Nekton Assemblages of Three Tributaries to the Calcasieu Estuary, Louisiana

Abstract

From September 1985 to August 1986, nekton species were sampled monthly by seine in three waterways that feed the upper Calcasieu Estuary of southwestern Louisiana. Of the three bayous sampled, Choupique Bayou has been elast modified by man. Contraband Bayou and Bayou d’Inde have been highly modified-both have been dredged and channelized along portions of their lengths, and both receive wastes from municipal sewagetreatment plants. Additionally, Bayou d’Inde receives industrial waste from a large petrochemical complex. To identify different nekton assemblages of the three bayous, detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was performed on a species-by-sample matrix containing numbers of individuals of all species sampled at all locations. This analysis differentiated between freshwater assemblages found in a bayou’s upper reaches and estuarine assemblages found in downstream reaches, and demonstrated seasonal changes in species composition of these assemblages. The freshwater and estuarine assemblages contained some species in common. In particular, several estuarine, species appeared in high numbers throughout the bayous, moving into freshwater as postlarvae and small juveniles. These freshwater reaches comprise an important nursery area for many estuarine species (including commercially important forms). However, the value of estuarine and freshwater nursery areas is compromised by human activities. Choupique Bayour was quite rich in species, with an average of 23.7 species sampled each month. The species found in Contraband Bayou were a subset of those found in Choupique Bayou. Contraband Bayou averaged 14.8 species each month, lacking many oxygen-sensitive species found in Choupique Bayou. Species found in Bayou d’Inde were a restricted subset of those found in Contraband Bayou (average of 10.1 species sampled each month). Most of the species inhabiting Bayou d’Inde were relatively less abundant than in Contraband Bayou. These results showed that human activities dramatically reduced the number of species found in a bayou and reduced the value of a bayou as a nursery area for commercially important species.