Years of unregulated fishing activity have resulted in low abundances of elasmobranch species in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. Coastal populations of sharks and rays in the region remain largely understudied and may be at risk from large-scale coastal development projects. Here we aim to address this pressing need for information by using fish market, unmanned aerial vehicle and baited remote underwater video surveys to quantify the abundance and diversity of sharks and rays in coastal habitats in the Saudi Arabian central Red Sea. Our analysis showed that the majority of observed individuals were batoids, specifically blue-spotted ribbontail stingrays (Taeniura lymma) and reticulate whiprays (Himantura sp.). Aerial surveys observed a catch per unit effort two orders of magnitude greater than underwater video surveys, yet did not detect any shark species. In contrast, baited camera surveys observed both lemon sharks (Negaprion acutidens) and tawny nurse sharks (Nebrius ferrugineus), but in very low quantities (one individual of each species). The combination of survey techniques revealed a higher diversity of elasmobranch presence than using either method alone, however many species of elasmobranch known to exist in the Red Sea were not detected. Our results suggest that aerial surveys are a more accurate tool for elasmobranch abundance estimates in low densities over mangrove-associated habitats. The importance of inshore habitats, particularly for batoids, calls for a deeper understanding of habitat use in order to protect these environments in the face of unregulated fishing, mangrove removal, and anticipated developments along the coastline of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea.

Inlets and channels are dredged often to maintain navigation safety. It is beneficial to reintroduce the dredged material back into the littoral system, in the form of beach or nearshore nourishments. Nourishment in the nearshore is becoming an increasingly utilized method, particularly for dredged material that contains more fine sediment than the native beach. This research examines the morphologic evolution of two different nearshore nourishments. A nearshore berm was constructed at Fort Myers Beach, Florida using mixed-sized sediment dredged from a nearby channel. The nearshore berm was placed in water depths between 1.2 and 2.4 m with the berm crest just below MLLW in the shape of a bar. The nearshore berm migrated onshore while the system was approaching a dynamic equilibrium. Near the end of the fourth year, the beach profiles had returned to the equilibrium shape characteristic of the study area. Gaps in the berm allowed water circulation and should be considered as a design parameter. The fine sediment fractions in the original placed material was selectively transported and deposited offshore, while the coarser component moved onshore. The dry beach maintained the same sediment properties throughout the study period and was not influenced by the fine sediment in the initial construction of the berm. Another nearshore nourishment was placed along eastern Perdido Key, Florida in 2011-2012 using maintenance dredged material from nearby Pensacola Pass. Different from the Fort Myers Beach berm, the material was placed within the swash-zone, with a maximum elevation of +0.91 m NAVD88 (or 0.62 m above MHHW). The low constructed berm elevation allowed natural overwash processes to occur frequently, which resulted in net onshore sediment transport and growth of the active beach berm. Sediment volume gain west of the project area due to longshore spreading of the nourishment occurred mostly in the trough between the shoreline and the bar, rather than on the dry beach. The swash-zone berm evolved back to the natural equilibrium profile shape maintained in the study area within 8 months. The performance of the swash-zone nourishment was compared to two previous beach nourishments at the same location in 1985 and 1989-1991, with higher berm elevations, at +3 m and +1.2 m NAVD88, respectively. The 1.2-km 1985 nourishment performed the poorest with a shoreline retreat rate of 40 m/year. The 7.3-km 1989-1991 nourishment performed the best with a retreat rate of 11 m/year. This suggests that high berm elevations do not necessarily lead to better nourishment performance. Longshore extent of a nourishment may play an essential role. The distant passage of two tropical storms (Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Isaac) generated high waves for the study areas. The two berm nourishments responded differently to the storm. Response was also compared to a beach nourishment in Sand Key. The bar-shaped Fort Myers Beach berm was split into two smaller bars, while a storm berm developed for the swash-zone nourishment at Perdido Key. In both cases, the energetic storm conditions accelerated the evolution of the berm profiles toward equilibrium. As compared to the measured nearshore waves by this study, CMS-Wave accurately propagated the WIS Hindcast waves. SBEACH accurately captured the maximum water elevation, consistent with measured upper limit of morphology change. The model correctly predicted beach and nearshore erosion during the storms. The growth of the storm berm at the Perdido Key swash-zone nourishment was predicted reasonably well by the SBEACH model. However, the magnitudes of the storm-induced erosion and the locations of the offshore bar were not accurately predicted consistently.

