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The following schedule is subject to change (as of October 11, 2016). Please check back for updates. For more information about this meeting, go to: www.seafwa.org/conferences/2016
AUTHORS: Tim Carruthers, The Water Institute of the Gulf; Melissa Baustian, The Water Institute of the Gulf; Camille Stagg, US Geological Service; Carey Perry, Gulf South Research Corporation; Kelly Darnell, The Water Institute of the Gulf; Ann Hijuelos, The Water Institute of the Gulf
ABSTRACT: While the importance of coastal marshes in supporting commercially and recreationally important fisheries species in coastal Louisiana is well recognized, frameworks to interpret the relative importance of various emergent marsh habitats versus adjacent submerged aquatic habitats are lacking. In addition, approaches to assess the relative importance of key coastal habitats to suites of species to develop assessments of integrated ecosystem function (including fisheries) are challenging, yet this knowledge can inform decision making for sustainable management and prioritization of restoration actions.
Habitat suitability index (HSI) outputs from the 2012 Master Plan were used to develop an approach for assessing integrated ecosystem function values for broad coastal habitat classifications. Of the nineteen HSIs calculated, seven were commercially or recreationally important fisheries species; alligator, brown shrimp, crawfish, largemouth bass, oyster, spotted trout, and white shrimp. These spatial HSI data from across coastal Louisiana were synthesized and analyzed relative to the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) marsh habitat classification (saline, brackish, intermediate and fresh). Linkages between habitats, species and consideration of integrated ecosystem function value of each habitat were summarized and verified, where possible, with available literature.
Ongoing loss of emergent marsh in coastal Louisiana and transition to shallow open water habitat makes understanding the linkages between ecosystem functions (including fisheries), with submerged aquatic habitats, independent of associated emergent marsh habitats, increasingly important. This work provides a conceptual framework and analytical approach to assist in addressing these knowledge gaps.
Tuesday October 18, 2016 1:20pm - 1:40pm CDT
Louisiana Room
