Rapid human development in coastal areas is introducing significant amounts of novel habitat and leading to widespread habitat simplification. To predict how species will respond to these changes, it is important to understand how organisms interact with novel habitats versus naturally existing habitats. In this study, we used traditional fish sampling gear (fyke nets and minnow traps) and a Dual-Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) to conduct fish surveys along natural and modified estuarine shorelines in North Carolina, USA. The overall objective of our study was to investigate how fish abundance and other community metrics change as a function of shoreline type (natural marsh, living shoreline, or bulkhead), sampling location (marsh platform or the shallow subtidal area offshore of the structure), and time of day (day or night). Using fyke nets, we caught significantly more fish and recorded higher species richness on the marsh platform at living shorelines versus natural marsh shorelines. However, we found no significant differences in fish abundance in the shallow unvegetated habitats seaward of the different shoreline types, which may have been affected by low sampling efficiency and replication when sampled using minnow traps and the DIDSON. Our findings, in conjunction with similar studies, may reflect a localized shoreline effect where the nursery enhancement observed at living shoreline sites is restricted to the living component of the shoreline (i.e., the marsh). Additionally, the preliminary results from our limited daytime versus nighttime DIDSON sampling show no significant differences in fish detections. This contrasts with many previous studies using traditional fish sampling techniques that report substantially higher fish catches at night. This unexpected finding is worthy of additional research as it may suggest that traditional fish sampling techniques are underestimating fish abundances during the day, perhaps due to visual gear avoidance. Ultimately, a careful consideration of the social and ecological goals of any shoreline stabilization project is needed before choosing a final design; however, maximizing habitat restoration and limiting the use of artificial materials is likely to confer the greatest ecological benefit.

沿海地区人类的快速发展正在引入大量新颖的栖息地，并导致广泛的栖息地简化。为了预测物种对这些变化的反应方式，重要的是要了解生物如何与新颖的栖息地以及自然栖息地相互作用。在这项研究中，我们使用了传统的鱼类采样工具（鱼叉网和小鱼陷阱）和双频识别声纳（DIDSON）在美国北卡罗来纳州的自然和改良河口海岸线上进行了鱼类调查。我们研究的总体目标是调查鱼类的丰度和其他群落指标如何随海岸线类型（天然沼泽，活动海岸线或舱壁），采样位置（沼泽平台或建筑物外海的浅潮下区域）而变化，和一天中的时间（白天或晚上）。使用鱼叉网，与自然沼泽岸线相比，我们在活海岸线上的沼泽平台上捕捞了更多的鱼，并记录了更高的物种丰富度。但是，我们发现在不同海岸线类型的浅水无植被浅海生境中，鱼类的丰度没有显着差异，这可能受到使用now鱼陷阱和DIDSON采样时采样效率低和复制率低的影响。我们的发现与类似的研究一起，可能反映了局部海岸线效应，其中在活动海岸线地点观察到的育苗场增强仅限于海岸线（即沼泽）的活动部分。此外，我们从有限的白天DIDSON与夜间DIDSON采样中获得的初步结果表明，鱼类检测没有显着差异。这与以前使用传统鱼类采样技术进行的许多研究形成对比，后者采用传统的鱼类采样技术报告夜间的渔获量大大提高。这一出乎意料的发现值得进一步研究，因为它可能表明传统的鱼类采样技术可能低估了白天的鱼肉丰度，这可能是由于避免了视觉用具。最终，在选择最终设计方案之前，需要仔细考虑任何海岸线稳定项目的社会和生态目标；但是，最大程度地恢复生境并限制使用人造材料可能会带来最大的生态效益。这一出乎意料的发现值得进一步研究，因为它可能表明传统的鱼类采样技术可能低估了白天的鱼肉丰度，这可能是由于避免了视觉用具。最终，在选择最终设计方案之前，需要仔细考虑任何海岸线稳定项目的社会和生态目标；但是，最大程度地恢复生境并限制使用人造材料可能会带来最大的生态效益。这一出乎意料的发现值得进一步研究，因为它可能表明传统的鱼类采样技术可能低估了白天的鱼肉丰度，这可能是由于避免了视觉用具。最终，在选择最终设计方案之前，需要仔细考虑任何海岸线稳定项目的社会和生态目标；但是，最大程度地恢复生境并限制使用人造材料可能会带来最大的生态效益。