Assemblages of U.S. West Coast Estuaries Based on the Distribution of Fishes

Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on a data matrix representing presence or absence of 360 adult and juvenile fish species in twenty-eight estuaries ranging from Puget Sound, WA to Tijuana, CA. The data matrix included published and unpublished information for each species/estuary combination and consultation with local fishery experts on specific estuaries. The PCA identified six estuarine components that explained 72% of the variation in the data: (1) Northern Riverine Group; (2) Southern California Group; (3) Northern Estuarine Group; (4) Central Marine Group; (5) Fjord Group; and (6) Coastal Northwest Group. Species assemblages for each estuarine group were identified