116 



Fishery Bulletin 104(1) 



tidal creeks as a nursery would be altered and the re- 

 sponses could vary on a species-specific basis (Tsou and 

 Matheson, 2002). A decline in the amount of freshwater 

 inflow into the tidal-creeks could lead to an overall shift 

 towards a more saline environment and result in the 

 expansion of seagrass habitats. However, Strawn (1961) 

 showed that the distribution of seagrasses at Cedar Key 

 was affected by water depth, water clarity, and the inter- 

 action of temperature and tides during winter months, 

 making the prospect of seagrass expansion unlikely. 

 Although a decrease in the amount of fresh water may 

 result in an increase in water clarity through a reduction 

 in dissolved nutrient input and reduced primary produc- 

 tivity, as has been seen in Apalachicola Bay, Florida (Liv- 

 ingston, 2003), the extreme low tides, cold temperatures, 

 wave action, and sediment geochemistry in the Suwannee 

 River estuary may negate the effects of increased light 

 penetration (Koch, 2001). Therefore, a decrease in fresh 

 water may result in an increase in high-salinity bare 

 substrate that has been shown to be less suitable as a 

 fish nursery than either seagrass or tidal-creek habitats 

 (Sogard and Able, 1991; Rozas and Minello, 1998). 



Tidal-creek and seagrass habitats in the Suwannee 

 River estuary contained diverse fish communities that 

 reflected seasonal changes associated with recruitment 

 of YOY fishes. Many of these species are the targets of 

 commercial and recreational activities, which support 

 local economies. Although much of the land surround- 

 ing the Suwannee River estuary has been preserved, 

 measures must be taken to ensure that the supply of 

 fresh water from the Suwannee River is also preserved 

 to maintain the integrity of the aquatic environment 

 and the associated estuarine fish community. 



Acknowledgments 



We appreciate the effort of our coworkers at the Florida 

 Marine Research Institute's Cedar Key Field Laboratory 

 for assisting with the collection of data for this study and 

 to Fred Vose and Cynthia Cooksey for the initial concept 

 of this study. This paper benefitted from reviews by D. 

 Nemeth, D. Adams, B. Winner, F. Vose, J. Whittington, 

 K. Tisdel, R. McMichael, J. Leiby, J. Quinn. T. Tsou, and 

 two anonymous reviewers. This project was supported 

 in part by funding from the Department of the Interior, 

 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Aid for Sport 

 Fish Restoration Project number F-43, and Florida rec- 

 reational fishing license revenues. 



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