The thesis begins with a brief description and analysis of various genres Junger blends in his text. What follows is a look at the challenges of interpretation in historical writing and theoretical framing of the genre distinctions regarding new journalism and nonfiction narrative.

Dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) is a pelagic species that is ecologically and commercially important in the western Atlantic region. This species has been linked to dominant oceanographic features such as sea surface temperature (SST) frontal regions. This work first explored the linkages between the catch rates of dolphinfish and the oceanography (satellite-derived SST, distance to front calculations, bottom depth and hook depth) using Principal Components Analysis (PCA). It was demonstrated that higher catch rates are found in relation to warmer SST and nearer to frontal regions. This environmental information was then included in standardizations of catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) indices. It was found that including the satellite-derived SST and distance to front increases the confidence in the index. The second part of this work focused on addressing spatial variability in the catch rate data for a subsection of the sampling area: the Gulf of Mexico region. This study used geostatistical techniques to model and predict spatial abundances of two pelagic species with different habitat utilization patterns: dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius). We partitioned catch rates into two components, the probability of encounter, and the abundance, given a positive encounter. We obtained separate variograms and kriged predictions for each component and combined them to give a single density estimate with corresponding variance. By using this two stage approach we were able to detect patterns of spatial autocorrelation that had distinct differences between the two species, likely due to differences in vertical habitat utilization. The patchy distribution of many living resources necessitates a two-stage variogram modeling and prediction process where the probability of encounter and the positive observations are modeled and predicted separately. Such a "geostatistical delta-lognormal" approach to modeling spatial autocorrelation has distinct advantages in allowing the probability of encounter and the abundance, given an encounter to possess separate patterns of autocorrelation and in modeling of severely non-normally distributed data that is plagued by zeros.

North Atlantic and South Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius L.) are currently managed as two stocks separated at 5°N. While previous studies of genetic population structure using both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA confirm two genetically distinct stocks, sampling coverage has not been uniform or representative of all areas and estimates of admixture in areas of contact have not been provided. In this study, we examined: 1) the applicability of high-resolution melting analysis (HRMA) in population genetic studies of non-model organisms, 2) the use of nuclear markers in Atlantic swordfish and the methodology whereby nuclear gene variation can be quickly screened, identified, and genotyped using short-amplicon (SA) HRMA and unlabeled probe (UP) HRMA, and 3) the use of HRMA to characterize nuclear markers to study the genetic population structure of Atlantic swordfish using representative samples of the entire basin to provide an estimation of population admixture by means of Bayesian individual assignment. High resolution melting analysis (HRMA) is shown to be a highly sensitive, rapid, closed-tube genotyping method amenable to high throughput and, though until recently primarily confined to clinical studies, suitable for population studies in non-model species. Ten nuclear markers were genotyped primarily by SA- and UP-HRMA in North Atlantic (n=419), South Atlantic (n=296), and Mediterranean (n=59) swordfish. Comparisons of pairwise FST, AMOVA, PCoA, and Bayesian individual assignments were congruent with previous finding of three discrete populations with comparatively low levels of estimated gene flow for a marine organism (FST = 0.039-0.126). Population admixture was identified and estimated in the Northeast Atlantic and appeared to be asymmetrical, with swordfish from the South Atlantic found among North Atlantic localities but no North Atlantic migrants identified in the South Atlantic. The Mediterranean boundary currently at the Strait of Gibraltar is found to extend west into Atlantic waters to approximately 8°W. Similarly, the boundary between North and South Atlantic swordfish should be revised to a line that extends north from 0°N 45°W to 25°N 45°W and from that position, as a nearly horizontal line, eastwards to the African coast. Finally, I show that Bayesian individual assignment using the developed marker set can be used for mixed stock allocation in the Northeast Atlantic.