In 2002, Pensacola Beach was identified by the United States Lifesaving Association as being the most hazardous beach in the continental United States for beach drowning by rip currents. Recent studies suggest that the rip currents at Pensacola Beach are associated with a transverse bar and rip morphology that develops with the migration of the bars and recovery of the beachface following an extreme storm. Combined with an alongshore variation in wave forcing by transverse ridges on the inner-shelf, the bar cycle (of bar response and recovery to extreme storms) is hypothesized to create both rip current hotspots and periods of rip activity. However, it is unknown at what stage, or stages, the bar cycle is associated with the formation of these hotspots and the greatest number of rips. To determine how the accretional rip hazard varies in response to the nearshore bar cycle, this thesis will quantify the alongshore variation in the nearshore bar morphology on Santa Rosa Island from 1951 to 2004. Aerial photographs and satellite images are collected for the study area and nearshore features are digitized in ArcGIS and evaluated using wavelet analysis. Specifically, a continuous wavelet transform is used to the identify times and locations when a transverse bar and rip morphology is present or is in the process of developing. The findings suggest that the rip-scale variation in bar morphology (~100-250m) is superimposed on an alongshore variation consistent with the scale of the transverse ridges (~1000m). From the outer bar to the shoreline, and as the bar migrates landward, the variation becomes increasingly dominated by the rip-scale variation. Hotspots of rip current activity were found consistently between years at Fort Pickens Gate, San Souci, Holiday Inn, Casino Beach, Avenida 18 and Portofino, as clusters of rip-scale variation.

This dissertation addresses the relationship between large-scale dam removal and the nearshore ecosystem function for fish. The work is based on almost a decade’s worth of collaborative field work in the nearshore of the largest dam removal in the world recently completed on the Elwha River. The data analyzed span seven years prior to, during, and throughout the first year of each dam removal (January 2008 to November 2015). As of September 2015, approximately 2.6 million m3 of sediment material increased the area of the Elwha delta to over 150 ha. Long term study of fish in the estuary reveals fish community response to dam removal, and indicates likely interactions in the nearshore between hatchery and wild fish, including chum salmon critical to watershed recovery. Continued hatchery releases may therefore further challenge chum salmon recovery, and this interaction should be considered when planning for future watershed recovery. Community analysis revealed that, while species richness and taxonomic diversity do not appear to have a significant response to dam removal, functional diversity in the nearshore does respond significantly to dam removal. Three main shifts occurred in the nearshore: large scale and rapid creation of estuary habitats; delivery of large amounts of sediment to the delta/estuary in a short period of time, and; a shift in original habitats from tidally influenced to non-tidally influenced habitats resulted in changes in estuary function. Changes in functional diversity occur disproportionately in the new sites, which have more unstable, and so less resilient, communities. Functional diversity in the original estuary sites appears to be more resilient than in the newly created sites due to the large-scale environmental disruption that, ironically, created the new sites. However, the functional diversity at the original sites may be defined in part by management activities, including hatcheries that could mute/mask/inhibit other community responses. Further, functional diversity at the newly formed nearshore areas is predicted to stabilize as the habitats are vegetated and mature. Principal components analysis of Elwha fish community over the course of this study