Estuarine Living Marine Resources: West Coast Regional Distribution and Abundance (NCEI Accession 0161540)

A data sheet was developed for each species in each estuary to facilitate the review and presentation of the information. Data compiled for each species/life stage included: (1) the salinity zone(s) it occupies (Tidal Fresh, Mixing, Seawater), (2) its temporal distribution in those zones by month (Jan-Dec), and (3) its relative abundance in those zones. Relative abundance values are ranked as 0 = not present, n = no information available, 2 = rare, 3 = common, 4 = abundant, and 5 = highly abundant. The abundance of a species life stage was considered relative to that of the same life stage of other "similar" species within a “guild”, i.e. with similar life modes and sampling susceptibilities. These guilds are: Sessile Invertebrates, Shrimps and Squids, Large Crustaceans, Shallow Water Fishes, Pelagic Fishes, and Demersal Fishes. The draft relative abundance ranking were then verified through an extensive review process utilizing expert knowledge and field experiences of fisheries scientists, managers, and field biologists. The West Coast ELMR project was launched in 1985, and results published in 1990. For a complete description of the methods and results see Monaco et al. 1990 or Nelson et al. 2000. 32 estuaries were selected for the ELMR West Coast Region from the National Estuarine Inventory (NEI) Data Atlas-Volume I (NOAA 1985). Data on the spatial and temporal distributions of species were compiled for each estuary, using salinity zones as a spatial framework. 47 species were selected based on the commercial value, recreational value, indicator of environmental stress, and ecological value. The integrated quantitative and qualitative relative abundance estimates were then verified through an extensive review process utilizing expert knowledge and field experiences of fisheries scientists, managers, and field biologists. Process Date Range is 1985 - 2000.


The quality and quantity of available data vary by species, life stage, and estuary. In general, data quality is best for well-studied, commercially- and recreationally-harvested species. Data quality regarding salinity zone boundaries may be affected by factors such as variations in freshwater inflow, wind, and tides. The qualitative nature of distributional data precludes statistical comparisons of species abundances. Data reliability was ranked using the following categories and criteria: (1) Highly certain: Substantial sampling data are available, and distribution, behavior, and preferred habitats are well documented within an estuary. (2) Moderately certain: Some sampling data are available for an estuary, and distribution, preferred habitat, and behavior are well documented in similar estuaries. 3) Reasonable inference: Little or no site sampling data are available, but information on distributions, ecology, and preferred habitats are documented in similar estuaries. These rankings of data reliability for each species and estuary are reported in the DATA_RELIABILITY column, and in Table 4 of the ELMR West Coast Report (Monaco et al. 1990).


Submission Package ID: LFNBLF