IV. MARSH ESTUARIES AS FISH HAVENS 



A. Estuarine Ecosystems 



IV-A-1 



McHugh, J.L. 1968. Are estuaries necessary? Commercial Fisheries 

 Review 30(11 ):37-44. 



The article is an excerpt from a talk presented by Dr. McHugh 

 before the Annual Meeting of Sportmen's Clubs of Texas at Austin. 

 Accordingly, the article is rather general and broad-based as to 

 content; however, a considerable portion of the discussion centers 

 on the importance of estuaries and the results of man's intrusions 

 in these areas. The discussion is interlaced with specific examples 

 of the necessities for estuary conservation. (L.H.) 



Keywords: estuaries, general 



IV-A-2 



Tabb, D.C. 1965. Treasure those estuariesl Proceedings of the Gulf 

 and Caribbean Fisheries Institute 18:47-50. 



Until recently, the fisheries of coastal areas have been harvested 

 annually, but man has given little thought as to how these fisheries 

 came to be where they are, or what permits such abundance of valuable 

 fish in such small areas of total ocean surface. The answer lies, to 

 a great degree, in the fact that food of one sort or another is most 

 abundant there. The reason food is so abundant is that estuaries, 

 lagoons, and marshes are natural food traps. Not only do these areas 

 trap food, but they also dispense it regularly and in abundance during 

 the changing cycles of temperature, runoff, and sunlight intensity. 

 If sea-farming ever becomes a reality, it will be because man will have 

 become able to duplicate the productivity of the estuaries, not the 

 open sea. Modern fishery management must take into account the role 

 of the estuaries in production since conditions in estuaries as well 

 as in the spawning grounds appear to govern abundance of a majority 

 of fish and shellfish. (A. A.) 



Keywords: estuaries, fisheries, food traps, productivity 



IV-A-3 



Rounsefell, G.A. 1963. Realism in the management of estuaries. 

 Alabama Marine Resources Bulletin No. 1. 



Estuaries are an important part of a complex ecosystem, which 

 includes the vast area of the continental shelf, largely because 



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