Nuanced influences of subtidal artificial shellfish structures on nekton communities in urbanised estuaries
Brad Martin
A * , Charlie Huveneers A , Simon Reeves A B and Ryan Baring A
A
B
Abstract
Reef installation is increasingly considered for urbanised estuaries to enhance and restore ecological functions. Restoration structures are expected to provide nekton habitat benefits, but early outcomes are poorly understood.
This study assessed nekton assemblage variation associated with an oyster reef restoration site, situated within the anthropogenically modified Port River–Barker Inlet estuary.
Nekton communities and environmental variables were measured 6 weeks before, and 14 months following restoration, and at a control site. Modelling was used to assess spatio-temporal variation.
Video monitoring detected 34 species, with harvestable nekton comprising 60.3% of total abundances. Nekton assemblages were strongly influenced by interannual effects, with few outcomes being directly related to restoration activities. Restoration structures supported non-native gobies during the study.
These results suggest that small-scale restoration can have little detectable impact on urbanised fish communities in the early stages of estuarine restoration. Nekton were influenced by environmental variables with distinct seasonal variation.
In urban estuaries characterised by pre-existing artificial structures, small trial oyster reefs may be functionally redundant as nekton habitats until sufficient spatial-scale and functional changes are achieved.
Keywords: artificial structure, estuary management, fish habitat, non-native, oyster reef, restoration, urbanisation, video monitoring.
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