Coastal Georgia ecosystem report card 2014

Coastal Georgia
2014 Ecosystem
Report Card

features
Marshes, beaches, & estuaries

South Carolina
Savannah

Georgia

Ogeechee

Altamaha

Suwannee

Satilla

St. Mary's

Atlantic Ocean

Florida

0 10 20 Miles

Legend
Conservation Lands

Wetlands

Shore and Sea Bird Habitat

Sea Turtle Nesting Habitat

Shellfish Harvest Areas

0

10

20 Miles

0 10 20Miles

Coastal Georgia is dominated by marshes and wetlands, and provides habitat for birds, shellfish, and sea turtles.

Located in the center of the South Atlantic Bight, coastal Georgia is a region rich in history, beauty, and natural wonders. Georgia's coast is bound on the east by 14 barrier islands which buffer the mainland from the Atlantic Ocean. Most of these islands remain undeveloped and boast pristine beaches perfect for nesting sea turtles and shorebirds.
Five major freshwater rivers feed the Georgia coast, forming an extensive estuarine ecosystem. The 368,000 acres of saltmarsh provide essential nursery grounds for a diverse range of animals including fish, shrimp, oysters, and birds. Saltmarshes protect upland areas from the force of tides and serve as a natural filtration system for pollutants and nutrients that often enter waterways leading to the ocean.
Coastal Georgia's river system is woven together by hundreds of streams, brackish and freshwater marshes, bogs, and swamps that extend far inland. This network delivers vast amounts of freshwater to the coast and creates a range of habitats that support diverse wildlife.
Although relatively undeveloped, the coastal Georgia landscape is changing nonetheless. New residents are drawn by the region's natural beauty and abundance of recreational opportunities. Through a combination of wise management, stewardship, and collaboration, everything we love about coastal Georgia can be conserved for generations to come.

The importance of creating a report card

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency entrusted to manage Georgia's diverse coastal natural resources. DNR collects data through numerous inventory and monitoring activities conducted along the coast. This report card contains grades for various categories produced by comparing and contrasting data from monitoring activities with known standards and reference points. While this report card does not address every indicator or environmental issue facing the coast, it does provide the public with broad fact-based knowledge about the condition of Georgia's coastal resources.

Monitoring a marsh in coastal Georgia.

DNR/CRD

DNR/CRD

health
Moderately good health in 2014

Index

Fis

T. Keyes
Human Health

heries Index

B+

Coastal Georgia monitoring programs assess oyster reefs (top), wood stork productivity (middle), and sea turtle hatching (bottom).

A. Mackinnon

Scoring Legend

Wildlife Index

80100% good 60<80% moderately good 40<60% moderate 20<40% poor 0<20% very poor

Coastal Georgia received a B+, 76%, a moderately good
score. Three indices covering 12 indicators including human health, fisheries, and wildlife data make up the grade for coastal Georgia. Scores ranged widely, with sea turtle nesting trends scoring the highest, a 100%, or A+, and blue crabs scoring the lowest, a 22%, or D-.

The human health index scored a 90%, or A, in 2014. Overall, human health
B indicators are good, meaning that it is generally safe to swim, as well as to eat local fish and shellfish. For more information on fish consumption guidelines visit epd.georgia.gov/fishconsumption-guidelines.

The fisheries

The wildlife

index scored a

index scored a

68%, or B, in 2014.

69%, or B, in 2014.

Overall, fisheries

Overall, wildlife

indicators are

indicators are

B moderately good, which means that sustainable fishing practices are used and that the coastal

B moderately good, suggesting that key species of birds, sea turtles, and whales are being maintained.

environment is able to support

Populations of these high priority

most commercial and recreational

species are being conserved and

species. The blue crab indicator

improved due to attentive and

fared poorly in 2014 likely due to

robust management strategies.

climate conditions.

fecal coliform 92%

enterococcus 82%

fish consumption advisories

95%

shrimp 100%

methods
Analyzing data & calculating scores

Environmental report cards are used by resource managers to assess and report on the ecosystem health of a region. Developing rigorous, quantitative assessments provides an accountability that is increasingly beneficial to support environmental protection efforts. A five-step process of developing report cards is used to assess progress: 1) conceptualize, 2) choose indicators, 3) define thresholds, 4) calculate scores, and 5) communicate results.
This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of health in coastal Georgia. Coastal Georgia health is defined as the progress of three human health indicators (enterococcus, fecal coliform, and fish consumption advisories), three fisheries indicators (red drum, blue crabs, and shrimp), and six wildlife indicators (wood storks, American oystercatchers, sea turtle hatching, sea turtle nesting, right whale calves, and right whale population growth rate) toward scientifically-derived thresholds or goals. Each of these groups of indicators are averaged into indices; the human health, fisheries, and wildlife indices. The three indices are combined into the Coastal Georgia Ecological Health Score.
Preliminary analysis of water quality indicators was conducted during development of this report card. While there are thresholds for water quality indicators through EPA's National Coastal Condition Assessment, they do not adequately apply to the unique conditions in coastal Georgia (see page at right).
For detailed information on indicators, thresholds, and methodology visit CoastalGaDNR.org/ReportCard.

1

2

Create a framework defining key goals, values, and threats.
3

Select indicators that convey meaningful information.
4

Define reporting regions and method of threshold attainment.
5

Calculate indicator scores and combine into index grades.

Communicate results using visual elements, such as photos, maps, and conceptual diagrams.

Grading scale for the indicators
The report card grading scale is a little different from the grading scale you saw in school. We use a 20-point scale to score the indicators, instead of the 10-point scale. Using a 20-point scale for environmental report cards is widely accepted as the
F best way to communicate health of an ecosystem. By using a scale that is equally divided, small changes in indicators can
be more easily seen over time.