reveals that the fish communities of the Elwha are predictably grouped, indicating that while a few new species are observed, dam removal has not resulted in observable disruptions in fish community assemblages. And finally, nearshore habitats are critical for many forage fish species, and an emerging topic for large-scale dam removals. Forage fish spawning response to dam removal appears to be complex and may be related to multiple factors including high interannual variability in physical habitat conditions, geographic factors and complex life histories of forage fish. Habitat suitability for forage fish spawning should increase as restored ecosystem processes and newly created habitats mature and stabilize, indicating that time may be an important factor in nearshore restoration for forage fish spawning. It is therefore important to implement long-term monitoring and incorporate nearshore ecosystem process and function for multiple life history stages of nearshore species, including forage fish, into large-scale dam removal restoration and management planning. / Graduate / 2019-04-12

Kelp beds support a vast and diverse ecosystem including marine mammals, fish, invertebrates, other algae and epibiota, yet these kelp beds can be highly ephemeral. Mapping the density and distribution of kelp beds, and assessing change over yearly cycles, are important objectives for coastal oceanography. However, nearshore habitat mapping is challenging, affected by dynamic currents, tides, shallow depths, frequent non-uniform obstacles and often turbid water. Noisy and often incomplete sensor data compound a lack of landmarks available for navigation. The intelligent, position-aware holonomic ROV (iROV) SeaBiscuit was designed specifically for this nearshore habitat mapping application and represents a novel synthesis of techniques and innovative solutions to nearshore habitat mapping. The concept of an iROV combines the benefits of autonomous underwater navigation and mapping while maintaining the flexibility and security of remote high-level control and supervision required for operation in hostile, complex underwater environments. An onboard battery provides an energy buffer for high-powered thrust and security of energy supply. Onboard low-level autonomy provides robust autopilot features, including station-keeping or course-holding in a flow, allowing the operator to direct the survey and supervise mapping data in realtime during acquisition. With the aim of providing high-usability maps on a budget feasible for small-scale field research groups, SeaBiscuit fuses the data from an orthogonal arrangement of a forward-facing multibeam sonar and a complementary 360° scanning sonar with a full navigation suite to explore and map the nearshore environment. Sensor fusion, coupled with the holonomic propulsion system, also allows optimal use of the information available from the limited budget sensor suite. Robust and reliable localisation is achieved even with noisy and incomplete sensor data using a relatively basic Inertial Navigation System and sonar-aided SLAM in the absence of an expensive Doppler velocity log or baseline navigation system. Holonomic motion in the horizontal plane and an axisymmetric hull provide the manoeuvrability required to operate in this complex environment, while allowing 3D maps to be generated in-transit. The navigation algorithms were tested mapping a piling dock and the habitat mapping sensors calibrated using an ‘artificial’ kelp bed of manually dimensioned kelp stipes transplanted to a sheltered but open-water real-world environment. Sea trials demonstrated mapping open ocean kelp beds, identifying clusters of stipes, converting this into a useful measure of biomass and generating a density surface across the kelp bed. This research provides field-proven techniques to improve the nearshore habitat mapping capabilities of underwater vehicles. Future work includes the transition to full-scale kelp bed mapping, and further development of the vehicle and sensor fusion algorithms to improve nearshore navigation.

