Salt Marsh Linkages to Productivity of Penaeid Shrimps and Blue Crabs in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract Recovery following salt marsh restoration in the northern Gulf of Mexico is investigated using meta-analysis for two salt marsh indicator invertebrates, the periwinkle snail (Littoraria irrorata) and amphipod crustaceans (Amphipoda). These invertebrates serve key marsh ecosystem functions including facilitating nutrient cycling and serving as prey for larger ecologically and economically important species. Recovery of periwinkles in restored marshes compared to reference sites is quantified by progression in population density and, because the species is long-lived (~ 10 years), in terms of biomass added per unit area each year following restoration. Amphipods are shorter-lived with high annual turnover; thus, recovery through time is estimated by the density of individuals rather than by biomass. The results of the analyses indicate progressive periwinkle recovery to equivalence with reference systems by year 4 in terms of density and year 6 with respect to annual biomass addition, while amphipod densities do not fully recover in the first 20 years following restoration. Although periwinkle recovery in terms of annual biomass addition reaches equivalence by year 6, the development of an age class structure characteristic of reference marshes would likely take longer because of the relatively long lifespan for this species. In addition to providing insight into the benefits of salt marsh restoration in the northern Gulf of Mexico, the approach described can be applied more generally to restoration scaling in a natural resource damage assessment context.

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Population Dynamics and Life History Characteristics of the Blue Crabs Callinectes similis and C. sapidus in Bay Environments of the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Marine Ecology ◽

10.1111/j.1439-0485.1993.tb00482.x ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 239-257 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Pan-Wen Hsueh ◽

James B. McClintock ◽

Thomas S. Hopkins

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Life History ◽

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Blue Crabs ◽

Northern Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Life History Characteristics

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Population Studies of Blue Crabs in Soft-bottom, Unvegetated Habitats of a Subestuary in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Journal of Crustacean Biology ◽

10.2307/1548796 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 551-563 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

James B. McClintock ◽

Ken R. Marion ◽

John Dindo ◽

Pan-Wen Hsueh ◽

Robert A. Angus

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Population Studies ◽

Blue Crabs ◽

Soft Bottom ◽

Northern Gulf Of Mexico

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Effects of Coastal Urbanization on Salt-Marsh Faunal Assemblages in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Marine and Coastal Fisheries ◽

10.1080/19425120.2014.893467 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 89-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Michael R. Lowe ◽

Mark S. Peterson

Keyword(s):

Salt Marsh ◽

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Northern Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Faunal Assemblages ◽

Coastal Urbanization

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Tropicalization of the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Impacts of Salt Marsh Transition to Black Mangrove Dominance on Faunal Communities

Estuaries and Coasts ◽

10.1007/s12237-017-0334-y ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 1193-1205 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Whitney A. Scheffel ◽

Kenneth L. Heck ◽

Matthew W. Johnson

Keyword(s):

Salt Marsh ◽

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Northern Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Faunal Communities ◽

Black Mangrove

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Modeling Coastal Marsh Restoration Benefits in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Estuaries and Coasts ◽

10.1007/s12237-020-00706-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (7) ◽

pp. 1804-1820 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gail F. Fricano ◽

Matthew S. Baumann ◽

Katie Fedeli ◽

Claire E. Schlemme ◽

Melissa Vernon Carle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salt Marsh ◽

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Marsh Vegetation ◽

Salt Marsh Restoration ◽

Ecological Benefits ◽

Marsh Restoration ◽

Northern Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Marsh Community ◽

Marsh Creation ◽

Over Time

Abstract Extensive salt marsh restoration is expected in the northern Gulf of Mexico over the next several decades, funded in part by settlements from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Understanding the ecological benefits of restored marshes over time is integral to setting appropriate restoration targets and performance criteria and in determining the restoration area needed to achieve desired restoration goals and offset quantified natural resource injuries. We present a method for quantifying anticipated ecological benefits associated with marsh restoration projects, particularly marsh creation or enhancement through the placement of dredged material, in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Using salt marsh vegetation (percent cover, aboveground biomass, and belowground biomass) and indicator faunal species (periwinkle snails and amphipods) as representative marsh community components, we used resource equivalency analysis (REA) to model projected ecological benefits over time and quantified total net project benefits for a hypothetical marsh creation project in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Sensitivity analysis of the resulting model suggests that the recovery trajectories for each marsh component were the most important drivers of modeled restoration benefits and that model uncertainty was greatest for marsh fauna, which has limited data availability compared to marsh vegetation and high natural variability. Longer-term monitoring at restored restoration sites and/or targeted monitoring of older restoration projects would reduce variability in the recovery trajectories for the marsh community components examined in this case study and improve the reliability of the REA model for projecting benefits associated with salt marsh restoration.

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Estimating and Applying Fish and Invertebrate Density and Production Enhancement from Seagrass, Salt Marsh Edge, and Oyster Reef Nursery Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico

Estuaries and Coasts ◽

10.1007/s12237-021-00935-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Philine S. E. zu Ermgassen ◽

Bryan DeAngelis ◽

Jonathan R. Gair ◽

Sophus zu Ermgassen ◽

Ronald Baker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salt Marsh ◽

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Salt Marshes ◽

Fish Habitat ◽

Juvenile Fish ◽

Oyster Reefs ◽

Coastal Habitats ◽

Marsh Edge ◽

Northern Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Nursery Habitats

AbstractSeagrasses, oyster reefs, and salt marshes are critical coastal habitats that support high densities of juvenile fish and invertebrates. Yet which species are enhanced through these nursery habitats, and to what degree, remains largely unquantified. Densities of young-of-year fish and invertebrates in seagrasses, oyster reefs, and salt marsh edges as well as in paired adjacent unstructured habitats of the northern Gulf of Mexico were compiled. Species consistently found at higher densities in the structured habitats were identified, and species-specific growth and mortality models were applied to derive production enhancement estimates arising from this enhanced density. Enhancement levels for fish and invertebrate production were similar for seagrass (1370 [SD 317] g m–2 y–1for 25 enhanced species) and salt marsh edge habitats (1222 [SD 190] g m–2 y–1, 25 spp.), whereas oyster reefs produced ~650 [SD 114] g m–2 y–1(20 spp). This difference was partly due to lower densities of juvenile blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) on oyster reefs, although only oyster reefs enhanced commercially valuable stone crabs (Menippe spp.). The production estimates were applied to Galveston Bay, Texas, and Pensacola Bay, Florida, for species known to recruit consistently in those embayments. These case studies illustrated variability in production enhancement by coastal habitats within the northern Gulf of Mexico. Quantitative estimates of production enhancement within specific embayments can be used to quantify the role of essential fish habitat, inform management decisions, and communicate the value of habitat protection and restoration.

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