    [From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

            ASSESSMENT OF FISHERIES HABITAT

                             FINAL REPORT

                                      for

         I                       ~~TASKS 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
    IS

                ASMOCTOBEER 1987  coSTAL H0XIT
                                                    INFORMATION CEN TEER

                 These projects were supported by a grant from the Florida Office
                 of Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Regulation,
                 with funds provided by the United States Office of Ocean and
                 Coastal Resource Management, NOAA, under the Coastal Zone Manage-
        I g  ~ment Act of 1972, as amended.

    SH
    329
     .H344
    1987

                                           IPropertY of CSC  i4b         J

                                     ASSESSMENT OF FISHERIES HABITAT

                                         TASKS 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

                                              FINAL REPORT

                                                   for

                                    GRANT PERIOD 10/1/86 THRU 9/30/87

                        Kenneth D. Haddad, Kristie A. Killam, Barbara A. Hoffman,
                        Robert H. McMichael, Jr., Paul Carlson, Gail A. McGarry,
                                  Randall Hochberg, and Jamie L. Serino

                                              October, 1987

                                               U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NOAA
                                               COASTAL SERVICES CENTER
                                               2234 SOUTH HOBSON AVENUE
                                              CHARLESTON  SC 29405-2413

     I c
      H nh

    4 ~ '~

           I                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~INTRODUCTION

                   This report contains Tasks 1-5 of the Coastal Zone Management program

              at the Bureau of Marine Research.  Task I work products focus on a project

              that relates potential environmental stresses (i.e., sediment, light) to

              physiological correlates (i.e., changes in amino acid pools, rates of

    I          ~~~oxygen  production)  of  the  seagrass,  Thalassia  testudinum.    This  work

              complements previous CZM work that identified environmental stress and loss

              of seagrass habitat as a major problem in long term resource management.

              Task 2 work products are centered around the development of the Marine

              Resource Geographic Information System (MRGIS) and the dissemination of

    I          ~~~both digital  and hard copy  data into  the user  community.   Task 3 work

    *          ~~products  are  based  on  the  goal  to  link  and  quantify  the  relationship

              between fisheries species to estuarine habitats.   Task 4 is accomplishing

              the goal of defining population dynamics of juvenile snook and red drum in

              a  specific  and  quantifiable  estuarine  habitat  to  understand  the

              complexities  of  population  size,  growth,  mortality,  immigration,  and

              emigration.   These three tasks now represent a major thrust of the Bureau

    I          ~~~of Marine Research to develop techniques and provide information to more

              effectively manage our marine resources.

                   Since sound information on habitat quantity, location, and importance

              to Florida's fisheries and non-game resources has never been addressed with

              a methodical, holistic approach, this type of information has not been

    I          ~~~available to the researcher or resource manager.   Although much of what we

              are doing will require long term database development, the preliminary

              information has been and continues to be requested by agencies, planners,

              and researchers.   We expect this program to grow and the knowledge gained

              to be of critical importance to the future of our coastal natural

    I         ~~~resources.

                   Task 5 is providing the vehicle to get our information and project

              results to the general public.   The most effective approach to resource

              management is by an informed public guiding the governmental processes. By

              providing factual non-technical information to the public, they can make

              better decisions when facing tough issues regarding our marine environment.

              Through  brochures,  presentations  and  other  forms  of  media,  we  are

    I         ~~accomplishing  these  goals  and  the  results  can  only  be  positive  for

              Florida's future.

                   TASK 1: THALASSIA STRESS STUDY

    Seagrass beds are important habitats for many species of fish and

    shellfish in Florida estuaries. However, dramatic loss in

    seagrass area was documented in most areas where habitat

    inventories were conducted. Seagrass habitat losses occur as the

    result of direct losses due to dredging and physical damage and

    indirect losses resulting from dieback.  The causes of seagrass

    dieback are unidentified, chronic, and anthropogenic stresses,

    and turtle grass, (Thalassia testudinum), seems particularly

    susceptible to dieback.   Field and laboratory experiments were

    carried out to (1) examine the potential roles of hypoxia and

    sediment sulfide concentrations in seagrass dieback and (2) to

    determine indices of chronic stress in Thalassia which might be

    used to identify stress in the field before a seagrass bed is

    lost.

    FIELD STUDIES OF COMMUNITY OXYGEN METABOLISM IN THALASSIA BEDS IN
    LOWER TAMPA BAY

    Introduction

    Diurnal measurements of community oxygen metabolism in healthy

    and stressed seagrass beds were undertaken in an effort to

    determine whether hypoxia causes or contributes to the phenomenon

    of dieback.   Hypoxia frequently causes the death of flood-

    intolerant crop plants when soils are waterlogged for long

    periods of time, but one would not expect seagrasses, like

    Thalassia, to be prone to hypoxic stress.

    Under all but the most extreme naturally-occurring conditions

    (ie., hurricanes), Thalassia is well adapted against hypoxic

    stress.   The most prominent adaptation  is the well-developed

    lacunar system which transports oxygen produced by photosynthesis

    in the leaves to the roots and rhizomes which are submerged in

    anaerobic sediment. We hypothesize that the capacity of this

    oxygen-conducting system can be saturated by high sediment BOD

    resulting from anthropogenic nutrient inputs, oxygen depletion

    due to sewage or nutrient inputs, or shading due to sediment

    resuspension or algae blooms.

    Methods

    To construct oxygen budgets for stressed and healthy Thalassia

    beds, four sets of diurnal measurements of oxygen metabolism were

    made at three sites in lower Tampa Bay. Measurements were made

    during the summer, on 6/30-7/2, 8/18-21, and 9/25-30, when high

    water temperatures enhanced possible hypoxic stresses.

    The three study *sites used for the diurnal measurements of

    benthic community metabolism were located in Fort DeSoto Park at

    the mouth of Tampa Bay (Fig. A).   Sites were selected on the

    basis of previous studies carried out by this lab to represent

    extremes of water quality. The sewage-impacted site was located

    in a restricted embayment between St. Jeanne Key and Bonne

    Fortune Key, approximately 300 m north of the outfall for the

    sewage treatment plant serving the East Beach recreation area.

    The stress site was located east of Bonne Fortune Key in an

    embayment that had limited circulation, high water temperatures,

          and generally high turbidity for most of the summer. The control

          site was located on the south side of Bunces Pass to maximize

          water quality by providing flushing and cool water temperatures.

          At each site, four clear plexiglas chambers, 60 cm diameter x 50

          cm height, were placed over the Thalassia bed. The chambers were

    I     ~sealed by pressing them into the sediment 5-10 cm.  Water within

          each chamber was recirculated by a submersible bilge pump. A YSI

          Model 58 oxygen meter and probe continuously measured dissolved

          oxygen in each chamber, and a Li-cor LI-1000 data logger recorded

          mean, maximum, and minimum dissolved oxygen concentrations every

          10 minutes for the entire logging interval. Photosynthetically-

          active radiation (light wavelengths from 400 to 700 nm) was

    I     ~recorded from one sensor above the water surface and another

          sensor at the top of the seagrass canopy.   At the end of each

          experiment, root and shoot samples were harvested from each

          chamber to calculate biomass and leaf surface area.

          Diurnal measurements at all three sites were generally made back-

          to-back on four consecutive days to minimize differences in

    I     ~weather between sites.  Each cycle of measurements began at the

          stress site and ended at the sewage site.   After the field

          measurements were complete, lab experiments were carried out to

    I    ~measure oxygen exchange rates of green leaves,  epiphytized

          leaves, rhizomes, sediment, and overlying water from each site to

    I    ~partition oxygen fluxes measured in situ.   Complete oxygen

          budgets were calculated for all four measurement cycles, but only

          data from the September series are presented below.

    Results

    Diel oxygen flux measurements in September were made under

    virtually cloudless conditions (Figs. B, F, and J).

    Photosynthetically-active radiation (PAR) varied sinusoidally,

    with signficant cloudiness during the morning of day two at the

    stress site and the afternoon of day two at the sewage site.

    Oxygen concentrations at the control site rose during the first

    three hours of measurement and then declined gradually from 1500

    h until 1800 h (Fig. C). Rates of oxygen consumption in all four

    chambers increased after dark, and chambers were flushed with

    outside water at midnight to prevent anoxia. Post-flushing

    oxygen consumption rates were considerably higher than evening

    rates, probably as the result of rhizome oxygen depletion.

    Chambers were exposed by tides  from 0630  to  0930.   Upon

    reflooding, chamber oxygen concentrations rose rapidly until

    logging ended at 1200 h. Oxygen fluxes at the other sites (Figs.

    G and K) showed similar diurnal patterns.

    When oxygen concentrations within each chamber are plotted

    against bottom PAR, latent oxygen storage and demands within the

    seagrass community become apparent  (Fig.  D).   DO values  lag

    behind PAR until approximately 0900 each morning suggesting an

    oxygen deficit within Thalassia or another major component of the

    system.   Oxygen concentrations  then  rise  rapidly  for the

    remainder of the morning and oxygen concentrations  in the

    chambers approach saturation in the late morning and early

    afternoon.  Much of the oxygen produced at this time accumulates

    in bubbles or in lacunar tissue within Thalassia leaves, roots,

    I     ~and rhizomes.   As a result of oxygen  storage  in Thalassia,

    I ~chamber Do values show little response to dropping PAR levels in

          the late afternoon and evening. Similar patterns are observed at

          the stress site (Fig. G) and the sewage site (Fig. K).

          Community respiration at the control site caused rapid decreases

          in chamber dissolved oxygen levels (Fig. E) .  Non-linear oxygen

          consumption curves at all sites (see Figs. E and 14) resulted from

           (1) the Pasteur effect resulting from first-order oxygen uptake

          kinetics at low oxygen concentrations and (2) oxygen transport

    I     ~through rhizomes from shoots outside the chambers.

          Net photosynthesis, respiration, gross primary production, and

           the photosynthesis/respiration ratio for each chamber at each

    *     ~site were estimated from the oxygen flux curves (Table A) .  Net

           photosynthesis was highest at the sewage site, intermediate at

           the stress site, and lowest at the control site. Respiration was

           highest at the stress site and lowest at the sewage site. Gross

    I     ~primary production, estimated by adding dark respiration to net

           photosynthesis, was similar at the sewage and stress sites and

           lower at the control site.

    1     ~Structural parameters used in oxygen budget calculations showed

    I     ~marked differences among sites (Table B).  Root and shoot biomass
           at the control and stress site were similar but were quite low

    I     ~at the sewage site.   Root/shoot  ratios  were  1.46  and  1.37,

           respectively, for the control and stress sites.  The sewage site
           value,  0.64, probably reflected the minimal  investment for

           producing belowground tissue in sediments with high biological

    I     ~oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD).

          Shoot density, blade number, and maximum blade length were

          similar among sites.   Blade width and green leaf area   were

    I     ~highest at the control site, intermediate at the stress site, and

          lowest at the sewage site.  Epiphyte leaf area was greatest at

          the sewage site, intermediate at the control site, and lowest at

          the stress site.

          Component fluxes and total oxygen budgets for each chamber are

          shown in Table C. Sediment biological oxygen demand values were

          similar among the three sites, while the sediment COD values were

          quite different.   Thalassia leaf respiration estimates were

    I     ~relatively low for the sewage site because of the small standing

          crop of seagrass present.  Estimates of water column respiration

          rates were lowest for the stress site, considerably high for the

          sewage site, and highest for the control site. The component sum

          estimate of respiration is comparable for all three sites, but

    I     ~all three are considerably higher than chamber estimates  for

          respiration.   The discrepancy probably results from oxygen

          storage within Thalassia and transport of oxygen into the chamber

    *     ~from shoots outside the chamber during the field experiments.

          Net photosynthesis of Thalassia was highest for leaves from the

          sewage site.   Net photosynthesis in the water column was very

    I     ~high for the sewage site, intermediate at the stress site, and

          lowest at the control site. Component sum estimates of total net

    I     ~photosynthesis exceed chamber estimates by a factor of 3.1 for

    I     ~the stress site, 3.3 for the sewage site, and 4.2 for the control

    site.  These discrepancies also were attributed to oxygen storage

    in Thalassia tissue during field measurements and poor

    duplication of natural seagrass canopy light extinction

    characteristics in component measurements of photosynthesis.

    Conclusions

    Field studies of community metabolism indicate, paradoxically,

    that while gross photosynthetic rates and photosynthesis/

    respiration ratios of Thalassia beds were highest in the sewage-

    impacted site, seagrasses at this site are extremely vulnerable

    to episodes of hypoxia and anoxia.

    Several structural parameters may be useful indices of Thalassia

    stress based on the three sites we studied.  Mean blade width was

    cited from other investigations as an indicator of salinity

    stress; we find that lower blade widths may also accompany oxygen

    stress. Root/shoot ratios may also be diagnostic of the BOD and

    COD characteristics of sediments.

    LABORATORY  STUDIES  OF  THE  RELATIONSHIP  BETWEEN  SEDIMENT
    SULFIDE CONCENTRATIONS AND THALASSIA GROWTH

    Introduction

    The laboratory phase of this project examined the potential

    toxicity of hydrogen sulfide and its effect on the growth and

    survival of Thalassia testudinum. Sulfide was selected for study

    because it is a potent cytotoxin, rapidly denaturing

    metalloproteins (enzymes among them) when it diffuses into living

    cells.

    Sulfide concentrations in the sediments of natural Thalassia beds

    are frequently very high, but this might play a synergistic role

    in seagrass die-back when plant roots become hypoxic.   Root

    hypoxia may result from (1) natural causes, such as protracted

    cloudy weather which reduces the amount of oxygen transported

    from the shoots to the rhizomes and roots, or (2) anthropogenic

    causes, such as high sediment and water column BOD values

    associated with primary or secondary sewage effluent.  When the

    root tissue becomes hypoxic, the leakage of oxygen out of the

    roots into the surrounding sediments ceases, and the immediate

    vicinity of the root surface (the rhizosphere) changes from a

    chemically-oxidized zone to a reduced zone.   Sediment sulfide,

    which was oxidized by root oxygen in the rhizosphere, is then

    able to diffuse into the root tissue.

    Methods

    To investigate the effect of sediment sulfide on Thalassia

    growth, three experiments were conducted during the summer of

    1987  in laboratory  culture  systems.   The  culture  systems

    consisted of burial vaults filled with seawater located on the

    roof of the RMI building at the Bureau of Marine Research in St.

