Abundance patterns of six fish species in the shallow coastal zone in The Netherlands

Sand nourishment is an essential part of the long term flood defense strategy of the Dutch coast. A distinction can be made between beach nourishments and underwater nourishments. This report concerns underwater nourishments. Nourishments have ecological consequences that differ between species living in the shallow coastal zone. The objective of the study is to derive abundance patterns based on habitat suitability models for a number of selected fish species that live in the shallow coastal zone. Abundance patterns form the basis for an assessment of the effects of nourishments.