In tropical and sub-tropical coastal ecosystems, adults of many economically and ecologically important species are found to live in association with coral reefs, usually between the reef crest and deeper areas of the fore reef slope. Nearshore environments between the coral reef and shore in tropical environments include an interconnected mosaic of diverse habitat types, such as mangroves, seagrass beds, patch reefs, and various hardbottom and soft substrate habitats. These interconnected habitats comprise what is referred to as the "back reef system", consisting of all habitats bound by the leeward side of the reef crest (i.e., the traditional backreef zone) and the mean high tide line along the shore.

Tidal creeks are conspicuous components of the coastal zone throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean, and may be one of the most important links in the back reef complex. Tidal creeks are often lined by stands of mangrove trees (primarily red mangrove Rhizophora mangle and black mangrove Avincennia germinans), and frequently support extensive seagrass beds (Thalassia testudium) and macroalgal flats. Tidal creeks can be considered a specific type of an estuary. Estuaries are semi-enclosed water bodies where fresh and salt water mix; however, due to limited surface freshwater input, Bahamian estuaries are marine-dominated. Wetlands associated with creeks vary substantially in size in the Bahamas, from <1ha to >4,100ha (Fresh Creek, Andros Island). In the Bahamas, there are hundreds of thousands of hectares of wetland area associated with tidal creek systems, yet there remains a relatively little information on their biological structure and ecological function. In particular, very little work has been done to determine the connectivity between creeks and other marine systems (e.g., through fish movements), and thus the extent to which these systems may contribute to fisheries yields on coral reefs and other habitat types in the marine environment.

Back reef habitats, including tidal creeks, are assumed to serve as important habitats for numerous commercially and ecologically important fisheries. It is widely regarded that back reef habitats serve as "nursery areas", traditionally defined as areas that have high juvenile densities because juveniles face lower predation pressure or higher growth rates than in other habitats. But surprisingly little information exists on organism movement patterns that link different aquatic habitats, including little direct information explicitly demonstrating connectivity of juvenile and adult habitats in sub-tropical and tropical coastal environments. There is, however, substantial inferential evidence that points toward a link between back reef and other marine habitats. For example, there are distinct differences in size frequency distributions of several fish species between back reef and coral reefs, suggesting that small individuals first use back reef habitats then shift to coral reef habitats as adults.

The Adopt a Fish, Adopt a School program is specifically designed to provide pieces of information that will further our understanding of back-reef habitats (specifically mangrove-line tidal creeks), their role as nurseries, and the extent to which they are linked with marine habitats. The goals of the science associated with the program include:

-Examine movements of fish within a tidal creek, and link these movement patterns to variables such as tidal regime, temperature, and time of day.
-Attempt to directly demonstrate that fishes that utilize mangroves as juveniles eventually move to coral reefs as adults.
-Examine the extent to which individuals of the same species vary in their movement patterns. Use these data to infer the within-population variation in behavior, and perhaps to document the possible incidence of individual specialization in behavior/feeding within these populations.

-Demonstrate the value of restoring mangrove wetlands, by showing that fish move into these areas to feed. Also, to potentially document the link between the restored wetlands and coral reefs through movement patterns of fishes.

Some scientific articles that provide more information on the themes above:

Adams, A.J., Dahlgren, C.P., Kellison, G.T., Kendall, M.S., Layman, C.A., Ley, J.A., Nagelkerken, I., and Serafy, J.E. 2006. The juvenile contribution function of tropical backreef systems. Marine Ecology Progress Series 318:287-301.

Layman, C.A., Arrington, D.A., and Silliman, B.R. 2003. Underwater Visual Census Provides "Snapshot" Assessment for Tidal Connectivity Restoration (Bahamas). Ecological Restoration 21(12):132-133.

Layman, C.A., Arrington, D.A., Langerhans, R.B and Silliman, B.R. 2004. Degree of fragmentation affects assemblage structure in Andros Island (Bahamas) estuaries. Caribbean Journal of Science 40(2):232-244.