Coastal Restoration Initiative

      
At Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), salt marshes were impounded during construction of Kennedy Space Center by diking around the perimeter of the marsh and installing water control structures (i.e., flapgated culverts and riserboards) to manage water levels for mosquito control, avian wildlife, and vegetation.  Consequently, impoundments trapped fish production behind a system of dikes, and this production was unavailable to the adjacent Indian River Lagoon system. Also, potential nursery habitat for estuarine fishes was effectively removed from the Indian River Lagoon. Resource managers at Canaveral National Seashore, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and East Volusia County Mosquito Control identified the need to restore selected salt marshes to facilitate use by estuarine fishes.  The impoundment situation on Merritt Island was an appropriate study area to meet the objectives of the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal Restoration Initiative. The goal of the Coastal Restoration Initiative was to develop fundamental knowledge of community ecology to guide restoration strategies for engineered salt marshes to maintain species biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. Scientific knowledge regarding saltmarsh trophic interactions, fish migrations, and differential fish use among marsh habitats had direct applications to saltmarsh restoration efforts on Merritt Island.

Implications for Impoundment Management and Restoration

Poster Presentation: Test of Salt Marsh as a Site of Production and Export of Fish Biomass