NOAA's Estuarine Living Marine Resources (ELMR) Data Base

In 1985, NOAA launched the Estuarine Living Marine Resources (ELMR) Program to develop a consistent data base on the distribution, relative abundance, and life history characteristics of ecologically and economically important fishes and invertebrates in the Nation's estuaries. The Nationwide ELMR data base includes information for 153 species found in 122 estuaries and coastal embayments. Species are selected according to a set of criteria, which consider their commercial, recreational, and ecological value, as well as their utility as an indicator of environmental stress.The data base is divided into five study regions - West Coast, Gulf of Mexico, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and North Atlantic. For each species, five life stages are considered - adults, juveniles, larvae, spawning, and eggs - with some exceptions. Each estuary is subdivided into one to five salinity zones. Relative abundance is ranked by month for each life stage of each species, in each salinity zone of each estuary. The program utilized a consistent sampling strategy that enables comparisons to be made among species, specific life stages and times of year within, and to a lesser degree, among estuarine systems.In addition, a series of reports have been published which summarize the methods and results of the ELMR Program. These include a National report (2000), regional data summary reports for the North Atlantic (1994), Mid-Atlantic (1994), Southeast (1991), Gulf of Mexico (1992), and West Coast (1990), and regional life history summary reports for the West Coast (1991) and Gulf of Mexico (1997). Free copies of these reports are available upon request from the Biogeography Program (301-713-3028).

Estuaries are among the most productive natural systems and are important nursery areas that provide food, refuge from predation, and valuable habitat for many species. In spite of the well documented importance of estuaries to fishes and invertebrates, few consistent and comprehensive data bases exist that allow examinations of relationships between estuarine species found in or among groups of estuaries. The ELMR program was developed to provide a national database of estuarine species and their associated habitats, that enables comparisons to be made among species, specific life stages and times of year within, and to a lesser degree, among estuarine systems.

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These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials.

For more information on the ELMR data base, or to request publications, please contact David Moe Nelson, phone (301) 713-3028, email david.moe.nelson@noaa.gov;

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The quality and quantity of available data vary by species, life stage, and estuary. In general, data quality is best for well documented, commercially- and recreationally-harvested species. Data quality regarding salinity zone boundaries may be affected by factors such as variations in freshwater inflow, wind, and tides. The qualitative nature of distributional data precludes statistical comparisons of species abundances. Data reliability was classified using the following categories:(1) Highly certain: considerable sampling data available. Distribution, behavior, and preferred habitats well documented within an estuary. (2) Moderately certain: some sampling data available for an estuary. Distribution, preferred habitat, and behavior well documented in similar estuaries. (3) Reasonable inference: little or no sampling data available. Information on distributions, ecology, and preferred habitats documented in similar estuaries. Estimates of the data reliability for each species and estuary are presented in Data Reliability tables within each ELMR regional report (copies available upon request).

The following criteria, together with data availability, were used to select species for inclusion in each regional ELMR database:(1) Commercial value: determined by review of catch data and value statistics from National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and state agencies. (2) Recreational value: determined by relative importance in recreational fisheries that may or may not be commercially exploited. Recreational species were determined by consulting regional experts and NMFS reports. (3) Indicator of environmental stress: determined from the literature, discussions with fisheries experts, and from monitoring programs such as NOAA's National Status and Trends Program. (4) Ecological value: based on several attributes including trophic level, relative abundance, and importance as a key predator or prey species.

The abundance of a species life stage was considered relative to that of the same life stage of other "similar species." Similar species were considered to be those having similar life modes and gear susceptibilities. The species within each guild were used to assess each others' relative abundance. These guilds are:- Sessile Invertebrates- Shrimps and Squids- Large Crustaceans- Shallow Water Fishes- Pelagic Fishes- Demersal Fishes. The quality of relative abundance information varied between estuaries as well as species and life stage. For more detailed information on how these rankings were determined refer to the National Report (NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS CCMA 144) for methodology.