    Petersburg.   Clumps of Thalassia and  sandy  sediment were

    collected in November 1986 from a healthy seagrass bed and potted

    with additional builder's sand into 50 1-gallon PVC pots.

    Each of the three experiments  lasted 4-6 weeks.   The  first

    experiment began 6/2/87 and ended 7/15/87. The second experiment

    began 8/1/87 and ended 9/4/87, and the third began 9/9/87 and

          ended 10/14/87.  While the last experiment occurred partly

          outside the contract period, the results are included in this

          report.

    U     ~Light was measured continuously during all experiments using a

          Li-Cor datalogger and PAR sensor.   Salinity and temperature of

          the water in each vault were measured twice daily and new

          seawater was used to restore salinities to values between 24 ppt

          and 30 ppt after rainstorms.   During the second and third

    I     ~experiments, each pot was fertilized once a week with ammonium

    3     ~phosphate.   Pore water sulfide concentrations were measured

          weekly during the first two experiments and twice weekly during

          the third experiment.   During the first two experiments,  no

          sediment amendments were made.   In the third experiment,  four

    I     ~treatments were randomly applied to three groups of pots.  The

          three groups were assigned on the basis of initial sediment

          sulfide concentration: low = pots with sulfide less than 300 u1m,

          medium = pots with sulfide between 300 and 800 uMN, and high =

          pots with sulfide concentrations greater than 800 uM.  The four

    I     ~treatments were  (1) bubbling sediment with air to oxidize

          sulfide, (2) twice weekly injections of sodium lactate to

          stimulate sulfate-reducing bacteria, (3) shading to reduce oxygen

          transport to roots and allow sulfide to penetrate the plant

          rhizosphere, and (4) controls.

          At least five Thalassia short shoots were labelled in each pot,

    *     ~and all blades in labelled shoots were measured weekly between

          5/2/87 and 10/14/87.   Growth rates of each blade in labelled

    short shoots were calculated each week during the interval. All

    statistical analyses were performed using SAS.

    Results

    Despite the apparent homogeneity of the plant plugs collected for

    the experimental units, pore water sulfide in the 50 pots ranged

    from  10 micromolar  to  3 millimolar.   This  serendipitous

    concentration span was used in the first two experiments to

    compare Thalassia standing crop to pore water sulfide

    concentrations (Table D).

    No significant correlation was observed in any of the three

    experiments between Thalassia standing crop and pore water

    sulfide concentrations. While F-values for the regression models

    indicate a marginally signficant relationship between sulfide and

    plant  standing  crop  for  experiment  2,  the  correlation

    coefficients suggest a very weak relationship.   The highest r-

    squared value (0.14) was obtained during experiment 2 when the

    log of total blade length at the end of the experiment for each

    pot was regressed against mean pore water sulfide concentration

    during the experiment (Model 4, Table D).  Relationships between

    growth rates and pore water sulfide concentrations in experiments

    2 and 3 were also weak, but were improved by the addition of

    initial total leaf standing crop as an independent variable in

    the regression model (Models 9 and 14, Table D).

    Manipulation of the sediment environment in experiment 3 resulted

    in marked changes in pore water sulfide concentrations and

    marginally-significant changes in leaf growth rates (Table E) o

          High and medium sulfide groups in the control treatment showed

          slight declines in pore water sulfide during experiment 3, while

          the low sulfide group in the control treatment showed a slight

          increase in sediment sulfide. Aeration caused marked declines in

          the sulfide concentrations of high and medium sulfide groups, but

          a moderate increase in the low sulfide group.   Lactate addition

          caused a marked increase in the sulfide concentration of high

    I     ~sulfide pots and a moderate increase in medium sulfide pots.

          Sulfide concentrations declined dramatically in all the pots that

          were shaded. Turnover times varied slightly among treatments and

          groups, but the decrease in sulfide concentrations and lack of

          increase in turnover time observed in the shade treatment suggest

          that Thalassia is definitely light-saturated and may be inhibited

          in full sunlight.

          Conclusions

    I     ~We were unable to demonstrate a significant effect of sulfide on

          Thalassia growth rates under laboratory conditions. However, the

          ,apparent light-saturation and possible photo-inhibition observed

          in experiment 3 suggest that experiments proposed for FY 87/88

          funding, examining the interaction of light and sulfide

    I     ~concentration, should give us valuable results.

      I                  ~~~~~TASK 2: MARINE RESOURCE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM
                                 UPDATED AND CLASSIFIED IMAGERY

                   A major update and restructuring of the primary LANDSAT database of

               the. MRGIS was accomplished during this grant period. The original database

    I          ~~~was not designed for the flexibility now required for data dissemination.

              The *demand for quantitative and geographically oriented data has increased

              tremendously within the private and government sectors. When the MRGIS was

    *         ~~originally  conceived  and  developed  it  was  designed  to house  fisheries

              habitat data.  From our perspective, this meant a final form of data which

    I         ~~could be integrated  into  the development  of fisheries  carrying capacity

              models.    Our  approach  was  successful  in creating  a fisheries  habitat

              database, but this approach did not lend itself to the flexibility needed

              to provide data to a user community. We used a biased statistical approach

              to delineate  the  fisheries habitat  at the expense  of the non-fisheries

    I         ~~~habitat (Fig. 1).  With this approach we maintained the database on three

               300 megabyte disk packs.  Once the raw data were processed, it was deleted

              and maintained on the original 9 track tape data set.  Reaccessing the raw

              data  to meet  additional  needs  that  were  not  originally  perceived  was,

               therefore,  time  consuming  and  cumbersome.    Many  other  problems  were

    I          ~~inherent  in  this  approach  from  a  data  access  and  dissemination

              perspective.

                   The new and flexible approach we have taken is depicted in Figure 2.

              Georeferencing  is done  on  the  raw data.    This  allows  us  to generate

              products in the UTM format with no margin of error in geoposition from one

    I          ~~~product to the other.  In addition,  the algorithm used for georeferencing

    *          ~~~the raw data is a bilinear interpolation and maintains the resolution of

              the raw data much better than that of the nearest-neighbor algorithm used

    to georeference classified data. The georeferenced raw data are maintained

    on active 300 Mb disk packs.' A parallel-piped classifier is run on the

    data  to create  two intermediate  data  sets.   The first data set  is the

    result of classifying Bands 2 (green), 3 (red), and (4) red/near infrared

    into 256 categories.   The second data set results from classifying Band 3

    (red)',  4  (red/near-infrared)  and  5  (mid-infrared).             The  first

    classification  best  depicts  general  land  cover  while  the  second

    classification  enhances  wetlands  delineation.         Since  256  numerical

    categories exist in each data set, over 500 categories can be evaluated and

    combined  to  best  present  the  needed  final  work  file  database.    This

    increases the time required to generate the final product and requires more

    interactive interpretation of the data but the results are superb to any

    other methods we have tested.   The versatility of this approach allows us

    to meet all the demands on the types of information desired. For example,

    boundaries for resource maps for the Aquatic Preserve program are based on

    ordinary high water and require only one category for saltmarsh. A county,

    on the other hand, may be interested in separating the marsh into four

    categories (Juncus sp., Spartina alterniflora, Spartina bakeri, and mixed

    saltmarsh).   Fisheries habitat researchers may be interested  in not only

    species  delineation  but  also  density  differences.    The  point  is  that

    everyone requires information tailored to their own needs and if the

    database is not versatile enough to handle these requests, it will be of

    limited value.  We feel that we are now in a position to service many types

    of requests.

         Through this approach, we increased our actively maintained data from

    storage on three disks  (.9 gigabytes) to a current inventory of 17 disks

    (5.1 gigabytes).  Each disk represents a region of the state and the data

              can be accessed on the MRGIS within five minutes by simply placing the disk

              into the disk drive.   We structured all data for coastal Florida in that

    I          ~~~format except for the lower portion of the Indian River Lagoon.  This has

    I          ~~~not been done because we were unable to acquire a good, cloud-free Thematic
              Mapper image of the area; however, an image for the area was recently

              ordered.   When it arrives,  the coastal database  for fisheries  resources

              will be complete.   In summary, we have updated and classified the entire

              fisheries habitat database for the State of Florida, not just the areas

              originally specified, in a much more versatile format.

              DATA DOWNLOADING

                   The interest in accessing the MRGIS database has virtually expanded

              beyond  our ability  to respond  in a timely manner.   This was a primary

              reason for our efforts in data updating and restructuring.  We met all the

              obligations outlined in our grant for data downloading and met many

              additional data requests.

                   Digital data was transferred to East Central Florida Regional Planning

              Council  (EGFRPC)  in  several  formats.    The  Cocoa/Rockledge  area  was

              processed on the MRGIS using a parallel-piped classifier with two different

    I         ~~channel analyses.   These data also were run through a mode filter which

              reduces the number of isolated pixels in the data.  In addition, a maximum

              likelihood classifier was run on the raw data; this and a mode filtered

    I         ~~~version were transferred to the ECFRPC.  By providing this versatility in

              data formats, the ECFRPC then was able to determine which format(s) best

    I         ~~~provided the information they required.  Seagrass and mangrove delineations

              were provided in the downloaded data.   We also provided the Wekiva River

              area in several processed forms.

                   Processed data in several formats were also transferred to the GIS at

              Rookery Bay Aquatic Preserve in Naples .   The data were consolidated and

    I         ~~ground truthed and returned  for hard copy production and storage on the

              MRGIS  (Figsd. 3 and 4).   This  series  of  transfers  demonstrates  a major

              concept in the, long-term development of the MRGIS.  It is our feeling that

              digital data transfer is the most efficient and usable format of the MRGIS

              database.   The micro-computer environment provides an effective means to

    I         ~~~address  that method  of transfer.   In the case of the Naples  facility,

    *         ~~~in-house expertise was employed to consolidate the fisheries habitat data

              and conduct ground truthing. The final products were then transferred back

              to the MRGIS for final preparation and storage.   An extensive network of

              this nature throughout the state would provide an effective means for

              database development, maintenance, and enhancement.  We also provided data

              to the Naples facility that depicted sand beds off Marco Island.

     I            ~ ~~~Digital data also were transferred to the Marine Resources Council of

    *         ~~East  Central  Florida who  recently  acquired  the necessary  micro-computer

              equipment for image data manipulation and to DNR Bureau of Aquatic Plant

    *         ~~~Management who also recently acquired similar capabilities.

                   The Everglades National Park personnel are in the process of acquiring

    I         ~~MRGIS-type  capabilities  and  have  substantially  completed  a mapping  of

              fisheries habitat. We currently have a hardcopy form of their maps. We do

              not plan to digitize this into the MRGIS unless their funding is cut, but

    *         ~~~we will access their database and provide assistance in the development of

              their system.   This  is also true with Kennedy Space Flight Center; they

    I         ~~~recently acquired a GIS that is compatible with the MRGIS and we will have

    *         ~~~direct access to their data.

                   Finally, digital data were also provided to the South Florida Water

    Management  District,  University  of  Florida  IFAS  Remote  Sensing  Lab,

    University of Florida Northeast Regional Data Center, and Florida DOT

    Bureau of Topographic Mapping.

        Over the last funding year, we provided the Aquatic Preserve Program

    with hard copy resource maps for Ten Thousand Islands (Fig. 3), Rookery Bay

    (Fig. 4), St. Martins Marsh (Fig. 5), Tomoka Marsh (Fig. 6), Wekiva River

    (Fig.  7), and Big Bend  (Fig. 8) Aquatic Preserves.   Wekiva River Aquatic

    Preserve was our first major effort using Thematic Mapper data to inventory

    freshwater wetlands. The Big Bend area was the largest Aquatic Preserve we

    inventoried and presented us with special challenges to produce the

    preliminary  hard  copy  map.    The  Big  Bend  area was  composed  of  three

    different LANDSAT scenes from different time periods and was housed on

    three different disk packs because of the massive volume of data. The data

    were standardized numerically, transferred to a single disk, and then

    geographically  joined into one large 21 megabyte  file.   The transfer of

    this large file onto the IBM-AT, which has the printing capability, was not

    attempted because  of storage  space  problems.   This  transfer  will  occur

    after we acquire large mass storage capabilities on the micro system.  We

    had to reduce the data by 60% in order to transfer and plot it (Fig. 8).

    This was a logistical problem that will be rectified in the near future.

         The inkjet hardcopies for this report are presented in large-scale for

    convenience.   Figure 9 is a full resolution print of a portion of Figure 6

    to provide an example of the resolving capabilities.

         The above digital and hardcopy dissemination efforts were planned and

    time-budgeted for completion within the framework of our proposed work

    schedule.   We additionally have been deluged with requests  for fisheries

    habitat data to meet the requirements of local and regional comprehensive

    growth management plans.  These requests (Table 1), along with many others,

    continue  to accrue and only a portion of them have been satisfied.   The

    quantity of information requests prompted us to restructure the data (Fig.

    2) to better accommodate the requests.   From a coastal resource management

    and fisheries management perspective, we believe that the long-term success

    of the MRGIS will depend  on our ability  to meet  these requests.   More

    importantly,  the  dissemination  of  these    data  (particularly  resource

    inventory  maps)  is  a very  basic  step  in effective  fisheries  resource

    management.

         In addition to providing resource maps, analyses of land use changes

    were conducted of the Delaney Creek and Frog Creek watersheds in Tampa Bay

    for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.   A series of hardcopy maps

    were produced which delineated specific categories of land use change and

    associated acreages.

         A black and white image of a portion of Tampa Bay (Fig. 9A) was

    produced  on  request  by  the  Office  of  the Auditor  General.   The  image

    depicts an example of seagrass loss in Tampa Bay.  This image demonstrated

    the capability  to produce  a simplified black-and-white  print  out  of an

    MRGIS data set.  In addition, it demonstrated the combining of overlays to

    show both seagrass present today and that which was present in 1q48.

         Numerous informal and formal presentations were given on the CZM

    project  at  workshops,  meetings,  and  conferences  (Table  2).   Numerous

    interviews were conducted for newspaper articles; most are included within

    Attachment  1.  Local television interviews also were conducted.   Special

    filming of the MRGIS habitat loss information was conducted for a one-hour

    PBS program called "Walking Trees" and for a Discovery (Boston PBS) program

    on manatees.   A non-technical article by Bruger and Haddad (Attachment 2)

    I         ~~is being published  as a chapter  in Jurisdictional  Management  of Marine

              Fisheries. The M4RGIS was visited by and demonstrated to 1) federal, state,

              regional and local agencies, 2) private citizens and companies, 3) research

    3         ~~sci entists, 4) university  staff,  5) state legislators,  and many others.