The ability to map nearshore habitat (i.e. submerged aquatic vegetation) is an integral component of marine conservation. The main goal of this thesis was to examine the ability of high resolution, multispectral satellite imagery and a single-beam acoustic ground discrimination system to map the location of marine habitats in Bag Harbour, found in the Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve. To meet this goal, two objectives were addressed: (1) Using the QTC View V sing-beam acoustic ground discrimination system, identify which frequency (50 kHz or 200 kHz) is best suited for mapping marine habitat; (2) evaluate the ability to map nearshore marine habitat using WorldView-2 high resolution, multispectral satellite imagery and compare the results of marine habitat maps derived from the acoustic and satellite datasets. Ground-truth data for both acoustic and satellite data were collected via towed underwater video camera on June 3rd and 4th, 2012. Acoustic data (50 and 200 kHz) were collected on June 23rd and 24th, 2012, respectively. The results of this study are organized into two papers. The first paper focuses on objective 1 where the QTC View V single-beam acoustic ground discrimination system was used to map nearshore habitat at a site within the Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area using two survey frequencies – 50 kHz and 200 kHz. The results show that the 200 kHz data outperformed the 50 kHz data set in both thematic and spatial accuracy. The 200 kHz dataset was able to identify two species of submerged aquatic vegetation, eelgrass (Zostera marina) and a red algae (Chondrocanthus exasperatus) while the 50 kHz dataset was only able to detect the distribution of eelgrass. The best overall accuracy achieved with the 200 kHz dataset was 86% for a habitat map with three classes (dense eelgrass, dense red algae and unvegetated substrate) compared to the 50 kHz habitat classification with two classes (dense eelgrass and unvegetated substrate) that had an overall accuracy of 70%. Neither dataset was capable if discerning the distribution of green algae (Ulva spp.) or brown algae (Fucus spp.), also present at the site. The second paper examines the benthic habitat maps created using WorldView-2 satellite imagery and the QTC View V single-beam acoustic ground discrimination system (AGDS) at 200 kHz (objective 2). Optical and acoustic remote sensing technologies both present unique capabilities of mapping nearshore habitat. Acoustic systems are able to map habitat in subtidal regions outside of the range of optical sensors while optical sensors such as WorldView-2 provide higher spatial and spectral resolution. The results of this study found that the WorldView-2 achieved the highest overall accuracy (75%) for mapping shallow (<3 m) benthic classes (green algae, brown algae, eelgrass and unvegetated substrate). The 200 kHz data were found to perform best in deeper (>3 m) regions and were able to detect the distribution of eelgrass, red algae and unvegetated substrate. A final habitat map was produced composed of these outputs to create a final, comprehensive habitat map of Bag Harbour. These results highlight the benefits and limitations of each remote sensing technology from a conservation management perspective. The main benefits of the WorldView-2 imagery stem from the high resolution (2 x 2 m) pixel resolution, with a single image covering many kilometers of coastline, and ability to discern habitats in the intertidal region that were undetectable by AGDS. However, the main limitation of this technology is the ability to acquire imagery under ideal conditions (low tide and calm seas). In contrast, the QTC View V system requires more hours spent collecting acoustic data in the field, is limited in the number of habitats it is able to detect and creates maps based on interpolated point data (compared to the continuous raster data of the WorldView-2 imagery). If, however, the objectives of the conservation management to create high resolution benthic habitat maps of subtidal habitats (e.g. eelgrass and benthic red algae) at a handful of sites (in contrast to continuous coastal coverage), the QTC View V system is more suitable. Whichever system is used ground-truth data are required to train and validate each dataset. / Graduate / 0799 / luba.reshitnyk@gmail.com

Storm conditions are considered the dominating erosional mechanism for the coastal zone. Morphological changes during storms are hard to measure due to energetic environmental conditions. Surveys are therefore mostly executed right after a storm on a local scale over a single or few storms [days to weeks]. The impact of a single storm might depend on the preceding sequence of storms. Here, a video camera system is deployed in the South-West of England at the beach of Porthtowan to observe and assess short-term storm impact and long-term recovery. The morphological change is observed with a state-of-the-art video-based depth estimation tool that is based on the linear dispersion relationship between depth and wave celerity (cBathy). This work shows the first application of this depth estimation tool in a highly energetic macrotidal environment. Within this application two sources of first-order inaccuracies are identified: 1) camera related issues on the camera boundaries and 2) fixed pixel location for all tidal elevations. These systematic inaccuracies are overcome by 1) an adaptive pixel collection scheme and camera boundary solution and 2) freely moving pixels. The solutions together result in a maximum RMS-error reduction of 60%. From October 2013 to February 2015 depths are hourly estimated during daylight. This period included, the 2013-2014 winter season which was the most energetic winter since wave records began. Inter-tidal beach surveys show 200 m3/m erosion while the sub-tidal video derived bathymetries show a sediment loss of around 20 m3/m. At the same time the sub-tidal (outer) bar changes from 3D to linear due to a significant increase in alongshore wave power during storm conditions. Complex-EOF based storm-by-storm impact reveals that the individual storm impact at Porthtowan can be described as a combined function of storm-integrated incident offshore wave power [P] and disequilibrium and that the tidal range has limited effect on the storm impact. The inter- and sub-tidal domain together gain volume over the 2013-2014 winter and the two domains show an interactive inverse behaviour indicating sediment exchange during relatively calm summer conditions. The inter-tidal domain shows accelerated accretion during more energetic conditions in fall 2014. The outer bar slowly migrated onshore until more energetic wave conditions activate the sub-tidal storm deposits and 3 dimensionality is reintroduced. The inter-tidal beach shows full recovery in November 2014, 8 months after the stormy winter.