80100%
All human health, fisheries, and wildlife indicators meet desired levels. Indicators in these locations tend to be very good, most often leading to preferred habitat conditions.

60<80%
Most human health, fisheries, and wildlife indicators meet desired levels. Indicators in these locations tend to be good, often leading to acceptable habitat conditions.

40<60%
There is a mix of good and poor levels of human health, fisheries, and wildlife indicators. Indicators in these locations tend to be fair, leading to sufficient habitat conditions.

20<40%
Some or few human health, fisheries, and wildlife indicators meet desired levels. Indicators in these locations tend to be poor, often leading to degraded habitat conditions.

0<20%
Very few or no human health, fisheries, and wildlife indicators meet desired levels. Indicators in these locations tend to be very poor, most often leading to unacceptable habitat conditions.

red drum 83%

blue crabs 22%

American oystercatchers

46%

wood storks 67%

highlights
Water quality & dissolved oxygen
DNR monitors water quality throughout the coastal region. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is one important indicator used to quantify the health of a water body. Low DO is often a sign of degraded water quality. However, some areas in coastal Georgia, especially upriver blackwater creeks and coastal estuaries not fed by freshwater rivers, naturally experience low DO in warmer months without the expected negative effects of algal blooms, fish die-offs, and reduced species diversity observed elsewhere.
A preliminary analysis of DO data from 2014 was conducted for this report card using thresholds established by EPA's National Coastal Condition Assessment. Coastal Georgia's overall DO score is an 81%, or an A-.
Additional monitoring and research is underway by DNR to understand how changes in water quality affect these complex systems and to determine other appropriate indicators of coastal health. For more information on water quality in coastal Georgia, please visit: CoastalGaDNR.org/cm/wq.

Dissolved Oxygen gets an
Legend DO Score
80100% 60<80% 40<60% 20<40% 0<20% 0 10 20 Miles

DNR/CRD

Fisheries & blue crabs
Fisheries indicators in Georgia are important to analyze as they constitute a huge resource along the coast. While red drum and shrimp had high scores in 2014, blue crabs scored the lowest of any indicator in the report card. The blue crab indicator is based on the number of spawning female crabs during peak egg production. Since 1976, DNR's trawl survey has monitored blue crab abundance from 36 sites located in creeks, sounds, and the ocean off coastal Georgia. This information has been the basis for Georgia's blue crab management.
The spawning stock decline observed in 2014 is similar to the downward trend seen in commercial harvest and catch per unit effort data. Commercial harvest was 43% below the 20-year average and catch per unit effort was 54% below the 14-year average. DNR's trawl survey reported a 65% decline in juveniles in 2014 and an 88% decline from the 20-year mean spawning stock. These declines are most likely due to climatic conditions affecting juvenile recruitment rather than commercial fishing effort. In 2014, spawning and larval recruitment success was affected by cooler than normal fall water temperatures and double the average spring rainfall. DNR staff are working with the Blue Crab Advisory Panel to address these issues.

W. Hughes

Dissolved Oxygen station scores in 2014 (top). Water quality monitoring occurs throughout coastal Georgia (bottom).
Although blue crabs declined in 2014, management to improve this resource is promising.

right whale calves

57%

right whale population 66%

sea turtle hatching 77%

sea turtle nesting 100%

involvement
You can help protect Georgia's coastal resources

How you can help
Install a rain barrel for your home to collect water for irrigation
Inspect and pump out your septic system every 3-5 years
Abide by all beach lighting rules and ordinances during sea turtle nesting and hatching season
Know your recreational fishing catch and size limits
Buy a Georgia hunting or fishing license
Pick up after your pets
Participate in monitoring and clean-up activities in local waterways

Benefits
Conserves water which is essential for healthy productive estuaries.
Functioning septic systems keep bacteria from entering waterways, which in turn can help reduce beach advisories and shellfish harvest closures.
Hatchling sea turtles can become easily disoriented and fail to crawl to the water if our homes and flashlights illuminate the beach.
These limits help sustain a healthy population of fish species.
License fees support research and conservation of coastal species and habitats.
Fecal bacteria from pet waste can wash into creeks and rivers, resulting in beach swimming advisories or shellfish harvest closures.
Citizen data can alert resource managers to potential issues. Visit GeorgiaAdoptaStream.com and Riversalive.com/index.htm.

activities
Georgia DNR sustains, protects, & conserves the coast
The mission of the Department of Natural Resources is to sustain, enhance, protect, and conserve Georgia's natural, historic, and cultural resources for present and future generations, while recognizing the importance of promoting the development of commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices. Along Georgia's coast, several Divisions of DNR work collaboratively, including the Coastal Resources Division (CoastalGaDNR.org), Wildlife Resources Division (georgiawildlife.org), and Environmental Protection Division (epd.georgia.gov). Together they manage the region's unique natural resources for wildlife habitat, as well as recreational and commercial uses by the citizens of Georgia.

Acknowledgements
This report card was produced by the Integration & Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and Georgia DNR and published in November 2015. Data were collected by Georgia DNR's Coastal Resources Division, Wildlife Resources Division, and Environmental Protection Division. This report card provides an assessment of coastal Georgia ecosystem health for 2014. This report card was funded by grant award # NA12NOS4190171 from the Office for Coastal Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The statements, findings, and conclusions do not necessarily reflect the views of OCM or NOAA.

Workshop participants in December 2014 who helped produce this report card.
CoastalGaDNR.org