              The number of 'requested visits and the amount of advice requested by phone

    I         ~~~has proven to us that the MRGIS concept and development is now perceived 'as

              an example of successful implementation of CIS technology and reflects

              positively on the Coastal Zone Management effort in Florida.

              ANCILLARY DATA DEVELOPMENT

                   Ancillary data development was curtailed to accommodate the data

              restructuring and dissemination efforts.  Again, it is our contention that

    I         ~~effective dissemination of data will have an immediate effect on the long

    I         ~~~term management  of Florida's marine resources.   The State of Florida is

              emphasizing growth management and, other than the MRGIS habitat database,

    *         ~~very little information exists that documents the location and, extent of

              marine resources/fisheries habitat.  It is imperative that this information

    I         ~~be available for development of growth management plans.

                   in addition, we encountered some logistical problems in locating and

              consolidating data to be entered into the MRGIS. We were fortunate to have

              a concerted, multiagency effort to consolidate the various data overlays

              into map  form for the Tampa Bay area.   This  is not  the case  for other

    I         ~~Florida estuaries.   A Charlotte Harbor database overlay set was built by

    *         ~~the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetland Research Center as part

              of their manatee program.  We previously developed software to access their

              database and we are arranging to have that data set transferred to the

              MRGIS.   It is our general  intent  not  to duplicate effort  in the MRGIS

    database development and we will continue to access existing digital data

    where available.

        We completed a drainage basin analysis for land-use changes of the

    Indian River Lagoon and additionally digitized the majority of seagrass

    delineations from previously contracted CZM work to Brevard County and

    Robert Virstein.  We lack the updated lower Indian River Lagoon Themat~ic

    Mapper  data  but,  as  stated  earlier,  recent  imagery  has  been  ordered.

    Ongoing studies by the St. Johns Water Management District, South Florida

    Water   Management   District,   Florida  Institute  of  Oceanography,   and

    Bionetics/NASA are being conducted to consolidate data on the Lagoon. Much

    of the data will be incorporated into the MRGIS.  We are working with these

    different entities to make the data compatible in digital form.   FIT and

    Bionetics are developing digital GIS systems compatible to the MRGIS and

    digitizable maps for easy transfer to the MRGIS.

         We developed special overlays for several areas in cooperation with

    local and regional entities.   In general, we agree to digitize data into

    the MRGIS for quantitative analyses with the understanding that the data

    becomes a part of the MRGIS.  This allows us to gain up-to-date data with

    minimal  effort  and  provides  the  participating  organization  with  needed

    information.   An updated and detailed seagrass analysis  for Sarasota Bay

    was completed using this approach and we expect this type of arrangement

    to continue.

         Two papers were presented at the Coastal Zone 87 conference in Seattle

    which demonstrated the MRGIS data overlay capabilities and the utility of

    the MRGIS.   The  first  paper  dealt  directly  with  the  GIS  process  and

    concepts (Attachment 3).  The second paper (Haddad, K.D. and D. Ekberg, the

    potential of Landsat (TM) imagery for assessing the national status and

               trends of important coastal habitats) used overlays of TM data and USFWS

               data that were converted to raster format to assess potential problems of

    I          ~~~using TM data to update the National Wetland Inventory database.   Final

    5          ~~~re prints have not been received and, thus, only a copy of the GIS paper is

               included in this report.

               LINK OF TABULAR DATA TO THE MRGIS

     I              ~~~~A basic  long-term need  for effective Geographic  Information  System

    I          ~~~development is a link and access mode to tabular data which are based on

               single-point  geographic  locations.   The general approach in the past has

               been to summarize CIS data and port it to a tabular database for

               statistical analyses or report generation.   Those CIS systems that include

    I          ~~~tabular information in their analyses generally require the entire map and

               tabular data to be in a special format and maintained as such.  We believe

               that the power of a CIS lies in its versatility in data manipulation.  The

               less the user must restructure data,  the more efficient the system.   In

               addition, we believe the transport of data into a GIS is the most effective

    *          ~~~direction of data flow.

                   During this grant period, specific software was developed to interface

               to a multitude of outside tabular databases. We chose an industry standard

               software interface by developing the ability to access DBAS III+ files.

              Many organizations, including DNR, DER, and National Marine Fisheries

    5          ~~~Service,  are using DBAS III in a micro-computer environment to enter and

               retrieve  data  from  a  mainframe.    By  tapping  into  this  conduit,  we

               tremendously increased the power of the MRGIS.  A schematic (Fig. 10) of

    I          ~~~the process depicts this general approach.  We purposely built the link in

               the micro-computer environment for long-term compatability to any DOS-based

    I          ~~~system.  A module (DB34) was created in ELAS which offers a variety of ways

              to access DBAS files. The latitude/longitude of the given record in a file

              is the main link from a DBAS file to the MRGIS.  The DBAS file search by

              the MRGIS is based on the geographic data boundaries on the graphics

              display device-.  Only one field of information can be transferred to the

              MRGIS 'display  at a time.   These data can be stored  as an overlay  aeid

              another field of information can be accessed. The process was successfully

              tested with fisheries statistics data and is currently being used to assess

              distributions of manatee sitings and mortalities for presentation to the

              Governor and Cabinet.   The methods developed to implement  this phase of

              MRCIS development were extremely successful, extending the utility and

              versatility beyond the original link to the fisheries statistics data.

                        TASK 3: HABITAT CARRYING CAPACITY

    GEAR TESTING METHODS

         This task continues a major thrust to construct and test sampling gear

    that  are capable  of providing quantitative  assessments  of living marine

    resources.   Considerable effort was required to design and build prototype

    gear, test it, and then refine the gear before the actual gear comparisohs

    could be made.   Much of the gear design and refinement was accomplished

    during the first half of the year and involved gear construction contracts,

    in-house construction, net sewing, testing the mechanics of each gear,

    redesigning, retesting, evaluating net mesh sizes and types, reviewing and

    incorporating existing designs, and a multitude of logistical procedures.

         Actual, comparative gear testing began in June, 1987 and was conducted

    weekly. The sampling site chosen for the gear study was adjacent to Tarpon

    Key, a small mangrove island (approximately 50 acres) located in Tampa Bay

    between the Sunshine Skyway and Mullet Key (Fig.  11).  This site provided

    an  extensive  homogenous  distribution  of  dense  Thalassia  testudinum

    surrounding the island, imperative for repetitive gear sampling. Although

    a different area was sampled during each sampling trip within the Tarpon

    Key study site, we assumed homogeneous organism distribution.

         The following information was recorded at each sample station: date,

    time,  tidal  stage,  lunar  stage,  wind  direction  and  speed,  and  % cloud

    cover.   Water  and air  temperature,  salinity,  dissolved  oxygen,  pH,  and

    water  depth were measured with a Hydrolab  surveyor II.   Gear soak time

    and/or area sampled were recorded when applicable.

         Fish and macroinvertebrates (Callinectes sapidus and Penaeus sp.) were

    sorted,  identified  to  species,  measured,  and  returned  to  the  water.

              Measurements included standard length of fish, carapace length of shrimp,

              and  carapace  width  of  crabs.' If  a large  number  of  one  species  was

    I       ~ ~collected,  a subsample  of  20 random  individuals  was  measured  and  the

              remainder was counted.  Amounts of macroalgae and seagrass captured in the

              shrimp trawls 'and otter trawls were also recorded.  Data were entered and

    I         ~~~analyzed using SAS (Statistical Analysis System) programs.

    U         ~~~Gear Descriptions

                   The sampling gears utilized for this comparison study included tripod

              drop nets, boom drop nets, roller shrimp trawls, and an otter trawl.

                   Tripods.   Three tripods  (Fig.  12) were constructed of 16' long, 2"

              diam. aluminum pipes which were connected together by an aluminum plate (3

              1/2" diam.) at their upper ends.   These  tripods were  similar  to those

              described by Gilmore  et al.  (1978).   After preliminary  testing,  it was

              concluded that smaller, lighter tripods made of I" diameter aluminum pipes

              provided the strength necessary to lift the 4m2 drop net, and were also

              much more manageable by the  field crew.   A total of six lighter-weight

    I         ~~~tripods were then constructed totalling nine tripods altogether.

     I             ~~~~The release mechanisms (Fig. 13) for the tripods were similar to those

              described by Gilmore et al. (1978).  Dacron line (1/4" diam.) was attached

              to a #3 brass clip that was linked to the four corners of the drop net by

              stainless steel wire (1/16" diam.).  The line traveled up through a pulley

    I         ~~~at the top of the tripod and connected to a 2" galvanized ring at the other

              end. This ring, when set into a release mechanism, held the nets in place.

              A trip cord (1/8" dacron line) was connected to the release mechanism and

              anchored  approximately  100' from the  set  tripod.   A pull  on this  line

              released the drop nets.

        Nine drop nets (Fig. 14) were constructed: three lm2, three 2m2 and

    three 4m2.   These nets were similar in design to those described  in the

    1986  CZM  Final  Report.    They  were  fixed  with  an  upper  float  frame

    constructed of PVC pipe (2.5 cm diam. for 1 and 2m2 nets, and 5.0cm diam.

    for the 4m2 nets).   The lower sink frames were constructed of stainless

    steel- the lm2 sink frames had 25 mm frames (identical to those described

    in the 1986 CZM Final Report) and the 2 and 4m2 nets had wider sink frames

    for greater stability, 38 mm and 50 mm wide respectively.  The frames were

    connected by 1.5m length of nylon ace 1/8" netting.   A 3/16" galvanized

    chain line was suspended 6" below the perimeter of the sink frame with 1/8"

    netting to reduce the chances of fish escaping if the sink frame dropped on

    an uneven surface.

         Tripods were erected from the stern of a 23' mullet skiff to reduce

    disturbance of the bottom vegetation. At least three people were necessary

    for this procedure.   Tripods were allowed  to stand for approximately one

    hour before release of the nets.   Upon release, lower frames were checked

    for a level drop then pressed  into  the sediment.   An internal  seine of

    1/8" mesh (described in the 1986 Final Report) was used to remove fish and

    macroinvertebrates from the enclosed area. Each seine was slightly smaller

    in width than the drop net frames.  The seine was pulled through each drop

    net eight times, twice on each frame side.  If an organism was captured on

    the  eighth  pull,  three  additional  pulls  were  repeated  until  three

    consecutive hauls captured no fish.

    Boom Drop Nets

         Two lm2 nets (Figs. 14 and 15) were dropped simultaneously off the bow

    of a 17' Boston Whaler.   Construction  and deployment  of  this  gear  was.

    described extensively in the 1986 CZM Final Report.

    Roller Rigged Shrimp Trawls

         Two roller trawls were constructed from galvanized and stainless steel

    (Fig.  16).  The mouth of each trawl was 5' wide and net length was 10'.

    Upper 'netting, measured diagonally knot to knot, was 3/4". Cod end nettilng

    was 1/8" nylon ace netting, identical to that used in the other sampling

    gears.   A 5' roller was attached to the rear of each trawl so the gear

    rolled over the sampling area without damaging the seagrasses.

         A 16' long, 2" diam. aluminum pipe was attached with brackets just

    anterior to the console of the 17' Boston Whaler (Fig. 17).  Rope attached

    to the front of the roller trawls ran through eyebolts in the pipe and

    around the bow of the whaler.  Trawls were towed midway between the bow and

    the  stern,  at a slight  angle  (approximately  30�) to allow organisms  to

    enter. Stainless steel 'rakes' on the trawl kept macroalgae from filling

    the net.

         Nine preliminary tows were conducted at 1300, 1500, and 1700 RPM to

    determine optimum towing speed for these trawls on the 17' Boston Whaler.

    The maximum speed the trawls could be towed without pulling them off the

    bottom  was  1700  RPM.   Also,  number  of  fish  captured  at  1700  RPM was

    markedly larger than those captured at 1300 or 1500 RPM.

        Trawls were towed over a distance of 100 m.  Time of tow was recorded

    and the cod-ends were pulled onto the back of the boat and emptied into two

    30-gallon containers.  The samples were processed immediately.   Each trawl

    covered an area of 152.5m2 for each 100 m tow.

    Otter Trawl

        The otter trawl  (Fig.  18) had a mouth opening of approximately 4m.

    The entire  net was  20' long.   The otter  trawl  had a body of 1" mesh,

    measured diagonally knot to knot, and 1/8" ace netting in the cod-end.  The

    net was towed 50m from the stern of a 23' mullet boat by 3/4" nylon rope

    which split~ to 2 ropes at a bridle, allowing the doors of the trawl to

    spread apart. The trawl was towed at 1300 RPM over a distance of 50m.

    (Preliminary  tows covering 100m produced an over-abundance  of catch.   A

    decision to shorten the transect from 100m to 50m was enacted early in the

    program.)  Time of tow was recorded and the cod-end was emptied into one or

    more 30-gallon containers. The samples were processed after the three tows

    were conducted.

    RESULTS

         A total of 26 fish  species  and numerous  invertebrate  species  were

    collected during this study, however, the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus)

    and the pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum) were the only invertebrates examined

    quantitatively.

         Area covered by each gear type differed greatly.  The 6.1 m (20 ft.)

    otter  trawl covered  the greatest  area:   200 or 400m2 for a 50 and 100m

    pull,  respectively.    The  roller  shrimp  trawls  covered  152m2 per  100 m

    trawl. The drop nets covered areas of one, two, or four m2.

         Because  of  the  large  difference  in area  covered  by  each  sampling

    method, examination of actual numbers of fish and invertebrates captured by

    each method would give a biased indication of gear efficiency.  However,

    density of the organisms captured by each sample gear should provide a more

    useful method of gear comparison.   Density was analyzed by determining the

    number of organisms/m2 captured by each of the gears (Table 3).  The roller

    trawl estimated the smallest number of organisms/m2 with a mean of 0.42.

    The 6.1m otter trawl caught approximately 1 organism/m2.  All of the drop

    nets gave much larger estimates. of organism density, with the lm2 boom drop

    nets giving the highest density, mean = 6.36 organisms/m2 closely followed

    by the 2 and 4m2 tripod drop net estimates.   Variability in the density

    estimates can be examined by observing the coefficient of variation of each

    gear (CV = 100 (mean/SD)). Of the drop nets that gave the highest density

    estimates, the 2 and 4m2 tripod drop nets have a markedly lower variability

    than the lm2 boom drop net and, therefore, would require smaller sample

    sizes to estimate abundance.

