Nursery habitat use by juvenile blue crabs in created and natural fringing marshes

Climate change and coastal development pressures have intensified the need for shoreline protection. Nature-first approaches that use natural habitats, particularly marshes, are being promoted globally as ecologically-beneficial alternatives to grey infrastructure. The ability of these novel shorelines provide nursery habitat blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), an ecologically economically important species along Atlantic Gulf coasts United States, has not been fully evaluated. We quantified abundance size distribution juvenile crabs from a chronosequence living (created fringing marshes) spanning 2 16 years in age since construction compared with paired marshes southern Chesapeake Bay. Both created used by primary habitats. Despite interannual differences abundance, young (? 2.5 cm carapace width) were observed similar densities sizes at marshes. was related density, indicating even youngest (2 years) provided habitat. potential serve may additional incentive implement nature-based climate adaptation.