Storms play a significant role in beach morphodynamics. Storm-induced beach-profile changes and their longshore variations are investigated in this study. The impacts of four summer tropical storms and two series of winter storms over the last 10 years along the coast of Treasure Island were documented. Tropical storms Alberto in 2006, Fay in 2008, Debby in 2012, Hermine in 2016 and winter storms in winter seasons of 2014 and 2015 are discussed in this study. In general, the Treasure Island beach experienced more erosion generated by tropical storms with greater intensity, but shorter duration, as compared to winter storms due to lower waves, weaker wind and smaller storm surge. Winter storms typically do not generate high storm surge and generally do not cause erosion at the dune and back beach unless the pre-storm beach is very narrow. Based on pre- and post-storm beach-profile surveys along the coast of Treasure Island, the northern end of the barrier island, located directly downdrift of the John’s Pass tidal inlet, experienced erosion along the entire profile during the storms. Along the middle part of Treasure Island, dry beach suffered erosion during both the tropical storms and winter seasons while the nearshore zone suffered erosion during the tropical storms and experienced deposition during the winter seasons. Sunset Beach at the southern end experienced severe erosion during tropical storm Debby, but not during other storms. Winter seasons caused relatively small changes to the morphology of Sunset Beach. Deposition happened in the nearshore zone along Sunset Beach during winter storms. Survey line R143 at the very south end of Treasure Island suffered erosion in tropical storm Alberto, Debby and Hermine. Beach profile changes induced by Tropical storm Fay was different as compared to other tropical storms. Considerably less beach erosion occurred due to the large distance of the storm path from the study area. Overall, Sunshine Beach, bounded by John’s Pass inlet at northern end of Treasure Island, was influenced both by wave conditions and the tidal flows. Sediment transport was to the north along the coast of Sunshine Beach when wind direction was from south, e.g. during tropical storm Fay. However the northward sediment transport was blocked by the John’s Pass jetty. Therefore, deposition occurred at Sunshine Beach during tropical storm Fay. When wind direction was from north (e.g. during tropical storms Alberto and during the winter seasons), southward sediment transport was generated. Erosion occurs during the northerly approaching storms. The morphodynamics of the middle section of Treasure Island are influenced by the sand supply at the attachment point of John’s Pass ebb delta. Sunset Beach experienced various levels of erosion during the tropical storms not only because of the high wave, strong wind and high water level generated by storms, but also due to the higher waves associated with an offshore dredged pit.