         Diversity  of  organisms  captured  by  each  gear  type  was  analyzed.

    Twenty-five of the 26 fish species were captured with the 6.1m otter trawl,

    16/26 with the roller shrimp trawls, 14/26 with the 4m2 tripod drop nets,

    12/26 with the lm2 boom drop nets, 11/26 with the 2m2 tripod drop nets, and

    9/26 with the lm2 tripod drop nets. There appears to be a general trend of

    increasing diversity of organisms captured as the sample area covered by

    each gear increases; with increasing sample area, chances of encountering

    less common species increases. Diversity estimates of number of species/m2

    have been determined for each gear type (Table 3).   The drop nets, both

    tripod and boom, captured approximately 2.5-3.5 species/m2 while the trawls

    captured  .03-.04  species/m2.    The  species  of  fish  and  invertebrates

    collected by each gear type are listed in Table 4.  Seven of the species

    collected were captured by each of the gear types including the gulf

    toadfish (Opsanus beta), gold-spotted top minnow (Floridichthys carpio),

    rainwater killifish (Lucania parva), gulf pipefish (Sygnathus scovelli),

    mojarras  (Eucinostumus sp.); pinfish  (Lagodon rhomboides),  and the clown

    goby (Microgobius gulosus).   The most common fish captured throughout the

    study period was the rainwater killifish.  This fish comprised over 60% of

    the fish captured with the 1 and 4m2 tripod drop nets and the lm2 boom drop

    nets,  and  close  to  50% of  the  remaining  gear  types  (Table  5).   The

    remainder of the fish species captured differed  in percent dominance by

    gear type, but generally included pinfish, mojarras, and the clown goby.

    The inland silverside (Menidia beryllina) is listed as the second most

    common, fish collected with the 2m2 tripod drop net.   This  pelagic  fish

    occurs in a clumped distribution and the large number of these fish

    captured in 1 or 2 drops biased the results of the 2m2 tripod drop net.

    Increasing the number of drops would reduce the occurrence of this type of

    bias. The pink shrimp was captured with each gear type while the blue crab

    was collected in each gear except the 1 and 2m2 tripod drop nets.

         Preliminary analysis of a one-night sampling trip indicated that the

    number of pink shrimp captured at night with the roller shrimp trawls was

    markedly larger from the number caught during the day. Pink shrimp made up

    0.4% of the fish and invertebrates captured during day sampling, but if the

    night sampling data is included with the day sampling data, the pink shrimp

    comprise over 16% of the organisms collected (Table 5).  This trend is not

    as readily apparent with the other gear types and additional night samples

    must be collected before adequate analysis is possible.

         Many of the species captured with drop nets (tripod and boom) are the

    slow moving, demersal types such as the code goby and the clown goby.

    An interesting situation occurs when examining the tripod drop net catch of

    these organisms.  The code and clown gobies respectively make up 11.6% and

    5.8% of the catch of the lm2 tripod drop net, 6.6 and 5.5% of the 2m2

    tripod drop net, and 2.8 and 2.5% of the 4m2 tripod drop net (Table 6).

    Whether this decrease in estimated percentage of small demersal fish is due

    to the increase in number of other species captured with the larger net or

    decreased efficiency  at sampling  larger nets with  larger  seines will be

    examined. Efficiency of each of the drop nets will be tested by releasing

    a known number of fluorescently marked fish of a number of species into the

    dropped drop  nets and allowing these fish time to equilibrate.   The nets

    will be seined according to the procedure described earlier.   Preliminary

    findings of efficiency testing with L. parva released into 1 and 4m2 dr6p

    nets indicated recapture efficiencies  at 88% and 84% respectively.   More

    replicates will be conducted with fish species such as the pinfish, clown

    and  code  gobies  and  the  pink  shrimp  in  order  to  determine  seining

    efficiency.

         Average density for the seven fish species common to all gear types is

    listed in Table 7. The only species captured by the otter trawl in similar

    numbers  to those captured by the drop nets  is the pinfish.   The roller

    trawl  produced  density  estimates  much  lower  than the other gears.   The

    slower moving, demersal fish species like 0. beta, L. parva, S. scovelli

    and M. gulosus are captured more effectively with the drop nets while it

    appears the trawls may ride over these species, especially in areas of

    dense Thalassia.   The more semi-demersal and pelagic  species such as the

    pinfish and mojarras are captured almost as frequently with the trawls as

    with the drop nets.   These  fish swim higher in the water column and are

    more susceptible to capture by gears such as otter or shrimp trawls which

    can rapidly sample large areas of the water column.

        An attempt was made to compare average fish length (SL) between gear

    types (Table 8).  The data suggest a trend in the otter and roller trawls

    capturing larger fish than the drop nets, however, more replicates are

    necessary to confirm this because of the small sample size of the drop net

    species.

    DISCUSSION

         Each gear type tested in this study was selective in its capture of

    different organisms.   Hartman (1984) compared six estuarine sampling gears

    and found that although the otter trawls were easiest to use, the fewest

    fish and lowest density of organisms of all but a few important species

    were  captured.   Kjelson  and  Johnson  (1973), using a 6.1m otter  trawl,

    estimated catch efficiencies for juvenile and yearling pinfish and spot

    (Leiostomus xanthurus).  For pinfish, efficiency of capture was 48-49%, and

    with spot, 32% of marked fish were recaptured.  Our sampling indicated that

    the otter trawl captured the greatest number of species (n = 25 of 26), but

    species density resulted in less than .04 species/m2. Also, because of the

    greater area sampled with the trawls with less efficiency, organism density

    was much lower than those predicted with the drop net data.

         The roller shrimp trawl gave the lowest density and diversity

    estimates of fish/m2, but may be useful in estimating the abundance of

    penaeid shrimp, especially when this gear is used at night.

         Recently, drop nets were used in studies to quantitatively sample

    organism  abundance  and  diversity  in  the  estuarine  environment.    These

    include studies by Jones et al. (1963), Jones (1965), Moseley and Copeland

    (1969), Kjelson and Johnson (1973), Kushlan (1974), Kjelson et al. (1975),

    Gilmore et al. (1978) and Fonseca (personal communication).

        Kjelson et al. (1975) discussed some major limitations of drop nets:

    small sample size, small number of samples/unit time, and the bias created

    when organisms avoid or are attracted to the net or frame.  A small sample

    size is limiting, particularly for fish of lesser abundance and those with

    a clumped distribution.   Gilmore  et al.  (1978) found that  the drop net

    captured fewer individuals and species than a seine and the species were

    mostly small demersal and semidemersal  forms.   However, they found  that

    total fish density and biomass values from the drop net surpassed the

    seine.  Actual values of fish density for Gilmore et al. 's drop nets ranged

    from  1.8-19.3  fish/m2  (- = 9.0).    Our  estimates  from  tripod  drop

    nets were very. similar.  For example, density estimates from the 2m2 tripod

    ranged  from  1.5-17.5  organisms/m2  (R  =  6.07).    Kjelson  et  a .

    (1975), using a 4m2 drop net, compared density and diversity estimates with

    that of a 525m2 haul seine.  The haul seine captured more species, but the

    drop net yielded estimates of significantly higher density of fish and

    macroinvertebrates.   Kushlan  (1981) estimated  the accuracy of lm2 throw

    traps in the Everglades at about 73%. This value is much higher than those

    estimated for otter trawl efficiencies of 32-50% (Kielson and Johnson,

    1973).

         Comparisons of drop nets (tripod and boom) with the trawls (otter and

    roller)  in this study suggest  similar conclusions  to those above.   Drop

    nets captured a larger density and a greater diversity of organisms per m2

     while the trawls were more effective at capturing less common species.

    CONCLUSION

         Preliminary gear testing was completed with four sampling gears used

    to sample the shallow seagrass environment.   In the upcoming year we will

    determine the efficiency of the three sizes of tripod drop nets. Our goal

    is to determine the drop net size that is easiest to use and provides the

    most accurate estimate of community  structure.   At this time it appears

    that  the lm2 drop net,  which gives  the  lowest  estimate  of density  and

    diversity  and  has  the  largest  coefficient  of  variation,   could  be

    discontinued.   The 4m2 and 2m2 tripod drop nets had very similar density

    I          ~~~and diversity estimates  and  als o had relatively  low variability between

              each drop.   The 4m2 drop net -is particularly cumbersome to handle and if

    I          ~~these  2 and  4m2 nets  provide  similar  results,  it may  be  possible  to

              eli~minate the 4m2 net.   However,  further efficiency  testing with marked

              fish will be 'necessary to determine our sampling efficiency with the

              internal seines once the nets have dropped and this also will contribute lo

              our decision to use a specific drop net size.  We will continue to sample

    I         ~~during day and night.   Further night  sampling is necessary  to indicate

    I         ~~differences  in number or species of fish or invertebrates captured on a

              diel basis and to determine if the roller trawl provides a good indication

              of Penaeid abundance.   Our preliminary data suggest that average size of

              fish captured by the trawls may be greater than that of those captured with

    I         ~~~the drop nets; we will continue this study to determine whether or not this

    I         ~~~is true.

                   Initial results suggest that our goal is attainable - we will be able

              to develop a carrying capacity model based on using quantitative data

              gathered by a combination of gear collection methods.   New gear types and

    I         ~~refinements  of existing methods will certainly occur  to accomplish  this

              task,  but  this  initial  phase  is encouraging.   We built  or are building

              additional gear (i.e., breeder traps, stop nets, multimesh gill nets, and

              small purse seines) to further pursue a multihabitat multi gear approach to

              quantitative sampling, but statistical testing of these gear has not been

              completed.   We expect to accomplish much of the gear testing this coming

              year along with a rigorous sampling schedule using existing techniques in

              the Cockroach Bay/Little Manatee River area.

              CARRYING CAPACITY MODEL

                  We continued  to evaluate  existing models  that use an environmental

              approach, to projecting fisheries abundance.   It appears that a number of

              separate model~s must be integrated into the MRGIS to develop population

              estimates.   We have not pursued  the actual model construction because sa

              sufficient database does not exist to generate all of the different model

              inputs.   The next year  study  on the Little Manatee River/Cockroach Bay

              watershed will provide the most complete data overlay compilation ever

    I         ~~developed  (from  a fisheries  perspective)  and  will  provide  a base  for

              constructing and testing a carrying capacity model.  The model development

              will require multidisciplinary cooperation among biologists, geologists,

    I         ~~hydrologistss, physicists,  and  ecologists  to link integral parts of the

              overall  model.   The  development  of this model will  co-evolve with  the

    I         ~~~database required to test and verify the model.   It is important to note

    *         ~~that the model we are developing will be designed to input real data as

              opposed to those that make assumptions on recruitment, mortality, etc.

              Also, the model will use environmental and geographic parameters to define

              population distributions and will only be valid for estuarine-dependent

    I         ~~species.  We are actively working with the DNR Fisheries Statistics Section

              to develop the database  and conceptualize  the model integration.   As we

              progress with each phase of development, the approach will become more

              multidisciplinary and complex and only a computer system such as the MRGIS

              will be capable of integrating this needed information.

       I                ~~~~~TASK 4:  JUVENILE HABITAT UTILIZATION

          The objective of task 4, was to determine the aspects of the

          population dynamics (population size, growth, mortality rates,

          immigration And emigration) of juvenile red drum and snook in a

          specific estuarine habitat. The habitat chosen was a small

    I     ~undeveloped man-made canal.  There is only one entrance which

          makes monitoring movement somewhat simpler. Red drum and snook

          were targeted because both were abundant in the canal in previous

          work and DNR is establishing a hatchery which will be producing

          juvenile red drum and snook for release into the wild.

    *     ~Population dynamics data are needed to better understand the

          results of hatchery releases into the wild.

    *     ~Two years of juvenile snook and red drum data have now been

          generated from the canal research. Unfortunately, few snook were

          collected and, because of this lack of sufficient collections,

           little analysis was done. However, from the snook that were

    I     ~collected, population estimates were made using density (the

           number of fish collected per m2). This technique suggested that
           the canal only supported a maximum population size of 280

           individuals. The highest population values occurred during late

           summer and fall. There were too few marked snook released into

    I     ~the canal and too few recaptured to estimate population size

    I ~utilizing mark-recapture techniques. Snook recruitment, during

           1986, started in July and continued into December.

           Only one juvenile snook was collected in the canal through 23

           September from the last spawn.

          Juvenile-red drum were collected in adaquate numbers for more

           detailed analysis. Standing crop was estimated in two ways. One

          was a mark-recapture method where fish were marked with

           fluorescent pigment granules injected under the epidermis. The

    I     ~second method expanded the mean density per haul to the area of

          the entire canal. The canal is quite uniform thoughout and red

          drum have been collected from all areas. Weekly seining trips

           consisted of 12-16 hauls per trip with each haul encompassing 71

          in2 Twelve hauls covered approximately 11% of the total canal

    I     ~area at mean tide.  In order to accurately estimate standing crop

           using seining techniques, efficiency of the seine must be

           determined. This was done by introducing marked fish into the
    3     ~seine after it was deployed.  The percentage returned is then

           used as an estimate of efficiency. The mean seining efficiency

           for red drum in this canal was 83% and ranged from 68% to 95%.

           This mean value was then used as a correction factor in

    I     ~calculating standing crop.

           Standing crop estimates are shown in Figure 19. All years are

           combined to show overall trends. Similar trends and values were

           seen in both years. Also shown in Figure 19 (circled values) are

    I     ~the standing crop estimates based on mark-recapture data.

          Largest population estimates occurred in December and January

          during both years. Standing. crop steadily declined the rest of

          the winter and through the spring until there were few fish

           remaining-during the summer.

           In order to estimate-mortality, information on immigration and

           emigration is needed. To estimate movement into or out of the

           canal, a stop net was placed across the mouth of the canal. This

           series of nets collected all fish entering or exiting the canal.

    I     ~The nets were' set up weekly, for 24 hours, during times of red

          drum abundance, and were emptied every three hours. Monthly

           summaries of red drum movements through the canal are shown in

           Table 9. Greatest movement occurred during winter at times of

          greatest population size as well as during periods of coldest

    I     ~water temperature and lowest tides of the year.  No evidence

    *     ~suggests that the canal population resides in the canal for a

           short period of time and then moves out. Apparently, the

          majority of the fish remain in the canal. This is supported by

           the length of time marked fish remained in the canal (Table 10).

    I     ~These data suggest that small juveniles that enter the canal

           remain at least through the spring, by which time the majority

           have died. Fish marked throughout the fall and winter were found

    I     ~in the canal in the spring (in greatly reduced numbers).

