Dynamic seascapes predict the marine occurrence of an endangered species: A tlantic S turgeon A cipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus

Summary Categorical landscapes are powerful environmental partitions that index complex biogeochemical processes that drive terrestrial species distributions. However, translating landscapes into seascapes requires that the dynamic nature of the fluid environment be reflected in spatial and temporal boundaries such that seascapes can be used in marine species distribution models and conservation decisions. A seascape product derived from satellite ocean colour and sea surface temperature partitioned mid‐ A tlantic coastal waters on scales commensurate with the A tlantic S turgeon migration. The seascapes were then matched with acoustic telemetry records of A tlantic S turgeon to determine seascape selectivity. To test for selectivity, we used real‐time satellite seascape maps to normalize the sampling of an autonomous underwater vehicle that resampled similar geographic regions with time varying seascape classifications. Our findings suggest that A tlantic S turgeon prefer one seascape class over those available in the coastal ocean, indicating selection for covarying environmental properties rather than geographical location. The recent listing of A tlantic S turgeon as E ndangered throughout much of their United States range has highlighted the need for improved understanding of marine habitat requirements to reduce interactions with anthropogenic stressors. Narrow dynamic migration corridors may enable seascapes to be used as a daily decision tool by industry and managers to reduce interactions with this imperilled species during coastal migrations.