Examining the catch from a net sample taken at high marsh tide pools.

Processing the samples taken from a gillnet, a horseshoe crab in the background.

The sample catch coming on board, the fish in the net are mostly menhaden.

Trish Murphy takes measurements of the samples.

A scientist measures the number and size of blue crabs taken during the crab- pot collection phase of the sampling process for the project.

Chris Doley, of NOAA, hauls an experimental crab pot from the water at a sampling site. Blue crab pot samples were taken at shallow-water sites around Poplar Island using pots with mesh sizes about three times smaller than used in commercial crab pots. The mesh in the pots used for sampling was about 1/2" of fine mesh netting.

Dave Meyer and Trish Murphy measure the gillnet catch.

A representative sample of some of the species collected; gizzard shad, menhaden, bluefish, striped bass, Atlantic croaker, and white perch.

Lee Crockett and Dave Meyer set gillnets in Poplar Harbor.

A crab pot collection containing a diamondback terrapin and Atlantic croaker. The turtle was revived and released.

Setting crab pots in Poplar Harbor, note the fine mesh.

A close-up of a crab pot with fine mesh. The crab pot is upside down.

Stretching out the gillnet to pick fish on Coaches Island. Coaches Island is one of the islands within the Poplar Island archipelago.

A small blue crab, approximately 3" across, from the crab pot collection.

The bottom of the crab pot bait well is filled with menhaden.

Chris Doley baits the bait well of a crab pot.

Chris Doley of NOAA sets a crab pot at a reference site, Coaches Island is in the distance.

Setting a crab pot at a reference site.

Processing and measuring a crab pot collection.

retrieving a gillnet from the water, the mesh is 1&1/2". The catch is primarily white perch. The gillnets are experimental multi-mesh gillnets. All nets are connected to a string of nets containing different size mesh between 1&1/2", 2&1/2", and 3&1/2" mesh. Gillnets are made with a lead line that sinks to the bottom and a float line that keeps the net just below the surface of the water.

Dave Meyer collects gillnets.

Collection of gillnets at a reference site, the mainland can be seen in the background.

Dave Meyer and Lee Crockett collect gillnets for sampling.

Lee Crockett ad Ed Townsend untie the end of the otter trawl to empty the catch into collection buckets.

The crew takes a lunch break during sampling.

Dave Meyer conducts a throw trap sample of high marsh tide pools on the remnant islands of the Poplar Island archipelago. The collection will help to determine the types and number of small fish and invertebrates that use the tide pools. The collection was looking to determine which species exist in the tide pools where there is no threat from predation.

Fyke net sampling for marsh nekton at Knapps Narrows, a reference site.

Preparing marsh sites for fyke net sampling at a reference site.

setting an otter trawl

preparing at a marsh site for fyke net sampling

fyke net sampling at Knapp narrows

gillnet sampling at a reference site

gillnet sampling

gillnet samples are processed at Coach Island

sorting gillnet samples at the beach

collecting gillnets for sampling

retrieving gillnets

retrieving gillnets from the sampling area

Poplar Island snag areas were sampled using gillnets. One significant result indicated that the rockfish were more abundant in the snag areas than in the harbor or in the reference sites.

A remnant of Middle Poplar Island. Poplar Island was originally over 1000 acres but is now only three acres. The Poplar Island chain was originally one big island that eroded into the smaller islands that now make up the archipelago.

Coaches Island before the restoration was conducted at Poplar Island.

An aerial view of Coaches Island, Middle Poplar Island is seen in the distance.

Dave Meyer tries to navigate a marsh using a "marsh boot".

Dave Meyer in the marsh mud begins to prepare the site for a fyke net collection.

preparing the site for a fyke net collection.

An aerial of Northpoint Island, part of the Poplar Island complex.

Dave Meyer taking environmental parameters and water temperature at the Back Creek site.

Waiting for the tide to go out, a fyke net collection. The nets are deployed at high tide and allowed to fish during the tidal cycle, they are retrieved at low tide.

fyke nets fishing at the Back Creek site

Dave Meyer in the "marsh boots" he designed to walk on the marsh platform. They worked.