          Mortality estimates were made with the assumptions that no

    U     ~immigration or emigration occurred after the point of highest

           standing crop was reached, and that the decay in standing crop

           was a function of mortality.

    I     ~Mortality was then calculated as the percentage change in monthly
          standing crop estimates. An overall estimated monthly mortality

          rate of approximately 35% was calculated. Expanding this rate

          through to the spring would yield similar numbers to the low

    I     ~numbers of fish seen in the canal.  By May the remaining fish are

          about 180 mmn standard length. it is possible that these fish mpve

          into the bay at this time. However, samplings during the

          summer occasionally collected red drum. These larger fish

          probably are not as vulnerable to the seine so interpretation of

    I     ~collections must be guarded.

          During this next year, juvenile red drum obtained either from the

          DNR hatchery or collected from another site in the Alafia River

          will be marked and released throughout the canal. Growth,

    I     ~mortality, migration, and net production will then be monitored

    *     ~to estimate the influence of augmentation on the natural standing

           crop.

    TASK 5: PUBLIC EDUCATION AND INFORMATION ON COASTAL WETLANDS AND REEFS

        Efforts of Task 5 focused on the production and distribution of

    educational   brochures   that  describe   Florida   seagrasses,  mangroves,

    saltmarsh, estuaries, and coral reefs (see Brochure Pocket in back of this

    report).   These brochures stress the importance of estuarine environments

    as fisheries habitat.  The coral reef brochure was created in 1986; 40,000

    were reprinted with this year's money at a total cost of $2,305.00.  The

     others were created  in 1984 and were reprinted on demand.   This year,

    55,000 of each brochure were reprinted at a total cost of $7,591.00.  The

    new brochures will include a statement that gives credit to the DER Office

    of Coastal Management and NOAA for making possible the creation and

    printing of the brochures.

        Pinellas Suncoast Tourism Promotion, Inc. was contracted to distribute

    15,000 of each brochure to 200 locations along Florida's west coast (Table

    11).   The brochures were placed into literature racks within lobbies or

    similar  central  locations  of  motels,  restaurants,  car  rental  offices,

    banks, and more.  The racks were refilled monthly by the company.

         Numerous  requests  for  this  type  of  information  were  received

    throughout the year.  Organizations accounted for about 50% of the requests

    (Table  12); the remainder  were  individuals.   The approximate number of

    brochures distributed from January through September, 1987 is as follows:

                          Estuaries: 12,537

                          Mangroves:  12,909

                          Seagrasses: 12,721

                          Salt marsh: 12,839

                          Coral Reef:  9,786

    These numbers do not reflect the additional 15,000 distributed by Pinellas

               Suncoast Tourism Promotion, Inc.., those distributed by laboratory personnel

               during presentations, nor tho se taken from our Laboratory reception area.

    I          ~~The  brochures  continue  to  be  in  great  demand,  and  public  response

               concerning *th eir appearance and content assures us of their success and

               value.

                                   REFERENCES

    Gilmore, R.G., J.K. Holf, R.S. Jones, G.R. Kulczycki, L.G. MacDowell, III,
    and W.C. Magley. 1978.
     Portable tripod drop-net for estuarine studies.  Fish. Bull. 76(1): 285-
      289.

    Hartman, R.D. 1985.
     A 'study of the relative selectivity of six shallow, estuarine-marsh
      sampling gears and the distribution of fish and crustaceans in the Sabine
     National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana.   Briefs, Am. Inst. Fish. Res. Biol.
      14(3): 8.

    Jones, R.S. 1965.
     Fish stocks from a helicopter-borne purse net sampling of Corpus Christi
     Bay, Texas 1962-1963. Publ. Inst. Mar. Sci. Univ. Tex. 10: 68-75.

    Jones, R.S., W.B. Ogletree, J.H. Thompson, and W. Flenniken. 1963.
     Helicopter borne purse net for population sampling of shallow marine
     bays. Publ. Inst. Mar. Sci. Univ. Tex. 9: 1-6.

    Kjelson, M.A., and G.H. Johnson. 1973.
     Description and evaluation of a portable drop-net for sampling nekton
      populations.   Southeast Assoc. Game Fish. Comm., Proc. 27th Annu. Conf.
      653-662.

    Kjelson, M.A., W.R. Turner, and G.N. Johnson. 1975.
     Description of a stationary drop-net for estimating nekton abundance in
      shallow waters.  Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 104: 46-49.

    Kushlan, J.A. 1974.
      Quantitative   sampling  of  fish  populations   in  shallow,   freshwater
      environments. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 103: 348-352.

    Kushlan, J.A. 1981.
      Sampling characteristics of Enclosure Fish Traps.  Trans. Am. Fish. Soc.
      110: 557-562.

    Moseley, F.N., and B.T. Copeland. 1969.
     A portable  drop-net  for  representative  sampling of nekton.   Contrib.
     Mar. Sci. Univ. Tex. 14: 37-45.

    Table A. Oxygen flux rates measured in situ during September
              1987. P/R denotes the ratio of 12 hrs GPP/24 hrs RESP.

    SITE/CHAMBER          FLUX RATE ( g 02 m-2 h-1 )

                       NET                         GROSS
                      PHOTO-                      PRIMARY
                   SYNTHESIS    RESPIRATION   PRODUCTION        P/R

    A. SEWAGE

             1        0.62          -0.14           0.76         2.7
             2        0.42          -0.20           0.62         1.6
             3        0.24          -0.25           0.49         0.98
             4        0.43          -0.24           0.67         1.4

           x(s)        0.43(0.15)   -0.21(0.05)   0.63(0.11)  1.7(0.7)

    B.STRESS

             1        0.37           -0.26           0.65         1.2
             2        0.41            -0.36          0.77         1.1
             3        0.33           -0.32           0.65         1.0
             4        0.18            -0.27          0.45         0.83

           x(s)        0.33(0.10)    -0.30(0.046)  0.63(0.13)  1.0(0.16)

    C. CONTROL

             1        0.36            -0.23          0.59         1.3
             2        0.28            -0.31          0.59         0.95
             3        0.26           -0.25           0.51         1.0
             4        0.052           -0.17          0.22         0.66

          x(s)         0.24(0.13)    -0.24(0.058)  0.48(0.17)  0.98(0.26)

    Table B: Structural characteristics of Thalassia testudium at three sites used for community
              metabolism measurements.

    SITE                                                  BLADE CHARACTERISTICS

                 BIOMASS           SHOOT    BLADES    MAXIMUM   MEAN          BLADE      GREEN     EPIPHYTE
                                  DENSITY    PER       BLADE      BLADE      WIDTH      LEAF         LEAF
            SHOOT     ROOTS                 SHOOT      LENGTH    LENGTH                 AREA         AREA
             (g m2)   (g m-2)      (m2)    (NO)         (mm)       (mm)       (mm)       (%)          (%)

    CONTROL

      mean    144       211         298       2.8        378        228        9.4        77.1        22.9
      std.             (63)        (38.5)  (0.6)        (96.4)    (126)      (1.1)      (27.1)      (30.2)
       n        4         4           4       50          50         54      20          70          75

    STRESS

      mean    129       177         341       3.0        406        304        8.1        65.1        11.6
      std.    (41)      (30)       (45.5)   (0.8)       (157)      (175)      (1.1)      (26.1)      (20.9)
       n        4         4           4        50         47         74         20        70          78

    SEWAGE

      mean   96.0      61.4         254       3.1        382        274        6.7        43.8        33.2
      std.   (42)      (18)        (45.5)   (0.9)       (105)      (146)      (1.1)      (23.4)      (33.6)
       n        4         4           4        50         48         69         20         75          77

    Table C. Comparison of flux rates measured in chambers with
              total flux rates obtained by summing component fluxes
              measured in BOD bottles. Units are g 02 m-2 h-1.

                           SEWAGE    STRESS    CONTROL

    A. RESPIRATION (DARK FLUXES)

    SEDIMENT BOD             -0.26     -0.24      -0.23

    SEDIMENT COD*            -3.86     -3.11      -2.73

    THALASSIA                -0.12     -0.18      -0.19
    (ABOVE GROUND)

    WATER                   -0.071    -0.016    -0.095

    COMPONENT SUM            -0.45     -0.44      -0.51

    CHAMBER ESTIMATE         -0.21     -0.30      -0.24

    B.  NET PHOTOSYNTHESIS  (LIGHT FLUXES)

    THALASSIA                 1.21       0.93      0.96
    (ABOVE GROUND)

    WATER                     0.22       0.099     0.039

    COMPONENT SUM             1.43       1.03      1.00

    CHAMBER ESTIMATE          0.43       0.33      0.24

    C.  BALANCE  (UNITS ARE NET G 02 M-2 DAY-1

    COMPONENT SUM            +11.7     +7.08      +5.88

    CHAMBER ESTIMATE         +2.64     +0.36      +0.00

    * not used in sums or balance calculation, see text

    Table D:  Regression models of the interaction of sulfide concentrations and Thalassia
              growth in laboratory experiments. TOTLTH=Total blade length per pot, SULFIDE=
              pore water sulfide concentration in micromoles per liter, BLADELOG= log  TOTLTH,
              MEANGROWTH= mean blade elongation rate by pot, SUMGROWTH= total length of new
              blades produced, and TURNOVER= TOTLTH/SUMGROWTH.

    A. COMPARISONS OF THALASSIA STANDING CROP WITH PORE WATER SULFIDE

                            Dependent      Independent
    Model   Expt.  Date      Variable       Variable(s)    Estimates   F-Value   PR > F   _R

     1.      1     6/20      TOTLTH          INTERCEPT         2710       2.65      0.11   0.06
                                            SULFIDE         -0.25

     2.      2     8/3       TOTLTH          INTERCEPT         2132       5.98      0.02   0.12
                                            SULFIDE         -0.40

     3.      2     8/3       SULFIDE         INTERCEPT         1160       5.98      0.02   0.12
                                            SULFIDE         -0.30

     4.      2     8/3        SULFIDE        INTERCEPT         3794       6.92      0.01   0.14
                                            BLADELOG        -987

     5.      3    10/14      SULFIDE         INTERCEPT         2320       3.11      0.09   0.07
                                            TOTLTH          -0.42

    Table D (continued):

    B. COMPARISON OF GROWTH RATES WITH SULFIDE CONCENTRATIONS

               6.      2     8/15       MEANGROWTH       INTERCEPT        8.81        2.11      0.15   0.05
                                                         SULFIDE       -0.001

               7.      2     8/15       MEANGROWTH       INTERCEPT        8.38        1.06      0.36   0.05
                                                         SUMLENGTH1   0.00021
                                                         SULFIDE      0.00139

               8.      2     8/15       SUMGROWTH        INTERCEPT       163.3        3.85      0.06   0.08
                                                         SULFIDE         -0.03

               9.      2     8/15       SUMGROWTH        INTERCEPT        62.5        6.83     0.003  0.24
                                                         SULFIDE       -0.021

              10.      2     8/3        TURNOVER         INTERCEPT       113.1        0.21     0.65   0.004
                                                        SULFIDE        -0.021

              11.      3    10/14       MEANGROWTH       INTERCEPT       14.37        2.37     0.13   0.05
                                                        SULFIDE         -1.54

              12.      3    10/14       MEANGROWTH       INTERCEPT        6.59        1.16     0.32   0.05
                                                        SULFIDE      0.00056
                                                        SLI        0.0000048

              13.      3    10/14       SUMGROWTH        INTERCEPT         121        5.73     0.02    0.12
                                                        SULFIDE        -0.017

              14.      3    10/14       SUMGROWTH        INTERCEPT       30.27        25.6    0.001    0.54
                                                        SULFIDE        -.0064
                                                        SL1             0.045

              15.      3    10/14       TURNOVER         INTERCEPT       141.3        1.93     0.17    0.04
                                                        SULFIDE         0.013

    Table E: Responses of sediment sulfide concentrations and
             Thalassia turnover times to experimental manipulation.

    a. Percent change in pot interstitial sulfide concentrations in
       response to experimental manipulation. Standard deviations
       are in parentheses. N=4 for each cell.

    GROUP                                  TREATMENT

                           CONTROL   AERATED   LACTATE   SHADE

    HIGH SULFIDE             -11%      -61%      +70%       -44%
                             (22)      (13)       (1)      (25)

    MEDIUM SULFIDE           -11%      -59%      +25%       -63%
                             (51)      (52)      (50)      (26)

    LOW SULFIDE              +16%      +25%      -43%       -63%
                             (81)       (1)       (-)      (26)

    b.  Turnover  numbers  of  leaf  biomass   in  response  to
        experimental  manipulation.   Higher  numbers   represent
        slower  growth,   while   lower  numbers   indicate   more
        rapid growth. Standard deviations are in parentheses.
        N=4 for each cell.

