Expanding fish productivity in Tasmanian saltmarsh wetlands through tidal reconnection and habitat repair
Vishnu Prahalad
A C , Violet Harrison-Day A , Peter McQuillan A and Colin Creighton B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Geography and Spatial Sciences, School of Technology, Environments and Design, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 78, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.
B Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: vishnu.prahalad@utas.edu.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 70(1) 140-151 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF17154
Submitted: 29 May 2017 Accepted: 12 June 2018 Published: 10 September 2018
Abstract
Fish use of coastal saltmarsh wetlands has been documented for many parts of Australia with the notable exception of Tasmania. An initial investigation to examine the diversity, density and patterns of fish use in the Circular Head coast saltmarshes of north-west Tasmania was undertaken. To aid decision making in repair strategies, the effect of saltmarsh condition on fish assemblages was studied using paired sites of predominantly unaltered and altered saltmarshes where levees were present. In all, 851 fish from 11 species were caught in 37 of the 48 pop nets. Three species, Aldrichetta forsteri, Arripis truttaceus and Rhombosolea tapirina, are important to commercial and recreational fisheries and contributed ~20% of the total catch numbers. The mean density of >72 fish per 100 m2 is the highest yet reported from Australian studies and indicates that Tasmanian saltmarshes provide higher value habitat for fish compared with elsewhere in Australia, likely due to more frequent and prolonged flooding, and the lack of adjacent mangroves. There was no significant difference in fish assemblages between unaltered and altered marshes. The results suggest that restoring basic saltmarsh structure through tidal reconnection will deliver substantial benefits for fish productivity through habitat expansion.A
Additional key words: biodiversity, coastal management, ecological restoration, ecosystem services, salt marsh, seascapes, temperate fish communities, wetland conservation.
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