A diet study of swordfish, Xiphias gladius, was conducted in the Straits of Florida from April 2007 to December 2008. The stomachs of 131 swordfish were analyzed. Thirteen species of teleosts, three species of cephalopods, and one species of crustacean were observed in the diet. Cephalopods dominated the swordfish diet by weight (73.38%), number (69.90%), and occurrence (80.91%) and ranked highest in importance in the diet when calculating the index of relative importance (IRI). Teleosts followed by weight (25.16%), number (26.34%), occurrence (68.18%), and IRI (3,510.97). The prey species with the greatest dietary importance was Illex sp followed by unidentifiable ommastrephids. Stomach fullness index (SFI) was calculated ranging from 0 (empty stomachs) to 3.57. Additionally, correlations for juvenile male swordfish length and prey length (r²=0.647) as well as female adult swordfish weight and prey weight (r²=-0.327) were found to be significant. Overall feeding seasonality showed that swordfish primarily fed on teleosts (58%) in the spring, cephalopods (70%) in the summer, and cephalopods (75%) in the winter. When considered individually, female, male, and adult swordfish followed this pattern; however juveniles did not follow the overall feeding trend according to season. They fed regularly on cephalopods during spring (57%) and summer (61%) consuming the highest abundance of cephalopods during the winter (85%). Overall, swordfish appeared to be opportunistic feeders altering its food choices when abundance of prey may have changed or when food items were present.

The use of pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) eliminates many of the limitations associated with acoustic and conventional tags by using fishery-independent data collection and retrieval. Previous research techniques have provided information on longer-term movements, migrations, and behavior patterns, but there is still a need for additional tagging studies using tags with depth and light data and increased memory that will further define the short-duration activity patterns and habitat utilization of juvenile swordfish in the western North Atlantic. PSATs have been successfully used on other large pelagic fishes, but have yet to be used on juvenile swordfish. This study investigated two main topics: a) the post-release survival rates of juvenile swordfish after being released from the recreational rod-and-reel fishery and commercial swordfish buoy gear fishery in the Florida Straits, and b) the habitat utilization of juvenile swordfish following release. High-resolution PSAT technology was used to estimate the post-release survival of 16 individual juvenile swordfish captured with standard recreational or buoy fishing gear and techniques in the southeast Florida swordfish fishery. Analysis of release mortality estimates was done using the “Release Mortality” Program. Five of the fourteen reporting tags showed a mortality within 48 hours, for a release mortality rate of 35.7%. However, no common thread could be found among the five mortalities. Results of the Release Mortality program indicated that if the true mortality rate was 35.7%, approximately 1800 tags would have to be deployed to increase the precision of the mortality estimates to +/- 5% of the true value. The nine surviving fish varied in straight-line distance traveled and in direction, and could withstand a wide range of temperatures. A deterministic, periodic model was developed to fit to the data and describe the fishes’ habitat utilization. This model identified both diurnal and lunar signals in the data, confirming that juveniles do move vertically based on the daily cycle of the sun and the lunar cycle of the moon and that their diurnal movements are much greater than their lunar movements. The results of this study can be valuable to management practices in future stock assessments and decisions regarding mandatory release of undersized fish.

Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are increasingly sought after by recreational anglers around the world. The Florida Straits in particular are an important breeding and nursery area for North Atlantic swordfish, as well as for being historical fishing grounds for both recreational and commercial swordfish fisheries. The recreational fishery for swordfish in southeastern Florida is categorized into two historical periods. The first period started in 1977 and consists of the first tournaments in the area to specifically target swordfish. Despite high initial catches, low catch numbers forced the tournament fishery to close in 1983. During the second period of the fishery (starting in 2000 to today) the tournament fishery for swordfish has reemerged. Data from a total of 98 swordfish tournaments (17 historic, 81 current) have been collected. For comparison, information has been gathered from 72 istiophorid billfish tournaments within the modern (second) period. These data were gathered from tournament directors, websites, and personal communication with participants of the tournaments. The tournaments studied took place on the east coast of Florida from Stuart south to Key West, with a majority being held between Lighthouse Point and Islamorada in the Florida Keys. Although participation correlates to the number of catches, catch per hour (CPH) remains on a slow although not significant decrease over time. The entry fees for these modern period swordfish tournaments range from $200-600, while those for the more exclusive billfish tournaments are tenfold swordfish entry costs. Similarly, awarded prize monies of billfish tournaments are tenfold and significantly larger than prize monies for swordfish tournaments. The average weight of landed swordfish has shifted slightly in both the historic and the modern periods. Despite the oscillation of catch numbers throughout the two time periods, the weight of caught swordfish remained roughly the same. This may be from the minimum length restrictions implemented in the modern time period, a regulation which did not exist during the tournaments of the historic period.