NOAA s Estuarine Living Marine Resources Program 



In | une l<-)85, NOAA began a program to develop a comprehensive information base on the life history, relative abundance, 

 and distribution of fishes and invertebrates in estuaries throughout the nation. The Estuarine Living Marine Resources 

 (ELMR) program has been conducted jointly by the National Ocean Service (NOS), the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 (NMFS), and other agencies and institutions. The nationwide ELMR data base was completed in 1994, and includes data 

 for 153 species found in 122 estuaries and coastal embayments. A series of reports and reprints are available free upon 

 request. This report provides a national overview of the ELMR program, and a summary of the regional studies. Three to 

 five salinity zones provide the spatial framework for organizing information on species distribution and abundance within 

 each estuary. The primary data developed for each species include spatial distribution by salinity zone, temporal 

 distribution by month, and relative abundance by life stage, e.g., adult, spawning, juvenile, larva, and egg. In addition, life 

 history summaries and tables are developed for each species. 



Additional information on ELMR and the NOAA/NOS Biogeography Program is available from: 



Dr. Mark E. Monaco 



NOAA/NOS Biogeography Program 



1305 East-West Hwy., 9th Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3281 



phone (301) 713-3028, fax (301) 713-4384 



email Mark.Monaco@noaa.gov 



website http://biogeo.nos.noaa.gov 



Selected reports and reprints available from NOAA's Biogeography Program include: 



Monaco, M.E., et al. 1990. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in west coast estuaries, Vol. I: Data summaries. ELMR 

 Rep. No. 4. NOAA/NO SEA Division, Rockville, MD. 232 p. 



Emmett, R.L., et al. 1991. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in west coast estuaries, Vol. II: Species life history 

 summaries. ELMR Rep. No. 8. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, Rockville, MD. 329 p. 



Nelson, D.M., et al. 1991. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in southeast estuaries. ELMR Rep. No. 9. NOAA/NOS 

 SEA Division, Rockville, MD. 167 p. 



Monaco, M.E., et al. 1992. Assemblages of U.S. west coast estuaries based on the distribution of fishes. J. Biogeography 19: 251-267. 



Nelson, D.M. (editor), et al. 1992. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico estuaries, Vol. I: Data 

 summaries. ELMR Rep. No. 10. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, Rockville, MD. 273 p. 



Bulger, A.J., et al. 1993. Biologically-based salinity zones derived from a multivariate analysis. Estuaries 16: 311-322. 



Stone, S.L., et al. 1994. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in Mid- Atlantic estuaries. ELMR Rep. No. 12. NOAA/NOS 

 SEA Division, Silver Spring, MD. 280 p. 



Jury, S.H., et al. 1994. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in North Atlantic estuaries. ELMR Rep. No. 13. NOAA/NOS 

 SEA Division, Silver Spring, MD. 221 p. 



Bulger, A.J., et al. 1995. Estuarine-catadromy : A life history strategy coupling marine and estuarine environments via coastal inlets. ELMR 

 Rep. No. 14. NOAA/NOS SEA Division, Silver Spring, MD, 110 p. 



Christensen, J.D., et al . 1 997. An index to assess the sensitivity of Gulf of Mexico species to changes in estuarine salinity regimes. Gulf Res. 

 Rep.9(4):219-229. 



Pattirio, M.E., et al. 1997. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in Gulf of Mexico estuaries, Vol. U: Species life history 

 summaries. ELMR Rep. No. 1 1 . NOAA/NOS SEA Division, SUver Spring, MD. 377 p. 



Monaco, M.E., and R.E. Ulanowicz. 1997. Comparative ecosystem trophic structure of three U.S. mid-Atlantic estuaries. Mar. Ecol. Prog. 

 Ser. 161:239-254. 



Monaco, M.E., et al. 1998. Summer habitat affinities of estuarine fish in U.S. mid-Atlantic coastal systems. Fish. Manag. Ecol. 5:161-171. 



Nelson, D.M., and M.E. Monaco. 2000. National Overview and Evolution of NOAA's Estuarine Living Marine Resources (ELMR) 

 Program. NOAA Tech. Memo. NOS NCCOS CCMA 144, 60 p. 



