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Swan Canning Estuary condition assessment based on fish communities - 2023
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Swan Canning Estuary condition assessment based on fish communities - 2023

James Tweedley, Kurt Krispyn, Billy Bowe and Alan Cottingham
Final Report to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
Murdoch University. Harry Butler Institute
2023
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Abstract

Fish marine and estuarine ecology ecosystem health Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) Fisheries management Coastal and estuarine systems and management Coastal or estuarine biodiversity
This report, commissioned by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), describes the monitoring and evaluation of fish communities in the Swan Canning Estuary during 2023 and applies the Fish Community Index (FCI) that was developed as a measure of the ecological condition of the estuary. This index, separate versions of which were developed for both the shallow (< 1.5 m), nearshore waters of the estuary and also for its deeper (> 1.5 m), offshore waters, integrates information on various biological variables (metrics). Each of these metrics quantifies an aspect of the structure and/or function of the fish community, and together they respond to a range of stressors affecting the ecosystem. Fish communities were sampled using different types of net at six nearshore and six offshore sites in each of four management zones of the estuary (LSCE, Lower Swan Canning Estuary; CE, Canning Estuary; MSE, Middle Swan Estuary; USE, Upper Swan Estuary) during summer and autumn of 2023. As many fish as possible were returned to the water alive after they had been identified and counted. The resulting data on the abundances of each fish species from each sample were used to calculate a Fish Community Index score (0–100). These index scores were then compared to established scoring thresholds to determine ecological condition grades (A–E) for each zone and for the Swan Canning Estuary as a whole, based on the composition of the fish community.

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