Program Info
- Website
- Region(s)
- NE
- Summary
- A nekton monitoring program was established for the estuarine habitat within the GTM NERR. The estuaries of GTM NERR span a total north-south distance of about 60 km and are fed by three rivers (Guana, Tolomato, and Matanzas) and two inlets (St. Augustine and Matanzas), and are dominated in the south by mangroves and in the north by Spartina marsh. The estuary is strongly influenced by weather patterns including temperature and rain; these two factors lead to a wide range of environmental conditions that can rapidly change making the GTM NERR an ideal site for studying nekton diversity.
- Parameters
- start and stop depths, water temperature (°C), salinity (ppt), dissolved oxygen (mg/L), species, total number, average total length (mm)
- Notes
- Application
- Results are to provide basic knowledge about nekton diversity at the GTM NERR, to determine the factors that explain variation in density and diversity and how it changes over time, and identify new species.
- Publications
- reports, presentations, and community outreach
- Start
- 2010
- End
- 2018
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Method
- The north-south span of water within the GTM NERR was divided into 20 equal zones (10 in the northern and 10 in the southern component) of approximately 2.9 km for nekton and benthic invertebrate monitoring. Samples were collected monthly using a 4.9 m otter trawl (38 mm body mesh and 6 mm mesh cod-end), for two minute intervals. Three replicates occurred at each site for every sampling event (total 60 samples/month). Environmental data were collected at each site using a handheld YSI meter. Habitat type and tide were also recorded. Fish collected were identified to species and counted. The first 20 specimens of each species were measured for Total Length to the nearest millimeter. All identified animals were returned to the water. Any animals that could not be identified in the field were retained. Retained animals were kept in a plastic container on ice for later identification and preserved in 70% ethanol.
- Discontinuity
- 2012 - 2017
- Data Location
- GTM NERR Server
- Data Format
-
Excel
No - Habitats
- Water Column
- SEACAR Citation
- Alternative Citation
indicates priority attributes

Contacts
Nikki Dix
Program Extent
Export Standardized Data
Habitat(s) : Indicator(s) | Last Updated | File Download |
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Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection Managed Areas
Guana River Marsh, Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR
Indicators
Indicator |
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Water Column - Nekton |
Documentation and Data provided by program
File Type | File Name | Added On | Details |
---|---|---|---|
Data | 2012 GTMNERR Juv Nekton Trawl Data.xlsx | 03/04/19 08:58 AM | |
Logo | DEP_logo_2019.png | 04/08/19 01:57 PM | |
Protocols | Nekton Monitoring.docx | 10/26/18 09:26 AM | |
Protocols | Sampling Protocol Nekton.docx | 10/26/18 09:26 AM | |
Report | KImball Eash-Loucks 2021 EC 44(6) p1508-1520 Supp.pdf | 06/08/22 04:04 PM |