    GROUP                             TREATMENT

                            CONTROL   AERATED   LACTATE   SHADE

    HIGH SULFIDE             14.9      11.2       37.4      10.7
                             (5.5)     (3.2)    (50.9)     (8.3)

    MEDIUM SULFIDE           11.8      10.4        8.7      11.9
                             (6.5)     (3.2)     (2.4)     (8.4)

    LOW SULFIDE              10.7      14.6       8.8        8.5
                             (3.2)     (8.4)      (-)      (2.3)

    Table 1.  Summary of data requests

    1. Florida State University, Economics Dept.; wetland acreages for Florida
       west coast
    2. U.C.L.A., California; habitat maps of Charlotte Harbor
    3. Citrus County; marine wetland maps
    4.  Tampa Tribune; habitat loss for Tampa Bay with slides
    5. DNR, Marathon; habitat acreages for the Keys
    6. Fl. GFWFC; grass bed analysis off Steinhatchee River
    7.  Fl. GFWFC; evaluation of a LANDSAT feasibility study
    8. Fl. GFWFC; memorandum of understanding for LANDSAT non-game wildlife
       habitat assessment cooperative exchange
    9. Olson and Associates, Jacksonville
    10. Governors Office of the Auditor General; map of Tampa Bay habitat loss.
    11. U.S. Dept. of Education; Tampa Bay Habitat Maps
    12. DER, OFW program; slides of Indian River Lagoon
    13. Pinellas County Planning Dept.; habitat maps of Pinellas County
    14. Alvarez, Lehman and Assoc., Gainesville; fisheries habitat of northeast
        Fl.
    15. U.S.F.W.S., Jacksonville; seagrass maps of Indian River Lagoon
    16. Pinellas Planning Council; habitat maps
    17. City of Jacksonville; fisheries habitat maps and report
    18. Fla. State University, Library; reprints and Charlotte Harbor Report
    19. Florida  State Museum;  habitat maps  and report  for Charlotte Harbor
    20. West Palm Beach Planning Dept.; Lake Worth habitat maps
    21. Cooperative Fish and Wildlife  Research Unit; Landsat data for Miami
        area
    22. South Florida Water Management District; MRGIS data for Okeechobee
    23. St. Johns Water Management District; ELAS software modules
    24. Trust for Public Lands; images of Garcon Pt. in Pensacola area
    25. Ducks Unlimited; ELAS software modules
    26. University of Texas; ELAS documentation
    27. Mote Marine Laboratory; MRGIS slides
    28. Florida Marine Fisheries Commission; MRGIS slides
    29. EOSAT Corp.
    30. NASA
    31. EPA Region IV; entire slide set of west Florida estuaries, about 100
        slides
    32. South West Florida Water Management District; MRGIS slides
    33. Mangrove Systems Inc.; MRGIS slides
    34. DSA Group, Inc.; habitat maps of Tampa Bay
    35. Bradenton Herald; habitat inventory and trends for Perico Island
    36. Mark Weitz, Outdoor Writer; bait shrimping and seagrass loss slides and
        maps
    37. Palm Beach, City Planning Dept.; Lake Worth habitat maps
    38. NOAA, SE Fisheries Center; estimate of Florida east coast acreages of
        estuarine water for a pink shrimp analysis
    39. Tampa Bay RPC; habitat maps for Tampa Bay
    40. All Release Sports Society; habitat maps of Little Manatee River
    41. Hillsborough County, Planning Dept.; habitat maps and acreage analyses
        for Hillsborough County
    42. Dauphin Island Marine Lab; grass bed inventory of northwest Florida

    Table 1 (continued).

    43. Pinellas County Planning Dept.; habitat maps
    44. Greiner Engineering; resource analysis for new Howard Franklin Bridge
        construction
    45.. University of Georgia; NE Florida Report and maps of Nassau County
    46. Fl; GFWFC; maps for bear corridor analyses of Wekiva River area
    47. West Florida Regional Planning Council; habitat maps for their
        district
    48. Barret, Daffin and Carlan, Inc., Alabama; habitat maps for Walton and
        Okaloosa Counties
    49. City of Dunedin; habitat maps
    50. Collier County; habitat maps
    51. Hernando County; habitat maps
    52. DCA; habitat maps for Pensacola Bay
    53. Fl. Institute of Technology; habitat maps for Dade, Sarasota, Monroe,
        Jacksonville (Duval), and Broward Counties
    54. Levy County; habitat maps
    55. West Palm Beach; habitat maps
    56. Alvarez, Lehman & Assoc., Gainesville; habitat maps for St. Johns
        County
    57. Univ. of Georgia; habitat maps for Pensacola and Ft. Myers

    Table 2. Presentations concerning the MRGIS by Ken Haddad.

    1.  American   Society  of  Photogrametry  and  Remote  Sensing,   Florida
        Chapter.
    2. Seventh Annual Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico Information
        Transfer Meeting.
    3. Manasota Chapter of the American Society of Land Surveyors.
    4.  Coastal Zone 87.
    5. Marine Resource Council of East Central Florida Annual Meeting.
    6. Florida Editorial Writers Conference.
    7.  Mote Marine Laboratory.
    8. South West Florida Watermanagement District SWIM Conference.

    Table 3.  Density and diversity estimates of organisms captured off Tarpon Key, FL.  CV
              coefficient of variation.

                                         Density          CV           Diversity        CV
                                        mean number                    mean number
                           Number of  organisms/m2                     species/m2
    Gear type                Samples       + SD           100(x/SD)        + SD        l00(x/SD)

    lm2 Tripod Drop Net        15       4.60 + 4.0         86.1%        2.93 + 1.6      53.9%

    2m2 Tripod Drop Net        15       6.07 + 3.8         63.1%        3.33 + 1.9      57.2%

    4m2 Tripod Drop Net        16       6.20 + 3.9         63.2%        3.41 + 2.6       75.8%

    lm2 Boom Drop Net          36       6.36 + 5.1         80.4%        2.42 + 0.8      34.8%

    6.1m Otter Trawl   (100m)13         1.08 + 0.64        60.0%        0.03 + 0.01    34.1%

                        ( 50m)18       0.99 + 0.54        54.5%        0.04 + 0.01    27.9%

    Roller Shrimp Trawl        36       0.42 + 0.30        70.8%        0.03 + 0.01    33.1%

            Table 4.  List of species captured by each gear type, OT =otter trawl, RT
      I             ~ ~~~roller trawl.

                                                           Method of Capture
              I                                    ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~Tripod  Boom
            Species List                      IM2      2m2      4m2      Im2     OT      RT

             Brevoortia sp.                                                      X
    I       ~~Harengula jaguana                                  X

            *Opsanus beta                      X        X        X        X      X       X
            *~Floridichthys carpio             X        X        X        X      X       X
            *Lucania parva                     X        X        X        X      X       X
             Menidia berylina                           X        X               X       X
             Hippocampus zosterae                                                xx
            *Sygnathus scovelli                X        X        X        X      X       X
             Sygnathus louisianae                                                X
             Centropristis striata                                               X
             Mycteroperca microlepis                                             X
             Lutjanus griseus                                    X        X      X       X
            *Eucinostomus sp.                   X       X        X        X      X       X
             Orthopristis chyotr                        X        X        X      XX
             Arthosargus probatocephalus                                  X      X       X
            *Lagodon rhomboides                X        x        x        x      x       x
             Bairdiella chrysoura                                K               K       K
    I~~~eisou xanthurs                                                                   K
             Chasmodes sabusiae                         K        K               X       K
             Gobisoma robustum                 K        K        K        K      K
            *~Micro~gobius gulosus             X        K        K        X      K       K
             Paralichthys albigutta                                              K
             Achirus lineatus                                                    K
             Chilomycterus scholpfi                                                      x
             Sympurus plagusa                  K

             Callinectes sapidus                                 K        K      K       K
             Penaeus duorarum                  x        K        x        K      K       x

    I       ~~*Fish species captured by all gear types.

    Table 5.  Greatest percentage of organisms captured by each gear type.

                      Day and night sampling           Data excluding night sampling
    Gear Type  (% of organism comprising sample)  (% of organism comprising sample)

      Roller          L. parva          50.5                L. parva           64.6
      Trawl           Eucinostumus sp. 16.8                 Eucinostumus sp. 21.5
                      P. duorarum       16.4                P. duorarum        0.4

      Otter           L. parva          41.6                L. parva           44.8
      Trawl           L. rhomboides    38.3                 L. rhomboides    36.2
                      Eucinostumus sp.  7.6                 Eucinostumus sp.  7.5
                      P. duorarum        1.7                P. duorarum         0.3

      Boom            L. parva          64.5                L. parva           65.7
      Drop            Eucinostumus sp.  6.1                 Eucinostumus sp.  5.1
                      P. duorarum        8.2                P. duorarum         7.1

      lm2             L. parva          63.8                L. parva           64.6
      Drop            G. robustum        11.6               G. robustum        12.3
      Net             M. gulosus          5.8               M. gulosus          6.2
                      P. duorarum        2.9                P. duorarum         0.0

      2m2             L. parva          49.5                L. parva           51.2
      Drop            M. berylina         9.9               M. berylina        10.6
      Net             L. rhomboides       8.8               L. rhomboides       8.8
                      P. duorarum        6.6                P. duorarum         4.7

      4m2             L. parva           68.8               L. parva           70.9
      Drop            L. rhomboides       7.3               L. rhomboides       7.0
      Net             P. duorarum         7.3               P. duorarum         5.4

    Table  6.   Density  and  percentage  of  total  drop  net  catch  estimated  for G.  robustum  and
                 M. gulosus.

          # different  species                         G.  robustum                               M.  gulosus
                captured                 as % total  catch          density         as % total  catch          density

    lm2           ..9                            11.6                .53/m2                   5.8               .27/m2
    2m2            11                              6.6               .40/m2                   5.5               .33/m2
    4m2            14                              2.8               .17/m2                   2.5               .16/m2

    Table  7.   Average  density  (fish/1000m2)  for  the  seven  fish  species  common  to  all  gear
                  types.   OT = otter  trawl,  RT = roller  trawl.

                                                            Gear Type

                                                 Tripod                              Boom
    Species                          lmZ            2mZ            4mZ                 lm2            OT            RT

    O. beta                          130            300             230                310              20             3
    L.  parva                     2,930          3,000           4,270              4,140             430           210
    S.  scovelli                      70              30             20                 30              10             8
    Eucinostomus  sp.                200            200             140                390              80            72
    L.  rhomboides                   130            530             450                170            400             39
    M.  gulosus                      270            330             160                170               1          0.7
    F. carpio                        130            100             110                360              30             8

    Table 8. Average standard length (mm) for six fish species captured with all gear
                  types. Number in parenthesis indicates total number of this species cap-
                  tured with each gear. OT = otter trawl, RT = roller trawl.

                                         Tripod                               Boom
    Species                   lmZ           2mz           4mz                   lm2           OT             RT

    O. beta                   57.5(2)       57.4(9)       54.6(15)           52.2(11)   85.7(143)   85.5(17)

    L.  parva                 21.5(45)   22.6(79)   22.8(220)                22.3(148)  24.8(507)   25.7(556)

    S.  scovelli              95.0(1)   105.0(1)   106.0(1)                 120.0(1)   111.8(93)   109.9(44)

    Eucinostomus  sp.         24.3(3)       28.5(6)       26.8(9)            27.0(12)   37.3(219)   30.1(311)

    L.  rhomboides            62.5(2)       74.1(16)   69.7(29)              85.8(6)       79.5(604)   77.9(152)

    M.  gulosus               22.3(4)       21.9(10)   23.9(10)              27.7(6)       23.4(9)         31.0(4)

                       I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Table 9. Maximum residency times of red drum in the Alafia River
              canal study site for each marking experiment during
              1986-87.

                                                          No. of days
    Color Marked   Date Released   Date last collected   in canal

    Light Green      27 Oct 86           7 April 87           162
    Orange           10 Nov 86          21 April 87            162
    Red              25 Nov 86          28 April 87            154
    Dk Grn/Red       12 Jan 87          12 May 87             120
    Dark Green        2 Feb 87          25 March 87             51
    Red/Orange       24 Feb 87           5 May 87               70
    Dk Grn/Orange   24 March 87         21 April 87            28

    Table 10. Summary of red drum collected in the stop net from the
               Alafia River study site. Average soak time per haul is
               about three hours.

            No. of     No.        Fish/Haul   No.          Fish/Haul
    Date    Hauls       Incoming  Incoming    Outgoing   Outgoing

    11/85   14            2          0.14           4        0.29
    12/85   30           18          0.60          11        0.37
     1/86   36          145          4.03         353        9.81
     2/86   30           27          0.90           5        0.17
     3/86   14           12          0.86           3        0.21
     4/86    7            0             0           0            0
     5/86    0        .
     6/86    0            -             -           -            -
     7/86   16            0             0           0            0
     8/86   51            1          0.02           0            0
     9/86   58            3          0.05           0            0
    10/86   51            5          0.10           4        0.08
    11/86   39            9          0.23           5        0.13
    12/86   40           49          1.23          10        0.25
     1/87   30          103          3.43         43         1.43
     2/87   27          368         13.63          84        3.11
     3/87   30           18          0.60           6        0.20
     4/87   27            6          0.22          14        0.52
     5/87   14            6          0.43           3        0.21
     6/87    0            -             -           -            -
     7/87    0
     8/87    0

          Table 11.  Distribution locations of CZM brochures.

    AAA Motor Club (OR)               2170 Rainbow Dr.               CLEARWATER
    AAA Motor Club (OR)               4800 US 19 No.                 Palm Harbor
    AAA Motor Club (OR)               9200 Seminole Blvd.            Seminole
    AAA Motor Club (OR)               1211 lst. Ave.No.              St. Petersburg
    Aaegean Sands Resort              421 S. Gulfview Blvd.          Clearwater
    Adam's Mark                       430 S. Gulfview Blvd.          Clearwater Beach
    Albatross Motel                    346 Hamden Dr.                Clearwater Beach,
    A+ Rent-A-Car                     3800 34th. St. N.              St. Petersburg
    Arie Dam Resort.                  14600 Gulf Blvd.               Maderia Beach
    Avalon Travel Trailer Park        1960 U.S. 19 S.                Clearwater
    Bali Hai Suncoast Motel           350 Hamden Dr.                 Clearwater Beach
    Bali Hai Gulfview Motel           353 Coronado Dr.               Clearwater Beach
    Bay Lawn Motel                    406 Hamdin Dr.                 Clearwater Beach
    Bay-N-Gulf Resort                 5195 Gulf Blvd.                St. Petersburg Beach
    Bayway Motor Lodge                3501 34th. Av. S.              St. Petersburg
    Beachcomber Resort                6200 Gulf Blvd.                St. Petersburg Beach
    Beach House Motel East            12035 Gulf Blvd.               Treasure Island
    Beach Moorings                    620 Bayway Blvd.               Clearwater Beach
    Beach Park Motel                  300 Beach Dr. N.E.             St. Petersburg
    Bel Crest Beach Condo Motel       706 Bayway Blvd.               Clearwater Beach
    Bestwestern Gulfview Inn          504 S. Gulfview Blvd.          Clearwater Beach
    Best Western Sea Wake Inn         691 S. Gulfview Blvd.          Clearwater Beach
    Bilmar Beach Resort (OR)          10650 Gulf Blvd.               Treasure Island
     Boatyard Village-Michaels         16100 Fairchild Dr.            Clearwater
     Bon-Aire Resort Hotel             4350 Gulf Blvd.                St. Petersburg Beach
     Bond Motel                        421 4th. Av. N.                St. Petersburg
     Breckenridge Resort Hotel         5600 Gulf Blvd.                St. Petersburg Beach
     Budget Rent-A-Car                 5400 Gulf Blvd                 St. Petersburg Beach
     Cadillac On The Gulf              3828 Gulf Blvd.                St. Petersburg Beach
     Camelot By The Sea                1801 Gulf Way                  St. Petersburg Beach
     Camelot Motel                     603 Mandalay Ave.              Clearwater Beach
     Clearwater Beach Resort           678 S. Gulfview Blvd.          Clearwater Beach
     Clearwater Beach Hotel            500 Mandalay Ave.              Clearwater Beach
     Coca Cabana Motel                 669 Mandalay Ave.'             Clearwater Beach
     Country Dinner Playhouse          7951 Gateway Mall              St. Petersburg
     COLONIAL HOTEL                    126 2nd. Ave. N.E.             St. Petersburg
     COMFORT INN                       3580 Ulmerton Rd.              Clearwater
     COMMODORE BEACH CLUB              13536 Gulf Blvd.               Maderia Beach
     DOLPHIN-BEACH RESORT              4900 Gulf Blvd.                St. Petersburg Beach
     DOLPHIN MOTEL                     1359 34th. St. N.             St. Petersburg
     DON CE SAR RESORT (OR)            3400 Gulf Blvd.                St. Petersburg Beach
     ECHO SAILS MOTEL                  216 hamden Dr.                 Clearwater Beach
     ECONOLODGE (OR)                   4770 US  ( No.                 Palm Harbor
     EL SIRATA MOTEL                   5390 Gulf Blvd.                St. Petersburg Beach
     EXECUTIVE MOTOR LODGE             3080 34th. St. N.              St. Petersburg
     FALCON MOTEL                      415 Coronado Dr.               Clearwater Beach
     FLAMINGO MOTEL (OR)               450 N. Gulf view Blvd.        Clearwater Beach
     FLORIDA NATIONAL BANK             3805 Gulf Blvd.                St. Petersburg Beach
     GATEWAY MOTEL                     4990 34th. St. N.             St. Petersburg
     GLASS HOUSE MOTEL                 229 Gulfview Blvd             Clearwater Beach
     GULF BEACH MOTEL                  419 Coronado Dr.              Clearwater Beach
     GULF GARDENS                      14141 Gulf Blvd.              Maderia Beach
     GULF SANDS BEACH RESORT           655 S. Gulfview Blvd.         Clearwater Beach

            Table 11 (continued).