<p> The nearshore morphology of sand beaches in the Great Lakes usually consists of a ridge and runnel unit in the shallow, inner portion of the nearshore zone and one or more longshore bar and trough units in the deeper, outer portion. These two sets of features are morphologically and genetically different and exhibit spatial and temporal variations indicating the relative importance of environmental factors in controlling the form of each. </p> <p> Ridges and runnels form and evolve in response to a combination of the controlling factors of wave and water level variations. Ridge formation occurs in response to a rapid decrease in wave energy and lowering of the water level during the subsiding period of a storm. Ridges, with heights of 0.04-0.40 m, take 5-10 days to migrate 10-30 m across an inner nearshore terrace toward the shore. Ridge migration produces laminations dipping at 20°-30° toward the shore. Ridge attachment to the shore produces an accretional berm composed of laminations dipping at about 5° toward the lake. </p> <p> An annual cycle of erosion and deposition occurs in the inner nearshore and foreshore zones and is due to seasonal wave energy and water level variations. Erosion occurs in spring and summer because of rising water levels while the deposition of planar laminations dipping at less than 5° toward the lake is caused by lower water levels and higher energy waves in autumn. </p> <p> Based on the analysis of over 100 echo sounder profiles of the outer nearshore zone of 7 beaches, longshore bar and trough morphologic properties (maximum depth of bar formation, number of bars, and bar amplitudes), are controlled by three main environmental factors (wave energy or surf base, nearshore slope, and sediment size). Bars are present at depths of 3.5 m and at distances of 500 m from the shore, the number of bars ranges up to 6, and bar amplitudes range up to 2 m. Surf base ranges from 3-6 m, slopes from 0.009-0.02, and mean sediment size from 1.85 Ø - 3.30 Ø. There is a good correlation between the slope and sediment size. Temporal variation in bar morphology during the summer period of study is small or insignificant. </p> <p> Individual longshore bars probably only approach, rather than attain, equilibrium forms because of the temporal flucuations in the environmental controls of wave energy and water level. The geometrical trend in all longshore bar systems for the bar amplitude and spacing between bars to increase with increasing depth and distance from the shoreline, suggests a wave energy dissipation process which is somewhat analogous to dampened oscillation. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Atualmente, o beijupirá é a espécie nativa que reúne o maior número de características em comum com outras espécies aquáticas cultivadas comercialmente, sendo assim, indicada para ser a espécie pioneira na piscicultura marinha brasileira. No entanto, sua criação é incipiente. Neste trabalho, foram realizados dois estudos pontuais: um para monitorar a criação de beijupirás em gaiolas, sistema offshore, no litoral de Pernambuco; e outro para monitorar a criação de beijupirás em tanques-redes, sistema nearshore, no litoral de São Paulo. O objetivo foi aferir parâmetros ambientais de qualidade da água de criação, físico-químicos e microbiológicos do beijupirá, que possam ser utilizados na elaboração de um sistema modelo de rastreabilidade da cadeia produtiva dessa espécie. Em ambos os estudos foram realizadas quatro coletas em diferentes meses do ano, com o intuito de se avaliar as possíveis correlações existentes entre os parâmetros ambientais - índice pluviométrico e temperatura do ar - e os parâmetros de qualidade avaliados na água de criação - oxigênio dissolvido, temperatura, demanda bioquímica de oxigênio, demanda química de oxigênio, salinidade, amônia, nitrito, nitrato, fosfato, carbono orgânico total, turbidez, transparência, CO2, pH, clorofila a e contagem microbiológica - e nos peixes - biometria, rendimento, composição centesimal, ácidos graxos, aminoácidos, pH, bases voláteis totais e contagem microbiológica. Verificou-se que a maioria dos parâmetros físico-químicos e microbiológicos avaliados na água de criação, estavam em conformidade com a legislação brasileira vigente ou dentro dos limites sugeridos pela literatura para criação dessa espécie. Todavia, esses parâmetros apresentaram variação nos diferentes meses de coleta, principalmente no estudo realizado no sistema nearshore, o que dificulta afirmar as possíveis interferências desses parâmetros na qualidade e desempenho dos animais. Os peixes amostrados apresentaram baixo desenvolvimento zootécnico, se comparado ao peso total final previsto na literatura para essa espécie. No entanto, o rendimento em filé apresentou-se satisfatório, principalmente no sistema nearshore, aproximadamente 40%. Todas as amostras de filés de beijupirás avaliadas apresentaram conformidade microbiológica, frescor e qualidade nutricional, principalmente