Paper| Year: | 2020 |
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| Author(s): | Muething K.A., Tomas F., Waldbusser G., Dumbauld B.R |
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| Title: | On the edge: assessing fish habitat use across the boundary between Pacific oyster aquaculture and eelgrass in Willapa Bay, Washington, USA |
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| Journal: | Aquaculture Environment Interactions |
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| ISSN: | 1869-215X |
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| Volume: | 12 |
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| Issue No.: | 1 |
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| Pages: | 541-557 |
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| D.O.I.: | https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00381 |
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| Web: | https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/aei/v12/p541-557/ |
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| Abstract: | Estuaries are subject to diverse anthropogenic
stressors, such as shellfish aquaculture, which involve extensive use
of estuarine tidelands. Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas
aquaculture is a century-old practice in US West Coast estuaries that
contributes significantly to the regional culture and economy. Native
eelgrass Zostera marina also commonly occurs in intertidal areas
where oyster aquaculture is practiced. Eelgrass is federally protected
in the USA as ‘essential fish habitat’, restricting aquaculture
activities within or near eelgrass. To contribute scientific information
useful for management decisions, we sought to compare fish habitat use
of oyster aquaculture and eelgrass, as well as the edges between these 2
habitats, in Willapa Bay, Washington, USA. Furthermore, given a recent
shift towards off-bottom culture methods, in part to protect seagrasses,
long-line and on-bottom oyster aquaculture habitats were compared. A
combination of direct (underwater video, minnow traps) and indirect
(predation tethering units, eelgrass surveys) methods were employed to
characterize differences in fish habitat use. Eelgrass density declined
within both aquaculture habitats but less so within long-line
aquaculture. Most fish species in our study used long-line oyster
aquaculture and eelgrass habitats similarly with minimal edge effects,
and on-bottom aquaculture was used less than either of the other 2
habitat types. These results are consistent with previously observed
positive relationships between fish abundance and vertical habitat
structure, but also reveal species-specific behavior; larger
mesopredators like Pacific staghorn sculpins were sighted more often in
aquaculture than in interior eelgrass habitats.
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Related staffFiona Tomas NashRelated departmentsMarine EcologyRelated research groupsMarine Ecosystems Dynamics
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