The identification, conservation, and management of estuarine and marine nurseries for fish and invertebrates

Presents a study which asserts that a better understanding of habitats which serve as nurseries for marine species, as well as an understanding of the factors that create site-specific variability in nursery quality, will improve conservation and management of these areas. Discussion of the important functions of seagrass meadows, marshes, and mangrove forests; History of the nursery-role concept; Premise that some nearshore, juvenile habitats contribute disproportionally to the production of individuals that recruit to adult populations.Michael W. Beck, Kenneth L. Heck, Jr., Kenneth W. Able, Daniel L. Childers, David B. Eggleston, Bronwyn M. Gillanders, Benjamin Halpern, Cynthia G. Hays, Kaho Hoshino, Thomas J. Minello, Robert J. Orth, Peter F. Sheridan and Michael P. Weinstei