no que se refere à composição dos seus aminoácidos e ácidos graxos, com destaque para presença de lisina e ácidos graxos Eicosapentaenoico (EPA) e Docosahexaenoico (DHA), sendo, estas informações úteis para efeitos de marketing na divulgação e estimulo do consumo dessa espécie. O mesmo foi observado para o resíduo gerado após o processamento dos filés, o que sugere a possibilidade de elaboração de coprodutos com qualidade nutricional, tornando a cadeia produtiva dessa espécie mais rentável e sustentável. Os alimentos fornecidos aos animais, não eram adequados para satisfazer as exigências nutricionais dos mesmos, sendo a falta no mercado de rações elaboradas com formulações específicas um entrave para o sucesso dessa atividade. Conclui-se que os parâmetros, temperatura da água de criação; rendimento em filé, destreza do filetador; quantidade e tipo de resíduo gerado na filetagem; frescor e qualidade microbiológica dos filés; assim como, composição centesimal dos filés, resíduos e alimento fornecido aos animais, especificamente composição em aminoácidos e ácidos graxos, devam ser monitorados no sistema de rastreabilidade. Quando implementado, o sistema de rastreabilidade permitirá uma tomada de decisão mais consciente a respeito das condições de criação ideais do beijupirá, no intuito de dispor respostas práticas e aplicadas ao setor produtivo quanto ao atendimento às exigências da legislação, do mercado e do consumidor final / Currently, cobia is the native species with the largest number of characteristics in common with other aquatic species commercially farmed; therefore, it is indicated as the pioneer species in Brazilian marine fish farming. However, its rearing is incipient. In this work, there were two specific studies: one to monitor cobia rearing in cages offshore on the coast of Pernambuco State, Brazil; and another to monitor cobia rearing in nearshore cages on the coast of São Paulo State. The objective was to measure farm water quality, physico- chemical and microbiological parameters of cobia that can be used in the preparation of a model system traceability of the production chain of this species. In both studies, four collections were performed in different months of the year to evaluate possible correlations between environmental parameters, such as rainfall and environment air temperature, and the quality parameters evaluated in the water rearing, such as dissolved oxygen, temperature, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, salinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, total organic carbon, turbidity, transparency, CO2, pH, chlorophyll a and microbiological contamination, as well as fish, such as biometrics, yield, proximate composition, profile of fatty acids and amino acids, pH, totals volatile bases and microbiological contamination. Most of the physico-chemical and microbiological parameters evaluated in the rearing water were in line with the current Brazilian law or within the threshold suggested in the literature for rearing this kind of species. However, these parameters showed great variation for different months of collection, especially in the study conducted in a nearshore system, making it difficult to state the possible interference of these parameters on the quality and performance of the animals. The sampled fish had low livestock development, compared to growth rates reported in the literature for this species. However, fillet yield was satisfactory, especially in the nearshore system, close to 40%. All samples of cobia fillets showed microbiological compliance, freshness and nutritional quality, especially in terms of composition of its amino acids and fatty acids, mainly in the presence of lysine and fatty acids, respectively, Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This information can be used as an excellent marketing tool to disseminate and stimulate consumption of this species. The same was observed for the waste generated after processing the fillets, suggesting the possibility of developing by-products with nutritional quality, making the supply chain of cobia more sustainable and profitable. The feed provided to the animals was not adequate to meet their nutritional requirements, and the short supply of prepared feed with specific formulations is an obstacle to the success of this activity. We conclude that the parameters of water temperature, fillet yield, skill of take fillet, amount and type of waste generated in filleting, freshness and microbiological quality of steaks, as well as chemical composition of fillet, waste and feeding for the animals, mainly amino acid composition and fatty acids, should be monitored in the traceability system. When implemented, the traceability system regarding the decision-making process for the ideal conditions of cobia production, providing practical answers, and it can be applied to the productive sector as a way to comply with requirements of legislation, market and consumers