Life History Concepts of Motile Estuarine-Dependent Species Should Be Re-evaluated

Forty Years of Research
on the ecology of juvenile fish and crustaceans in marsh nurseries, and on the effects of weirs (low dams) on marshland environments.

The purpose of this site is to make the research it contains as widely available as possible. All material contained herein may be used, with proper citation.

About the author

William H. Herke, Ph.D., is a consulting estuarine fisheries ecologist, retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and currently adjunct professor of fisheries at Louisiana State University. He is a board member of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. He received the 1986 Governor's Award for Conservationist of the Year (for outstanding contributions to the wise use and management of Louisiana's natural resources), and the 2001 Louisiana Outdoor Writer's Association Arthur Van Pelt Award for Lifetime Wildlife Conservation Achievement.

About the site

"Life History Concepts of Motile Estuarine-Dependent Species Should be Re-evaluated" is a monograph, copyrighted in 1977, based on Dr. Herke's 1971 dissertation. Although it contradicted too many of the accepted paradigms at that time to gain journal acceptance, many of the conclusions have since been validated. The monograph is now somewhat dated but still contains much worth considering.

"Marsh Nursery Function: Food or Refuge?" documents use for both food and refuge.

There is a bibliography of 60 articles that appeared over some forty years in refereed journals, conference proceedings, and popular press, reprints of which are available, at no cost, from the author.

There is a short curriculum vita of the author.

For inquiries about the site, contact the webmaster, Kate Herke, at KHerke@cox.net

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