A multi-region study of perceptions surrounding marsh and mangrove fisheries ecosystem services conducted from 2021 to 2022

This dataset contains a multi-region study of perceptions surrounding marsh and mangrove fisheries ecosystem services conducted from 2021 to 2022. Interacting climatic, ecological, and social forces are changing the distribution of coastal wetlands globally, and these changes may have implications for ecosystem service delivery in coastal systems and the resulting perceptions of waterfront residents. Waterfront resident perceptions of the provisioning capacity of wetlands for underpinning coastal fisheries were quantified in the United States Gulf of Mexico (GOM), located at a marsh-mangrove ecotone undergoing mangrove expansion. We deployed a survey instrument from fall 2021 to fall 2022 and targeted waterfront property owners because of their direct coastal access and capacity to impact shoreline composition. Four study sites in the northern GOM were targeted: on the eastern Gulf, Cedar Key / Homosassa, and Panama City Beach, Florida; and on the western Gulf, Galveston and Corpus Christi, Texas. Cedar Key and Homosassa, Florida were combined to achieve a similar sample size of waterfront homeowners as in other study areas. Survey items measured the perceived relative performance of mangroves and marshes for delivering fisheries ecosystem services, shoreline characteristics and attitudes, fishing behaviors, and demographics.