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Increasing human populations and urban development have led to losses of estuarine habitats for fish and wildlife. Where resource managers are restoring coastal wetlands, in addition to meeting goals related to hydrologic connectivity, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, efforts are being made to provide habitat that is suitable for juvenile sportfish. An 18-month study was conducted to compare juvenile sportfish use of natural, restored, and impacted sites along Tampa Bay, Florida, shorelines. Juvenile sportfish densities at restored sites were broadly comparable to natural sites and greater than at impacted sites. However, site-specific differences in sportfish use did occur within site types. For example, one restored site had significantly higher densities of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus than any other site, while black drum Pogonias cromis were found exclusively at another restored site. To evaluate whether the restored sites are providing suitable habitat for juvenile fish, we assessed growth (estimated from counts of daily rings on otoliths) and condition (determined by lipid analyses) of juvenile common snook Centropomus undecimalis, an archetypal coastal wetland-dependent species. Growth (0.43-0.56 mm SL/day) and condition (4.6-6.1% lipid of dry weight) exhibited only site-specific differences and did not vary among natural, restored, and impacted site types. Although mortality rates of juvenile sportfish were not determined, use of a 40-m seine found that densities of potential piscine predators in these coastal wetlands were relatively low compared to published studies of open estuarine shorelines. The restoration and creation of coastal wetlands in Tampa Bay provides improved habitat for juvenile sportfish.

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The trade in ornamental fish is increasingly viewed as a major source for the introduction of invasive species into the environment. However, few ornamental fishes are established and widespread in the conterminous United States, and fewer still are thought to cause noticeable environmental impacts. To better evaluate the risk of this pathway, we conducted a risk screen of 34 important freshwater ornamental fish species by using the Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit (FISK) version 2 for the conterminous United States. Screens from three to five independent assessors resulted in categorization of 91–100% of the species as noninvasive. The low climate match of these mostly tropical species largely confines establishment risk to subtropical regions, primarily peninsular Florida, and to isolated thermal refuges (e.g., geothermal springs) in otherwise unsuitable climates. Few data on impacts exist for tropical ornamental fish in the conterminous United States, and there is little evidence for the occurrence of large, long‐term effects despite local impacts for a few species. Our results indicate that the freshwater tropical ornamental fish trade is less risky to the conterminous United States than has been concluded in most previous studies. Further risk assessment for management decisions might be required on a regional scale or for localized, high‐risk situations. Received November 3, 2016; accepted March 23, 2017 Published online July 18, 2017

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