    HAMLINS LANDING                   401 2nd. St. E.                      Indian Rocks
    HILTON INN                       715 S. Gulfview Blvd.                 Clearwater Beach
    HILTON INN                       5250 Gulf Blvd.                       St. Petersburg Beach
    HI SEAS MOTEL                    455 S. Gulfview Blvd.                 Clearwater Beach
    HOLIDAY HOUSE MOTEL              495 N. Gulfview Blvd.                Clearwater Beach
    HOLIDAY INN CLEARWATER CENT.    400 US19 So.                           Clearwater
    HOLIDAY INN GULFVIEW             521 S. Gulfview Blvd.                Clearwater Beach
    HOLIDAY INN 1-275                3000 34th. St. S.                    St. Petersburg
    HOLIDAY INN MADERIA BEACH         15208 Gulf Blvd.                    Maderia Beach
    HOLIDAY INN SOUTH                4601 34th. St. S.                    St. Petersburg
    HOLIDAY INN SURFSIDE             400 Mandalay Ave.                    Clearwater Beach
    HOLIDAY INN ST PETERSBURG BCH.  5300 Gulf Blvd.                       St. Petersburg Beach
    HOLIDAY INN ST. PETECLWR.       3535 Ulmerton Rd.                    Clearwater
    HOLIDAY INN TREASURE IS.         11908 Gulf Blvd.                     Treasure Island
    HOLIDAY ISLE MOTEL               14711 Gulf Blvd.                     Maderia Beach
    ISLANDER MOTEL                   4321 Gulf Blvd.                      St. Petersburg Beach
    ISLAND INN SHORES                9980 Gulf Blvd.                      Treasure Island
    JET EXECUTIVE CENTER             1590 Fairchild Dr.                   Clearwater
    JOHN'S PASS-BEACH MOTEL          12600 Gulf Blvd.                     Treasure Island
    LAGOON RESORT MOTEL              619 S. Gulfview Blvd.                Clearwater Beach
    LA MARK CHARLES MOTEL            6200 34th. St. N.                    Pinellas Park
    LA QUINTA MOTOR INN              7500 US 19 N.                        Pinellas Park
    LEHIGH CORPORATION               5005 34th. St. N.                    St. Petersburg
    LINDOS RENT-A-CAR                1886 US 19 So.                       Clearwater
    LONDON WAX MUSEUM                5505 Gulf Blvd.                      St. Petersburg Beach
    MADERIA VISTA                    14800 Gulf Blvd.                     Maderia Beach
    MAGNOLIA HOTEL                   444 1st. Ave. N.                     St. Petersburg
    McCARTHY HOTEL                   326 1st. Ave. N.                     St. Petersburg
    MIDTOWN MOTOR LODGE              US 19 & 5th. Ave. N.                 St. Petersburg
    MOLLOY GULF MOTEL                10164 Gulf Blvd.                     Treasure Island
    MURPHY'S MOTEL                   4900 34th. St. N.                    St. Petersburg
    PENNSYLVANIA                     4th. St. & 3rd. Ave. N.              St. Petersburg
    PONCE DE LEON HOTEL              Central Ave. & Beach Dr.             St. Petersburg
    PORT OF ST. PETE                                                      St. Petersburg
    PRESIDENTIAL INN                 100 2nd. Ave. S.                     St. Petersburg
    PRINCESS MARTHA HOTEL            401 1st. Ave. N.                     St. Petersburg
    QUALITY INN TRAILS END (OR)      11500 Gulf Blvd.                     Treasure Island
    RAMADA INN                       2560 US 19 N.                        Clearwater
    RAMADA INN                       !@))) Gulf Blvd.                     Treasure Island
    REDINGTON SURF RESORT            17300 Gulf Blvd.                     No. Redington Beach
    REDINGTON AMBASSADOR             16900 Gulf Blvd.                     No. Redington Beach
    RESIDENCE INN                    5050 Ulmerton Rd.                    Clearwater
    ROBBY'S PANCAKE HOUSE            10925 Gulf Blvd.                     Treasure Island
    ROYAL CANADIAN MOTEL             649 Mandalay Ave.                    Clearwater Beach
    SANDPIPER RESORT                 6000 Gulf Blvd.                      St. Petersburg
    SANDS OF TREASURE IS, (OR)       11800 Gulf Blvd.                     Treasure Island
    SANDS POINT MOTEL                433 Coronado Dr.                     Clearwater Beach
    SATELLITE MOTEL (OR)             11205 Gulf Blvd.                     St. Petersburg Beach
    SEA CASTLE                       10750 Gulf Blvd.                     Treasure Island
    SEA OATS                         12625 Sunshine Lane                  Treasure Island
    SEA PALMS MOTEL                  4999 Gulf Blvd.                      St. Petersburg
    SEA VIEW MOTEL                   18 Bay Esplande                      Clearwater Beach
    SHALIMAR MOTEL                   3700 Gulf Blvd.                      St. Petersburg Beach

    I

       |I  ~      Table 11 (continued).

        I   SHERATON SAND KEY RESORT (OR)   1160 Gulf Blvd.                         Clearwater Beach
            SHORELINE MOTEL                   14200 Gulf Blvd.                      Maderia Beach
            SOUTHERN SKIES MOTEL              666 34th. St. N.                      St. Petersburg
            ST. PETE CHAMBER OF COM. (OR)   401 3rd. Ave. N.                        St. Petersburg
        SPY  GLASS MOTEL                      215 S. Gulfview Blvd.                 Clearwater Beach
           SUNCOAST REPRESENTATION SER.    150 153rd. Ave.                         Maderia Beach
            SUNCOAST WELCOME CENTER (OR)    2001 Ulmerton Rd.                       Clearwater
            SUNWOOD INN                       3301 Ulmerton Rd.                     Clearwater
            SURF OF TREASURE ISLAND (OR)    11040 Gulf Blvd.                        Treasure Island
           SUPERIOR RENT-A-CAR               5905 Gulf Blvd.                       St. Petersburg Beach
         SUPERIOR RENT-A-CAR                  Gulfview Blvd.                        Clearwater Beach
            SWEDEN HOUSE RESTAURANT           6300 Gulf Blvd.                       St. Petersburg Beach
            TAHITIAN RESORT                   11300 Gulf Blvd.                      Treasure Island
         THUNDERBIRD RESORT MOTEL             10700 Gulf Blvd.                      Treasure Island
            TIERRA VERDE ISLAND RESORT        200 Madonna Blvd.                     St. Petersburg Beach
            TRADE WINDS MOTEL (OR)            10300 Gulf Blvd.                      Treasure Island
            TRADEWINDS RESORT (OR)            5400 Gulf Blvd.                       St. Petersburg Beach
         TREASURE SHORES BEACH CLUB            10360 Gulf Blvd.                     Treasure Island
            TROPIC AIRE MOTEL                 35 Coronado Dr.                       Clearwater Beach
            TROPIC ISLE MOTEL         '       23 Rockaway St.                       Clearwater Beach
         TROPIC SHORES CONDO-MOTEL            14251 Gulf Blvd.                      Maderia Beach
            VALUE RENT-A-CAR                  15115 Maderia Way                     Maderia Beach
            VALUE RENT-A-CAR                  Gulf-to-Bay                           Clearwater
            VALUE RENT-A-CAR                  Fairchild Dr.                         Clearwater
            VOYAGER BEACH CLUB                11860 Gulf Blvd.                      Treasure Island
            WELLS MANOR                       333 Hamden Dr.                        Clearwater Beach

                                               SARASOTA LOCATIONS

           AROUND THE WORLD MOTEL (OR)                 129 Taft Dr.
         BAYSHORE INN                                   3512 US 41 N.
           BESTWESTERN GOLDEN HOST INN                 4675 US 41
           BESTWESTERN BRADENTON RESORT INN            2303 First St.
           DIPLOMAT RESORT                             3155 Gulf of Mexico
           FOUR WINDS MOTEL                            2605 Gulf of Mexico Dr.
           GULF BEACH HOTEL                            930 BenJamin Franklin Dr.
           GULF TIDES                                  3000 Gulf of Mexico Dr.
         HOWARD JOHNSONS RESTAURANT                     US 41 - Bradenton
            LIMETREE BEACH RESORT                       1050 Ben Franklin Dr.
            PELICAN GARDENS MOTEL                       170 Roosevelt Dr.
         ROYAL HEALTH & TENNIS LODGE                    4229 US 41
            SEA CLUB I BEACH RESORT                     4141 Gulf of Mexico Dr.
            SEA HORSE BEACH RESORT                      3453 Gulf of Mexico Dr.
            SOUTH SEAS RV RESORT                        100 Palmview Rd.
            SUNTIDE ISLAND BEACH CLUB                   850 Ben Franklin Dr.
            TWIN SHORES RESORT                          3740 Gulf of Mexico Dr.
            VERANDA RESORT                              2509 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

                                              A /
                           I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~":

    I         ~~Table 12.  Organizations that requested and received CZM brochures.

              American Boat and Yacht Council,' Inc.; Amityvil le, NY
              American Littoral Society; St. Petersburg, FL
              ANERR; Apalachicola, FL
              Apalachee Elementary School; Tallahassee, FL
    I       ~ ~Boy Scouts of America; St. Petersburg, FL
              Boyd Hill Nature Trail; St. Petersburg, FL
              Briggs Nature Center; Naples, FL
              Camelot,-by-the-Sea Resort Condominiums; Pass-a-Grill, FL
    I         ~~Campbell Drive Elementary School; Leisure City, FL
                 CaeCoral Area Chamber of Commerce, Cape Coral, FL
              Central Jr. High School; Melbourne, FL
    I        ~ ~City of St. Petersburg; St. Petersburg, FL
              Clearwater Marine Science Center; Clearwater, FL
              Dept. of Environmental Regulation; Ft. Myers, FL
    I        ~ ~Dept. of Natural Resources, Bureau of Education and Information; Tallahassee
              Dept. of Natural Resources, Division of Marine Resources; Naples, FL
              Dept. of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation
              Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve; Watsonville, CA
              Environmental, Inc.; Tampa, FL
              Florida Oceanographic Society; Stuart, FL
              Florida State Museum; Gainesville, FL
    I        ~ ~~Florida State University; Tallahassee, FL
              Hillsborough County School System; Tampa, FL
              Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce; Jensen Beach, FL
    I        ~ ~~John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park; Key Largo, FL
              John's Pass Sea Food Festival; Treasure Island, FL
              Lee County School Board; Ft. Myers, FL
              Madeira Beach Chamber of Commerce; Madeira Beach, FL
    I        ~ ~~Marine Resources Council; Melbourne, FL
              Miami Edison Sr. High School; Miami, FL
              Mote Marine Laboratory; Sarasota, FL
    I        ~ ~~Nature Conservancy
              New Found Harbour Marine Institute; Big'Pine Key, FL
              Pinellas County School System; Clearwater, FL
    I        ~ ~~Pinellas Marine Institute; St. Petersburg, FL
              Pt. Charlotte Chamber of Commerce; Pt. Charlotte, FL
              Rookery Bay; Naples, FL
               Sarasota High School; Sarasota, FL
    I        ~ ~~Save the Manatee Committee; Maitland, FL
              Sea World of Florida; Orlando, FL
              Southwest Florida Water Management District; Brooksville, FL
    H        ~ ~~Stonewall Jackson Jr. High School; Orlando, FL
               St. Petersburg Jr. College; St. Petersburg, FL
              St. Petersburg Times; St. Petersburg, FL
               Suncoast Sea Bird Sanctuary; Redington Shores, FL
              University of So. Florida; Tampa, FL
              University of Tampa; Tampa, FL
              University of Florida; Gainesville, FL'

              Upper Tampa Bay Park; Oldsmar, FL

                                        ~~Th~Y    AREA                                                       oo

                  I            -  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~TOLL PLAZA

    I              ~~~~~AREA SHO::          *SK*M SKWY
                                                                          '4                      ~~~~CONTROL

              3                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BOAT LAUNCHING RAMP,,        SIT
                                        SKIING EN BOATING AREA  --i>
                                         PICNIC AREA ~PARKING L OT

                                                                PICNIC AREA'V

                                                           OVERNIGHT
                               S ~~~~~~~~~~                   CAMPING
                                                      < AREAS                   /

                                          P~~c;AREA/~~~k~~j)  ~~                                      STRESS

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                             QVI   ~/R~MJAT                                              FORT DESOTO

                             000 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~5

                                   FI&HING   ~    ~         ~        ~        ~       ~~~~~~PIE NELLAS  COLIN-1Y PARK DEPARTMENT

    I          ~~~Figure A.  Location of field study sites for community metabolism measurements.

