Abstract

In order to assess the effects of habitat alteration on local fish populations, collections were taken by beam plankton trawl (BPL) in waters adjacent to marsh-edge habitats of the Mississippi Gulf Coasl Monthly samples were taken over two years along natural JuncuslSpartina marsh-edge, natural beachedge, and altered marsh-edge habitats in Back Bay, Biloxi, and Davis Bayou, Ocean Springs. Altered habitats consisted of bulkheads or riprap. Gobies were the most abundant fishes found in these habitats, with Gobiosoma bose, Gobiosoma Tobustum, GobioneUus boleosoma, Gobionellus shufeldti, Microgobius gulosus, Microgobius thalassinus, and Evorthodus lyricus being collected during the study. Gobiosoma bosc constituted the bulk of both the gobies (98.2%) and the fishes in general (47.0%) collected, with postflexion larvae occurring from May to October. Seasonally, larval abundance peaked in fall for all species except for E. lyrieus (May) and G. bose, which peaked twice in year one (May, October) and once in year two (June). Relative abundance of all gobies was highest along natural marsh-edge habitats (75.1 %), followed by natural beach (19.5%), and then altered marsh-edge (5.4%), and larval G. bose were significantly more abundant in natural marsh habitats than in altered marsh (Hendon et al., 2000). The relatively high abundance of larval gobies in natural habitats suggests that these are important spawning and/or nursery areas for gobiids. Alteration of these landscapes may thus adversely affect larval abundance and distribution, as was evident in the Back Bay/Davis Bayou estuary.

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