Monitoring Nekton in Shallow Estuarine Habitats
Raposa KB and Roman CT. 2001. Monitoring Nekton in Shallow Estuarine Habitats. Cape Cod National Seashore. Wellfleet, MA
The protocol presented in this report was developed for shallow subtidal habitats (<1m) that retain water throughout the tidal cycle. And more specifically, this protocol is intended for sampling shallow habitats within salt marshes (e.g., creeks, pools) and shallow subtidal habitats associated with estuarine lagoons or bays, like seagrass beds, subtidal sand flats, and shallow algal beds. The methods proposed in this protocol are not appropriate for the sampling of nekton within estuarine intertidal flats, deep eelgrass beds, or gravel/rocky substrates. Development of this protocol was based on quantitative data that we collected from sampling programs in five southern New England estuaries (Figure 2, Table 1). Information gained from monitoring nekton should augment concurrent monitoring of other estuarine resources and processes. For example, monitoring only vegetation would not comprehensively describe the effects of salt marsh restoration, but monitoring vegetation along with nekton, birds, hydrology, and other variables would provide a more complete view of restoration responses and enable an evaluation of linkages among habitat characteristics and trophic levels.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Raposa, Kenneth; Roman, Charles
- Date of Issue
- 2001-12
- Publisher
- Cape Cod National Seashore
- Units
- CACO
- Keywords
- Cape Cod National Seashore MA, Monitoring, Nekton, Protocols