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Fish density in NE Atlantic saltmarsh is three-fold higher than unvegetated habitats

Sasha Shute, LAUREN PENNACK, Alex Scorey, Ida A. Nielsen, Richard Unsworth Orcid Logo, Nicole Esteban Orcid Logo

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Volume: 327, Start page: 109599

Swansea University Authors: Sasha Shute, LAUREN PENNACK, Richard Unsworth Orcid Logo, Nicole Esteban Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109599

Abstract

Atlantic saltmarshes are widely recognised as important and productive estuarine habitats, yet their role in supporting fish populations in northern Europe remains understudied. We used fyke and seine nets to assess fish assemblages at 14 sites across two estuaries in Carmarthen Bay, South Wales. Sa...

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Published in: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
ISSN: 0272-7714 1096-0015
Published: Elsevier BV 2025
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70834
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In total, 19 fish species were recorded in saltmarshes, representing the highest species richness documented for UK saltmarshes. Clear seasonal shifts in community composition were observed, with peaks in European flounder (Platichthys flesus) in May, European bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in June and Atlantic herring (Clupea herrangus) in July, likely reflecting staggered recruitment strategies that minimise competition during early life stages. 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spelling 2025-12-04T16:05:22.5764253 v2 70834 2025-11-04 Fish density in NE Atlantic saltmarsh is three-fold higher than unvegetated habitats 9cf3e9aafa1039c9d01436cc71d6ffa8 Sasha Shute Sasha Shute true false a8509ff10729e06fe116f6c8be4dda5d LAUREN PENNACK LAUREN PENNACK true false b0f33acd13a3ab541cf2aaea27f4fc2f 0000-0003-0036-9724 Richard Unsworth Richard Unsworth true false fb2e760b83b4580e7445092982f1f319 0000-0003-4693-7221 Nicole Esteban Nicole Esteban true false 2025-11-04 BGPS Atlantic saltmarshes are widely recognised as important and productive estuarine habitats, yet their role in supporting fish populations in northern Europe remains understudied. We used fyke and seine nets to assess fish assemblages at 14 sites across two estuaries in Carmarthen Bay, South Wales. Sampling took place in both saltmarshes and unvegetated estuarine shores monthly from October 2023 to September 2024. The age composition of the catch was predominantly juvenile (83 %). Fish density was significantly higher in saltmarshes (5972 ind/ha) compared to unvegetated shores (1806 ind/ha; p < 0.001). Six species were present in saltmarshes across all seasons, including Atlantic herring (Clupea herrangus) and European flounder (Platichthys flesus) not previously documented year-round in UK saltmarshes. Several species, were significantly more likely to be caught within saltmarsh, including lesser sandeel (Ammodytes tobianus) and grey mullet species (Chelon ramada, Chelon labrosus, Chelon aurata), while no species were significantly more likely to be caught in unvegetated shores, demonstrating saltmarshes enhanced nursery function. In total, 19 fish species were recorded in saltmarshes, representing the highest species richness documented for UK saltmarshes. Clear seasonal shifts in community composition were observed, with peaks in European flounder (Platichthys flesus) in May, European bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in June and Atlantic herring (Clupea herrangus) in July, likely reflecting staggered recruitment strategies that minimise competition during early life stages. These findings provide the first year-round assessment of saltmarsh fish assemblages on the west coast of the UK and highlight the ecological value of saltmarshes in supporting coastal fish communities. Journal Article Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 327 109599 Elsevier BV 0272-7714 1096-0015 Estuary; Fish assemblage; Wetland ;Teleost; Essential fish habitat; Habitat restoration 1 12 2025 2025-12-01 10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109599 COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Natural Resources Wales (NRW) (contract number IN/marine fish/2023). 2025-12-04T16:05:22.5764253 2025-11-04T14:50:04.0179827 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences Sasha Shute 1 LAUREN PENNACK 2 Alex Scorey 3 Ida A. Nielsen 4 Richard Unsworth 0000-0003-0036-9724 5 Nicole Esteban 0000-0003-4693-7221 6 70834__35771__0a032a4945e44089b60d0aabdd681703.pdf 70834.VOR.pdf 2025-12-04T16:01:49.1929485 Output 2496029 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2025 The Authors. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY license. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Fish density in NE Atlantic saltmarsh is three-fold higher than unvegetated habitats
spellingShingle Fish density in NE Atlantic saltmarsh is three-fold higher than unvegetated habitats
Sasha Shute
LAUREN PENNACK
Richard Unsworth
Nicole Esteban
title_short Fish density in NE Atlantic saltmarsh is three-fold higher than unvegetated habitats
title_full Fish density in NE Atlantic saltmarsh is three-fold higher than unvegetated habitats
title_fullStr Fish density in NE Atlantic saltmarsh is three-fold higher than unvegetated habitats
title_full_unstemmed Fish density in NE Atlantic saltmarsh is three-fold higher than unvegetated habitats
title_sort Fish density in NE Atlantic saltmarsh is three-fold higher than unvegetated habitats
author_id_str_mv 9cf3e9aafa1039c9d01436cc71d6ffa8
a8509ff10729e06fe116f6c8be4dda5d
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fb2e760b83b4580e7445092982f1f319
author_id_fullname_str_mv 9cf3e9aafa1039c9d01436cc71d6ffa8_***_Sasha Shute
a8509ff10729e06fe116f6c8be4dda5d_***_LAUREN PENNACK
b0f33acd13a3ab541cf2aaea27f4fc2f_***_Richard Unsworth
fb2e760b83b4580e7445092982f1f319_***_Nicole Esteban
author Sasha Shute
LAUREN PENNACK
Richard Unsworth
Nicole Esteban
author2 Sasha Shute
LAUREN PENNACK
Alex Scorey
Ida A. Nielsen
Richard Unsworth
Nicole Esteban
format Journal article
container_title Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
container_volume 327
container_start_page 109599
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
issn 0272-7714
1096-0015
doi_str_mv 10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109599
publisher Elsevier BV
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
document_store_str 1
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description Atlantic saltmarshes are widely recognised as important and productive estuarine habitats, yet their role in supporting fish populations in northern Europe remains understudied. We used fyke and seine nets to assess fish assemblages at 14 sites across two estuaries in Carmarthen Bay, South Wales. Sampling took place in both saltmarshes and unvegetated estuarine shores monthly from October 2023 to September 2024. The age composition of the catch was predominantly juvenile (83 %). Fish density was significantly higher in saltmarshes (5972 ind/ha) compared to unvegetated shores (1806 ind/ha; p < 0.001). Six species were present in saltmarshes across all seasons, including Atlantic herring (Clupea herrangus) and European flounder (Platichthys flesus) not previously documented year-round in UK saltmarshes. Several species, were significantly more likely to be caught within saltmarsh, including lesser sandeel (Ammodytes tobianus) and grey mullet species (Chelon ramada, Chelon labrosus, Chelon aurata), while no species were significantly more likely to be caught in unvegetated shores, demonstrating saltmarshes enhanced nursery function. In total, 19 fish species were recorded in saltmarshes, representing the highest species richness documented for UK saltmarshes. Clear seasonal shifts in community composition were observed, with peaks in European flounder (Platichthys flesus) in May, European bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in June and Atlantic herring (Clupea herrangus) in July, likely reflecting staggered recruitment strategies that minimise competition during early life stages. These findings provide the first year-round assessment of saltmarsh fish assemblages on the west coast of the UK and highlight the ecological value of saltmarshes in supporting coastal fish communities.
published_date 2025-12-01T12:45:58Z
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