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Journal article
Quantifying Environmental and Spatial Patterns of Fish on Log Snags to Optimise Resnagging in Coastal Seascapes
Estuaries and Coasts, Vol.47, pp.1668-1683
2024
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Long-term declines in coastal water quality and sedimentation can affect the restoration success of ecosystems such as seagrass and shellfish reefs. Resnagging coastal seascapes offers a potential alternative restoration method that is not reliant on abiotic conditions and which may enhance degraded landscapes for fish and fisheries. While common in freshwater ecosystems, such interventions are unusual for coastal seascapes despite log snags supporting significant benefits for coastal fish. In this study, we identify the spatial (e.g. seascape connectivity), habitat condition (e.g. log snag complexity and food availability) and water quality variables that best explain variation in fish assemblages on log snags to help prioritise the placement and design of resnagging efforts in estuaries. We surveyed fish assemblages on log snags using underwater videography at 363 sites across 13 estuaries in southeast Queensland, Australia, over 3 years. Sites less than 10,000 m from the estuary mouth, more than 2500 m from urban structures and located in water depths of < 3 m harboured more diverse fish assemblages. Sites less than 10,000 m from the estuary mouth with lower (< 25%) algae cover harboured greater total fish abundance and harvested fish abundance. Similar trends were found for the abundance of individuals from key functional groups, although these trends were mediated by other seascape contexts (e.g. the area of natural habitat) and water quality variables (e.g. chlorophyll-a concentration and dissolved oxygen saturation). Our results indicate that log snag placement in estuaries for benefits to fish and fisheries can be maximised if sites are planned strategically.
Details
- Title
- Quantifying Environmental and Spatial Patterns of Fish on Log Snags to Optimise Resnagging in Coastal Seascapes
- Authors
- Lucy A. Goodridge Gaines (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringJesse D. Mosman - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringChristopher J. Henderson - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringAndrew D. Olds - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringHannah J. Perry - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringBen L. Gilby - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Publication details
- Estuaries and Coasts, Vol.47, pp.1668-1683
- Publisher
- Springer New York LLC
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1007/s12237-024-01388-x
- ISSN
- 1559-2731; 1559-2723
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- Data can be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991048896702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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