Near-shore Fish Populations within St. Pauls Inlet, an Estuarine System in Western Newfoundland

• Main Authors: Melanson, Ryan,L, Campbell, Christine Elaine
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Humboldt Field Research Institute 2012
• Subjects: Gilbert Bay; Newfoundland; St. Pauls; St. Pauls Inlet
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/8285/; https://research.library.mun.ca/8285/1/Northeastern.Naturalist.Near.Shore.fish.populations.within.St.Paul%27s.Inlet.an.estuarine.system.in.western.newfoundland.pdf; http://www.eaglehill.us/NENAonline/articles/NENA-19-3/19-Campbell.shtml

St. Pauls Inlet, a fjord-type estuary on Newfoundland's west coast, was sampled for near-shore fish populations during August 2010. A total of 1451 fish were caught, comprising 15 species and representing nine families. Sampling was carried out using a 10-m beach seine, minnow traps, and multi-paneled gill nets. The objective of this study was to document the near-shore fish fauna within St. Pauls Inlet and compare with other data sets from Newfoundland and Labrador. A total of seven sites were sampled along the Inlet and the outer bay. Sites were chosen to best represent a potential range in salinities, and for ease of accessibility. Cluster analysis performed on species presence/absence data indicated high similarity between sites based on the Jaccard similarity coefficient. In terms of regional fish fauna, the St. Pauls sites clustered with freshwater-influenced sites from Bonne Bay (western Newfoundland), and were distinct from the more marine sites of Trinity Bay (eastern Newfoundland) and Gilbert Bay (Labrador).