Biological Services
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental monitoring provides the basis for assessing any potential effects of beach restoration projects on local resources as well as the efficacy of mitigative reefs. CPE professionals developed and published the Benthic Ecological Assessment for Marginal Reefs (BEAMR), the monitoring method for nearshore hardbottom (marginal reefs) which has become the new industry standard recognized by state and federal regulatory agencies for resource characterization and project effect determinations. This methodology was developed in response to the recognition that the standard industry methods did not adequately characterize nearshore habitats not dominated by corals.
CPE biologists are experienced in reef fish identification and assessment of reef fish assemblages. Fish censuses provide vital data on spatial and temporal attributes of local fish populations, the potential nursery value of a habitat, and a critical measure for determining the degree of functional similarity between mitigative reefs and natural nearshore habitat.
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