Habitat monitoring in the Gulf of Maine

Habitat monitoring > Overview

Salt marshes of the Gulf of Maine: Long-term monitoring to assess human impacts and ecological condition

This four-page brochure provides an overview of

the value of salt marshes for fish and other animals,
the need for enhanced monitoring of these habitats, and
the initiative to build a regional monitoring network.

Download the brochure:
High resolution for printing (PDF, 5 MB)
Low resolution for reading on screen (PDF, 468 KB)

The publication is a collaborative project of the Habitat Monitoring Subcommittee and the Science Translation Project.

The Gulf of Maine Council's Habitat Monitoring Subcommittee and its partners have developed standard methods for regional salt marsh monitoring that offer the potential for a cohesive, comprehensive view of salt marsh conditions. Adoption of these standards by existing monitoring programs around the Gulf of Maine could provide the basis for an extensive regional monitoring network. As part of this effort, the Subcommittee released Salt marshes of the Gulf of Maine: Long-term monitoring to assess human impacts and ecological condition in September 2005. Partners in publication development and production were Laudholm Trust, University of New Hampshire, and U.S. Geological Survey.

Regional habitat monitoring is a priority for resource management

The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment is one of many organizations working toward a coordinated, regional program to monitor marine and estuarine habitats in the Gulf of Maine. A regional monitoring program will facilitate effective management, healthier coastal waters, and sustainable economic uses of the Gulf of Maine.

Framework for Regional Habitat Monitoring

The Habitat Monitoring Subcommittee has adopted a tiered approach to regional monitoring of critical habitats. The Framework for Regional Habitat Monitoring (PDF, 249 KB) describes this approach and identifies potential indicators that function at different scales within salt marsh, seagrass, and subtidal soft-bottom habitats.

Gulf of Maine Salt Marsh Monitoring Protocol

Scientists from government agencies, academia, and nongovernment organizations have established a standardized protocol for monitoring salt marshes. The Gulf of Maine Salt Marsh Monitoring Protocol to assess habitat restoration efforts was designed in 1999 and refined in 2004. Its use has expanded beyond restoration projects to encompass all salt marshes. The protocol includes prioritized ecological indicators and data-collection methods to characterize geographic attributes, hydrology, soils, plants, and animal use.

Gulf of Maine Salt Marsh Monitoring Protocol (protocol refinement, 2004)

Implementation follows a tiered approach. Tier I: minimal monitoring of hydrology, soils and sediments, and vegetation Core Variables that should occur at all sites. Tier II: recommended monitoring that includes Tier I plus one faunal indicator (nekton, birds, or invertebrates) wherever possible. Tier III: intensive monitoring of all Core Variables, which should occur at a relatively small number of sites. Tier IV: research to diagnose cause-effect relationships includes all Core and Additional Variables.

Original protocol developed in 1999 (includes background information and rationale):
Regional Standards to Identify and Evaluate Tidal Wetland Restoration in the Gulf of Maine: A GPAC Workshop Report

Partners for salt marsh monitoring

The Gulf of Maine Council is seeking additional partners in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia to implement a monitoring network for the region’s salt marshes. For more information about using the Gulf of Maine Salt Marsh Restoration Monitoring Protocol or joining the regional monitoring network, contact Greg Klassen (tel 506.756.2549, mulberry@xplornet.com) or a member of the Habitat Monitoring Subcommittee.