Naturvärdesbedömning av Utanåfladen; En inventering av vårlekande fisk, bottenfauna och vegetation

Sammanfattning: There are several thousands shallow bays along the Swedish east coast. Most of them are disturbed by different human activities, and undisturbed bays can be considered as quite unique. In the sheltered shallow bays water warms up more rapidly than adjacent water favoring the growth of vegetation, which in turns is beneficial to spring spawning fish species like perch and pike. It is nowadays more common that coastal habitats are inventoried to facilitate future preservation and planning. The aim of this study was to investigate the shallow bay Utanåfladen (59° 53`31.38 N 19°00`44.90 E) in the north Stockholm archipelago and evaluate its habitat value. The study includes an inventory of vegetation, benthic fauna and spawning fish in the spring of 2014. Results show that Utanåfladen will be evaluated as a high valued area. The bay seems to be a good spawning area for both pike and perch. Stoneworts that are sensitive to eutrophication were also found in the area.