The effect of salinity on utilization of shallow-water nursery habitats by aquatic fauna was assessed in San Antonio Bay, Texas. Overall, 272 samples were collected in a variety of marsh, vegetated, and non-vegetated habitats throughout the Bay system. Sampling began in fall 1986 and extended through fall 1989. Vegetated habitats, marsh, and submerged aquatic vegetation has significantly higher densities of fishes and decapod crustaceans than bare mud habitats.

Terracing uses existing bottom sediments to form terraces or ridges at marsh elevation and the intertidal zone is planted with marsh vegetation. This study examined the habitat value of terracing at Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana in the spring and fall of 1999 by quantifying and comparing nekton densities in a 9-yr old terrace field and nearby reference area using a 1 m2 drop sampler. Using density and biomass patterns and the percentage of marsh and pond area in the terrace field, we concluded that terrace fields support higher standing crops of most fishery species compared with shallow marsh ponds of similar size. Future restoration projects could include design changes to increase the proportion of marsh in a terrace field and enhance the habitat value of marsh terraces for fishery species.

During July and October 1988, a total of 42 samples were collected in salt marsh habitats of the Caminada Bay system near Grand Isle, Louisiana to evaluate the use of the marsh surface by aquatic fauna on flood tide. Differences in animal densities between the marsh surface and nonvegetated marsh edge were compared and evaluated.

Between May 5, 1993 and September 19, 1994, we collected quantitative 1-m2 area drop samples and measured a variety of habitat attributes using field surveys and aerial photography to characterize three existing marshes (Atkinson Island, Hog Island, and Cedar Point) in Galveston Bay. We also compared nekton densities among different types of intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats (pond, channel, cove, open bay, and four marsh types). The vegetated surface consistently contained more species and dominant species exhibited at least some degree of habitat selection. To maximize fishery habitat, we recommend placing greater emphasis on constructing low marsh edge habitat by creating large areas of Spartina alterniflora and Scirpus maritimus marsh interspersed with a dense network of shallow channels and interconnected ponds.

Study compared densities of nekton, benthos, and seagrass among newly deposited dredged sediments and nearby and distant natural seagrass sites over a three year period. Recovery of seagrass and nekton communities from dredged material placement was predicted to take from 4-8 years.

Nekton in the northern Gulf of Mexico often depend on marsh habitat and estuarine nursery areas during their life history, but patterns of habitat use and the underlying processes that drive these patterns are not fully understood. We examined small-scale (1-50 m) patterns of habitat use in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, between 2002 and 2006 by collecting nekton with a 1-m2 drop sampler. Habitat-specific densities were estimated for six habitat types at various distances from the shoreline into the marsh (Marsh1M = 1m and Marsh3M = 3 m into the marsh) and over shallow nonvegetated bottom, SNB (SNB1M = 1 m, SNB5M = 5 m, SNB20M = 20 m, and SNB50M = 50 m) seaward of the marsh. Habitat-specific growth rates also were estimated for brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus caged in SNB1M, SNB5M, and SNB20M. Nekton density patterns in Barataria Bay appeared to be clearly different from the Galveston Bay model, which predicts nekton distribution patterns relative to the marsh shoreline. Although densities in Barataria Bay were significantly higher in samples near the marsh shoreline (Marsh1M or SNB1M) for brown shrimp, blue crab, and white shrimp, highest mean densities were not always present in marsh edge vegetation. In addition, densities of brown shrimp and white shrimp in Barataria Bay declined much more steeply with distance into the marsh than in the model. Daily growth rates (1.0 - 1.2 mm TL day-1; 68 - 89 mg day-1) for brown shrimp were similar among SNB habitat types. Our results suggest that SNB in Barataria Bay may be relatively more important as habitat for fishery species than previously assumed.

Salt marsh habitats along the shoreline of Halls Lake are threatened by wave erosion, but the reconstruction of barrier islands to reduce this erosion will modify or destroy nonvegetated habitats in West Bay. Twenty-four 1.8-m diameter drop samples were taken in and around Halls Lake in West Galveston Bay during May, 1990 on daylight flood tides to provide information on the relative value of estuarine habitats for fishery species. Over 3,000 fish, shrimp, and crabs were collected from about 39 taxa. In conjunction with other published data on habitat value in Galveston Bay, our results indicate that for most crustacean, the Halls Lake marshes are more valuable than the other habitats examined. The relative value of the habitats for fishes was highly species-dependent. A survey of the West Bay shoreline indicated that valuable salt marsh habitats could be established on created barrier islands if direction of exposure and shoreline slope were controlled.

Sampled marshes and ponds along two transects within the intermediate and brackish marsh zones of Breton Sound, Louisiana, from May 7-11, 2001. Sampling followed several planned releases of freshwater from the Caernarvon diversion structure during the winter of 2000 and spring of 2001 as part of a larger study to examine the ecological effect of pulsed freshwater releases on the ecosystem.

Patterns of habitat utilization were compared among transplanted and natural Spartina alterniflora marshes in the Halls Lake area of Chocolate Bay in the Galveston Bay estuary, and East Matagorda and Corpus Christi Bay systems along the lower Texas coast to test the null hypothesis that transplanted marshes along the Texas coast were equivalent to natural marshes.