Description
Estuarine ecosystems are foundational to coastal resilience, supporting fisheries productivity, biodiversity, and the livelihoods and cultural heritage of coastal communities. While estuarine fauna are well adapted to these dynamic ecosystems, climate change has increased the variability and intensity of environmental parameters, necessitating a better understanding of how variable abiotic parameters regulate estuarine fish assemblages. A central objective of this study is to evaluate whether measures of central tendency or variability are most predictive of fish community structure across 30 sites and three rivers at Sapelo Island, GA. The use of multivariate analyses will help to identify the temporal scales at which abiotic parameters most strongly influence estuarine fish communities. Changes in fish communities may be important in supporting the livelihoods of subsistence fishers and Gullah Geechee Community members, who depend on these coastal waters. Our study seeks to integrate the effects of abiotic environmental parameters on the structure of the estuarine fish community on Sapelo Island by pairing collected data with local knowledge from neighboring Gullah Geechee populations, whose traditional fishing and cultural practices have historically been tied to these waters. Through participatory methods and oral histories, we aim to integrate quantitative ecological data with qualitative community knowledge to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the linkages among environmental variability, observed fish communities, and traditional practices. This information is especially critical for adaptive management, habitat restoration, and sustainable fisheries efforts. By combining long-term monitoring, variability-focused ecological analyses, and local ecological knowledge, this project directly supports estuarine habitat conservation, climate adaptation, the sustainability of living marine resources, the safety and security of seafood, and community-engaged science. Given the rapidity and scale of change in estuarine ecosystems, it is essential that we understand both how fish communities are shifting and how these changes affect traditional practices of coastal communities.