Use of Marsh Edge and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation as Habitat by Fish and Crustaceans in Degrading Southern Louisiana Coastal Marshes.

JERABEK, ANDREA; DARNELL, KELLY M.; PELLERIN, CONNOR; CARRUTHERS, TIM J. B.

Understanding habitat value to fish and crustaceans in degrading brackish coastal marshes is important for management of coastal ecosystems. Marshes in coastal Louisiana are undergoing rapid rates of loss. To evaluate change in habitat use in a degrading coastal ecosystem, nekton communities were sampled in three dominant co-occurring habitat types (brackish marsh edge, submerged aquatic vegetation [SAV], and submerged bare substrate) within brackish marshes undergoing rapid fragmentation in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana. Vegetated habitats supported greater nekton biomass, abundance, and species richness values than non-vegetated habitat. SAV supported greater fish and shrimp abundance than marsh edge, although fish and shrimp biomass were not significantly different. The confirmation that SAV provides equivalent or greater habitat value for some fish and crustacean species than marsh edge, in a moderate to highly fragmented marsh undergoing rapid disaggregation, demonstrates the importance of assessing SAV abundance and structure for sustainable fisheries management in coastal Louisiana.

LOUISIANA; AQUATIC plants; MARSHES; HABITATS; FISHES; CRUSTACEA; COASTAL ecosystem health; COASTAL zone management

Southeastern Geographer, 2017, Vol 57, Issue 3, p212

0038-366X

Academic Journal

10.1353/sgo.2017.0022