Modeling the Effects of a Power Plant Decommissioning on an Estuarine Food Web

Exploring multiple stressor effects with Ecopath, Ecosim, and Ecospace: Research designs, modeling techniques, and future directions

“…Shabtay et al (2018) compared alternative spatial plans for the area around a coastal power plant, including expansion of industrial infrastructure via habitat changes and displacement of fisheries. Vasslides et al (2017b) modeled cooling water intake from a coastal power plant (killing organisms in the water) as a fishery.…”

Quantitative vs. Semiquantitative Ecosystem Models: Comparing Alternate Representations of an Estuarine Ecosystem

“…The Barnegat Bay Ecopath Model (Vasslides et al, 2016) contains 27 distinct biomass groups, including 12 fish species, five benthic invertebrate groups, two gelatinous zooplankton species, three planktonic groups, two benthic vegetation groups, two shorebird groups, and a detrital pool ( Figure 2). The model was constructed for 1981, the earliest year for which reliable harvest information for many of the fish groups was available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Recreational Fishing Survey and Marine Recreational Information Program (NOAA, 2015a) and Fisheries Statistics Divisions (NOAA, 2015b).…”

“…Once the Ecopath model was balanced, recreational and commercial fisheries time-series catch data were used to drive the model, and fishery-independent catch data, primarily from research surveys, were used to assess the model fit (Vasslides et al, 2016). The parameters influencing predator-prey interac- tions in the model were adjusted for only those groups with time-series data of at least 3 years in length.…”

“…In practice, adjustments to these parameters improve the model fit to data and help explain some of the variability in the data. Details of the EwE model setup, parameterization, and fitting to the species time-series data can be found in Vasslides et al (2016).…”

“…Furthermore, the models incorporate non-trophic interactions through relationships that may be difficult to quantify at appropriate scales, making the outcomes of the model sensitive to the modeler's assump-tions (Harvey, 2014;Vasslides et al, 2016). The formal structure of model development and underlying complex theories can also discourage the participation of non-modelers, limiting the inclusion of local ecological knowledge and early buy-in by stakeholders, which are crucial to acceptance of management recommendations coming from the model (Raymond et al, 2010).…”