NOAA Fisheries
Service
Galveston
Laboratory
4700 Avenue U
Galveston, TX
77551-5997
409.766.3500
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PIs: Lawrence P. Rozas,
Thomas J. Minello, Brian Roth, and Kenneth M. Rose Coastal wetlands of the northern Gulf of Mexico directly support most of the productive fisheries of the region. The productivity of these coastal wetlands appears to be related to their spatial configuration, which is affected by changes in relative sea level and the frequency and magnitude of tropical storms. To explore the relationship between the spatial configuration of wetlands and support of coastal fisheries, we are collaborating with Kenny Rose and Brian Roth with Louisiana State University to develop an Individual Based Model (IBM) that relates brown shrimp production to landscape configuration and other characteristics of wetlands in Texas and Louisiana. We collected additional field data to calibrate and validate the model for different locations in the northern Gulf of Mexico. In addition, we are examining the utility of the model for assessing different methods of restoring coastal marsh habitat. Our project will support Ecosystem Management of the northern Gulf of Mexico by enhancing our understanding of the link between coastal wetlands and fishery production and by advancing an IBM modeling approach that may provide a tractable method for estimating nekton productivity. Such an approach would be a significant improvement over existing methods for comparing the habitat function of estuarine landscapes. |
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