deployments with fresh bait to ensure independence of 
samples and bait quality (Harvey et al., 2007; Bernard 
and Gotz, 2012). Further, a stand-alone camera system 
with a clear view of the bait should be used in place 
of a baited trap (Harvey et al., 2007). Lastly, because 
fish and crustaceans have been shown to be the most 
important components of diets of black sea bass (Byron 
and Link, 2010), the use of an oily fish such as Atlan- 
tic menhaden ( Brevoortia tyrannus ) (Wells et al., 2008; 
Bacheler et al., 2013) or crushed crabs ( Cancer spp.) 
may be more effective at attracting black sea bass to 
the camera system. 
Our results indicate that underwater video has the 
potential to provide information on the abundance of 
black sea bass during their inshore residency on hard 
bottom habitats. However, we suggest that changes 
be made to the sampling method to help reduce vari- 
ability in abundance estimates. Despite the efforts of 
the captain to position the vessel directly over bottom 
structure, it was not possible to determine where the 
camera system landed in relation to structure after 
it was deployed. The high variation between succes- 
sive deployments in relation to habitat appearing in 
the camera field-of-view resulted in less samples in 
sand+rock and live bottom habitats than in sand habi- 
tats. We suggest, on the basis of the higher values of 
MeanCount for both categories of black sea bass ob- 
served for sand+rock and live bottom habitats than in 
sand habitats, that efforts to reduce the inconsistency 
related to deployment locations should include the use 
of a sampling scheme with sites stratified by habitat 
type. Methods to identify habitats before sampling may 
include the use of a remotely operated vehicle or cam- 
era sled (Harvey et al., 2007). Scuba divers may also 
be used to identify suitable locations for deployment 
and arrange the system so that the camera(s) has a 
sufficient view of the reef or other habitat (Burge et 
al., 2012). Further, a system with live video feed to the 
surface would allow a view of deployment locations 
where the investigator could make adjustments to the 
position of the vehicle or camera system if necessary 
(Stoner et al., 2008). 
Acknowledgments 
We thank captains C. Townsend and W. Townsend of the 
FV Andrew G for their invaluable help in the field. We 
also thank C. McGeachy and other students for their 
assistance with data collection and E. Babcock for her 
critical review of the manuscript. Additional thanks 
to anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly im- 
proved the manuscript. This project was funded by the 
NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science 
Center at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. 
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