Can Dungeness Crab And Eelgrass Help Improve Management Of Our Marine Resources?
Puget Sound is home to 200 species of fish, 26 species of marine mammals, and over 625 species of seaweed, as well as 3.5 million people. How well the marine systems in Puget Sound function is directly linked to the region’s quality of life and economy. Guerry and colleagues focused on Dungeness crab harvests and the distribution of eelgrass, which sequesters or stores carbon from greenhouse emissions, as models to illustrate how changes in nearshore habitats and various management scenarios can affect these ecosystem services. By examining various scenarios that are based on real choices facing decision-makers, the team can compare the effects of various management decisions on the delivery of these services. For example, Guerry’s team gathered basic life history information about Dungeness crab and data on its abundance and harvests in the region. Using a model of the crab populations in the sound, they examined its sensitivity to changes in nearshore habitats and the resulting chang
