Evaluating estaurine system as a nursery grounds for commercially valuable and ecologically important fish species

Coastal river systems, are known to play an important role in the early life history of many marine species. Specific areas’ estuarine habitats (where river and oceanic waters mix) are often nursery grounds for many fish species. Since the survival during early life stages of fish is crucial to success of the overall population, monitoring estuarine nursery grounds is essential for future conservation and management of commercially important and threatened fish stocks. Multiple field sampling techniques, including beach seines, otter trawls, plankton tows, beam trawls, and mid-water trawls, acoustic telemetry and baited remoted underwater camera’s are used in this work. Dr. Sulikowski’s estuarine work has included the study of larval fish, endangered (e.g. shortnose sturgeon), threatened (e.g. Atlantic sturgeon), and species of concern (e.g. blueback herring).