Current assessment criteria for coastal waters do not include fish communities. In WATERS, we will develop and propose indicators of fish community state in coastal waters. The work will build on previous experience from other WFD quality elements, for example, benthos and freshwater fish, and will be harmonized with relevant corresponding indicators for Descriptor 1 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Coastal Fish in WATERS
The state of coastal fish communities will be assessed based on four aspects: fish abundance, size structure, trophic level, and biodiversity. We will evaluate metrics representing these aspects in terms of the various monitoring methods and geographic areas used. Based on the results, we will propose operational indicators of fish community state, including class boundaries and assessment routines.
The proposed indicators will be compared between geographic areas and along environmental gradients, including both reference and disturbed areas, to assess current variability in fish community state in Swedish coastal areas. Temporal variability will be studied for areas for which long-term datasets are available, to assess the relative importance of inter-annual variation and long-term change.
The relationships between the proposed fish indicators and other quality elements along environmental gradients will be evaluated in the common gradient study including the other quality elements for the coastal water focal area.