               SURFACE LIGHT FLUCTUATIONS AT CONTROL SITE, 9/87

        2000 -

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                   Figure B. Surface Light at Control Site, 9/87 Diel. Light values for each
                               10-minute logging interval are denoted by diamonds (maximum values),
                               "+" signs (mean), and triangles (minimum values). Time is expressed

    m m     mmmm mm - -                                    - -                   - -                    - --   -- -

                       CHAMBER OXYGEN CONCENTRATIONS, CONTROL SITE, 9/87

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                       10                         18                  00                   06                  12

                                                                 HOUR
                                     DAY 1                                                DAY 2

                              Figure C.  Chamber  Oxygen Concentrations, Control Site, 9/87.  Four chambers
                                         are represented. Chambers flushed with outside water at 0030 h to
                                         prevent anoxia.

      DAYTIME OXYGEN FLUCTUATIONS AT CONTROL SITE, 9/87

       -O
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               Figure 0.   Diurnal  Cycle of Net Oxygen Productivity.   Arrows  identify

    [] I I - I - - m I - - I - - - -I-

                     NIGHT-TIME OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AT CONTROL SITE, 9/87

                        7-

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                                20                  2        4           02 04 06                                   08

                                                                    HOUR
                                       DAY 1                                                    DAY 2

                                 Figure E.  Night-time Oxygen Consumption   at Control Site, 9/87.  Time
                                            expressed as decimal hours. Chambers flushed to restore oxygen
                                            concentrations to near-ambient levels 0300 h. Chambers opened
                                               rnnpovfn  nn'    ~     n TAL    n-         -    -          -I'I    -

              SURFACE LIGHT FLUCTUATIONS AT STRESS SITE, 9/87

       1800 -
       1700 -
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       1500 -
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                 12                18                  0                 0612                            40

                                                 HOUR
                         DAY 1                                                   DAY 2
                  Figure F. Surface Light Fluctuations at Stress Site, 9/87. Maximum, minimum
                             and mean values of surface photosynthetically-active radiation for
                             each minute interval are represented by different symbols.

           CHAMBER OXYGEN CONCENTRATIONS, STRESS SITE, 9/87

       13 -

       12-

       11-
                    +                 ++
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                     +-
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                  8*~~~' A                                          CHAMBERS
                                                            FLUSHED

        2-                                                                                           +

      CD

               12                 18            O       0                   06                  1

                        DAY 1                          HORDAY 2

                Figure G. Chamber Oxygen Concentrations, Stress Site, 9/87. Time expressed
                          as decimal hours on a 24-clock. O0 is midnight.
                                                                ++
    CD 4
                                                            +~~~~~~~
                                                                     ++

        2-

               1 2                18                   00                  06                   12

                                                 HOURDA2
                        DAY I1A

                Fig ure G. Chamber Oxygen Concentrations, Stress Site, 9/87. Time expressed
                          as decimal hours on a 24-clock. 00 is midnight.

         DAYTIME OXYGEN FLUCTUATIONS AT STRESS SITE, 9/87

         13 -    EVENING '                  AFTERNOON

     12-
              0
                                     0  0  M 0                0 0   0    0    00  0
                    O~~~~~~~~~ 17

                        A  A  A  4� 4i-a~     ~~    ~ ~ �4~4 o                                00
             o c

           -ilO-    A  A   ~~~~~~+   +                                                             00
        -j r    ip                                                                                        LATE
                                                                                            MORNING

                                                                                         +
                                                                      o~     ~~ oo

                                                                                     Vr-

                CM-~~~B 0

                                      ++f
     4               +                                ++
                       v,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4

    U)                                                                 4�  +  +  � MIDDLE

                                       co ~      ~     ~      -4               MORNING
                     o~~~ na                                                              %
         11-oomO

                                 MA A

             0  ,   0         .          O+

      2-                         EARLY MORNING
        0      100    200      300    400    500      500    700    800       900    1000    1100   1200   1300
                              PHOTOSYNTHETICALLY- ACTIVE RADIATION (uE M_2s-1)

             Figure H. Diurnal Cycle of Net Oxygen Fluxes in Chambers at Stress Sites.
                        Arrows identify portions of day related to each group of data.

         NIGHT-TIME OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AT STRESS SITE, 9/87

          11
                 +

                 ++++
                     +t,

    <                       7-A .�                                                    CHAMBERS
                          i-+  + ,                                               FLUSHED
               7                  '      LC  tl+ +

                                  '+++

           2-                                  t-
      L1:                                  ,+ ,+                     ,      ,.,

           F                                                                 + N.  +
                                                 T+                --L
          L-                                                         ++., t4,

                                                                ++
                        J3~~~~~~~- i++++ ++

           2-

           1:
                          i                                                                I
                  20            22             00            02             04 06                         08

                                                  HOUR
                        DAY 1                                                   DAY 2

                  Figure I. Night-time Oxygen Consumption at Stress Site, 9/87. Time
                              is expressed as decimal hours on a 24-hour clock. 00 is
                             midnight.

            SURFACE LIGHT FLUCTUATIONS AT SEWAGE SITE, 9/87

      2000 -

    CI,i

    LU

    c:: 2000-o

    LU
    H-

    ~: 1000-
                                                        ~  ~~~~+

    I-                             -                                                            A

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~HOU
         Z~~~~~~~~

                   DAY I                                                 DAY 2

              Figure J. Surface Light Fluctuations at Sewage Site, 9/87. Maximum, minimum,
                      and mean PAR values for each 10-minute logging interval represented
                      by different symbols.

               CHAMBER OXYGEN CONCENTRATIONS, SEWAGE SITE

         12 -

                           ++     $+
                             +++
         lo.-+                            +                                                      +
          I -�
                           +        i+                                              CHAMBERS +

          9 - ++ P E LST,,
                                z o � A~~+  ~CHAMBERS                               CLOSED
                                                       OPENED

                      1   -                                 ,  .  .  ,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  , 4
       7-s
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CLOS E[i�
                                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~

                             DAY 1HOUCHAMBERS
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~LUSE
          5-
               0~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       5-
    -D

                 L~~~~~~~~~~~O
          4-

          2-

          1-
                12 18                              00                06                  12               18

                                                       HOURS
                        DAY 1                                                             DAY 2

                 Figure K. Chamber Oxygen Concentrations, Sewage Site, 9/87. Chambers
                           opened when exposed by falling tide at 0630. Chambers closed
                           when reflooded at 1300 h.

        NIGHT-TIME OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AT SEWAGE SITE, 9/87

         13 -
                 +

         12 -

                +    +
                   +
         11 -    +     +

                AA
         10        a   +
    O                  A
          c 9--          A                                                          CHAMBERS
    c_                      A                                                          OPENED
    I--                   +                                                               I  AM
                                 A +

    �C    Z        ,+   +      ++++                                 CHAMBERS
       >~-j  +             +++ I+                                                 + _
    J                +     ++:+          +          A A
                                    x           A    ++
                    : ++++                        ++++++                  + +                 ++
            o>-A _La++                                                             ++++
                                 W+++ A                             +++/
                                 -  +   +  r++       A                    +4
                                            rl  +�4

                                                 CD+. +A
          3                                                  +++++T+++    +  4-+   +   ++ +t+
                                                     ++,+

          �2-                                              ++      ++                p    AA

          1-
            I  I  I   I  I      I      I      I      I      I     I       I  '  I     '     I
                 20           22            00            02            04            06            08

                                                  HOUR
                        DAY 1                                                DAY 2

                  Figure L. Night-time Oxygen Consumption at Sewage Site, 9/87. Time
                             expressed as decimal hours. Chambers flushed at 0320 to
                             restore oxygen concentrations to near-ambient levels.
                             Chambers exposed by tides at 0700 h.

         DAYTIME OXYGEN FLUCTUATIONS AT SEWAGE SITE, 9/87

      13 -

      12-   a

      -tD ~~ i  A -+ +  I    +    +
                     .11    ++

    L 10O-                               . "   ,                           CHAMBER OPEN

     I-------------------------------I

    CD++
    C-,   -S[+  o

    ,,  7-                                                +
         r'm                A                   +      .++                 +++            + +

    :>-,

        0                   1000                 2000                3000                 4000                 5000

                        PHOTOSYNTHETICALLY- ACTIVE RADIATION (E M2 S 1)

             Figure M. Daytime Oxygen Fluctuations at Sewage Site, 9/87. PAR values greater
                      than 2000 result from emersion of bottom light probe.
                      than 2000 result from emersion of bottom light probe.

     5. INFRARED |
    4. RED    I
           4.  RNEAR IUNSUPERVISED                      ETLANDS      ENHANCED            MANGROVE     GEOGRAPHIC
                            CLASSIFICATION                    CLASSIFICATION                     RECTIFICATION
    2. GREEN SH
                                                                                          AGAS TO UTM
                    1. CF    1    H             LAND                               LAND    ERASS   TO UT
    1. BLUE

                                Figure 1. Original approach to MRGIS data formatting.

                                                                                                           MAINTAINED
                                                                                                           AS ACTIVE

                             GEOGRAPHIC                              BANDS 2,3,4   LN                                    FILE
                            RECTIFICATION      3                   BANDS 3,4,5 WETLAND

                            I TO UTM              i        PARALLEL-PIPEI5    WORK                 RECOMBINED
                                                       CLASSIFICATION      IE                     DATA
                                                          �  TO    256    [REQUESTER
                                                        CATAGORIES                                                & ARCHIVED
                                                                                  BASED UPON INDIVIDUAL
                                                                                        REQUESTS

                                  Figure 2. New approach to MRGIS data formatting.

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          UL.  EU.I~~Ufl97~ZD            scale =1:200,000

              -  -  "U'"  j~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(l("' fill~ ~~~~~~ils

         I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ml

                            3USUUU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -                                        -  UUSUUOO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..

    ~~~~Figr9A SEGASAAYISFRNTHNTAPBY

       ~~~~~~~WITWae

            UUIDOUU -                                                                          -~~Lan

         I~~~~~~~~~Mrhmnrv

         I~~~~~~~~~egass(92

         I~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~Sarse prsn in14
          ~~~~~~~~~~~u betin18

                            Totalsear   ss oeragern14 ass1,9 es. Coverag

                        in 1982 was 7,053 acres. This represents a seagrass loss of
    I               ~~~~~58%.

                                MRGIS                         DISPLAY & OVERLAY
                                                                CREATION IN THE
                                                             I   GRAPHICS MODE

                            ELAS SOFTWARE

    *                             N~~~~~~!

                            MICRO-COMPUTER

                             ELAS SOFTWARE

                             DBAS III MOD.
                                in ELAS

                              I  DBAS III

                        Any other mainframe or
                        micro-computer that
                        has a DBAS III inter-
                        face or DBAS III file
                        structure.

              Figure 10. Micro-computer interface with the mainframe.

                                                                                             7--'~'1           13

                                                                  II~ TANK~ Pul A.,

                                                                                II 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I

                           '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~13

                           19                                                                       C5'1 FIR 4sec 1211 4I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~MSSq fe I11
                                             ~~\GL~~~~a~~a1~~~I~~Y                                    ru"~I

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                              V.A. 2                                2I~I
                                                                                              13~~~~~~~~1

                 16~~~~~~~~~~r                      6t7 RIB                   .-.                         F1 Rl 4sec  12t IN~~9 ,   I
                              6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~l" i  e~ t  I~zo14en~~   Itl7    14

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                            P~~~~~~ SCL "                      FIEBRIDGEShd2
                                                 43G1&ii ~~~~ejR CL/go FT 3

                            Q~~~~~~~~                               '-nj 6           3       A2    6  /

            5'"~~~~1                                                                                       19I'  3  / , / 2

    3R3                                           Isb , 12  1324                      23  25    6   ~      F2
         r- ,ore  -                               9S  If                                  Q&FR'7B1t/w4
              2          % -           ,I                             14.2  26 1                      C"    21
           3  143  7 ~~~~                    ~o1~~.7   '~~    23  26  28    ..SBe              N'2 7P%,9
                             41         T""  2.~       -:~~
                           ~~~~~t. ~ ~ ~    ~     ~     1   Nit Orr  21                                          CIA- /1

                                                                        MOR~~~~~~~~ ~2  17  17 F

                                          Ar         -  -'s VERY CL                149 Ft ETE7R          20 249
                               5  17~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4 23   2

                             *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 30  26
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              fl   0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"e CII  '-..L7- i  t 46-. 4A1
                     3 del 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~23
                                  -  FIR~ ~~~ 2se                                     23 I  258
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 28260--

                            Cepths from I 241~~~~~~~~~~~~~G 24    21 2

       ELI~~~      ~~             ~ 7  -  23                                                         22Coe1

               $~~~~~~~~~~ 267  20  199                     17  16                                            ---

               22   CS     .1'2                                               5S   3
                    a17BELE   19  14                                                         10  8I
      7 2         N-a                           il           7                                           16  6
                                                          2 S  1~~~~4    9                          tlenk

                                                        Pulley
                                             / /  F ~~~A\~  Pulley         ~Figure 12. Drop net assembly.

                                   / |~         1/8" Dacron Line

                                                         1/4" Dacron Line

                                                /II~ // \/ /'e- Release Mechanism (See
         /#3 Brass    </IC\                                                     close up)
         Clip
        1/16"
     ss leader

    3/16" ._ '                 .S.~g'-~.o~'\
    Galvanized
    Chain                                                                                                 100' Dacron
                                                                      1  \ \   \  ~~Trip Line

                                               �" Dacron Line

                                               ~-.-- 2' Galvanized
                                                     Ring

            Release
            Mechanism

                                                              1/"Dacron

                          16' Aluminum Pipe
             Figue1Cls-poftiorlaemehns
              I~~~~18

    ~~~igue1.Coeu ftio ees ehns

                                                             Angle I ron
                                                                                                  Mast

    Crossbeam                                                      Boom,  5

                                                                                                  2" Cross
                                                                                           . <    Piece
                                                              A-Angle Iron                         Piece

    1m2 Drop Nets

                                                                                                r  Bowpiece

                                  Figure 14.  Boom and drop net assembly.

    After Deployment

                                          loat Frame

                                                                              Before Deployment

                      A 1/8" Nylon
                     5J"~ i/~~~                 Ace Netting

                                      Stainless Steel
                      m    coax   V     X  --Sink Frame

                                                                        Figure 15.  Drop net deployment detail.

                                             \\ - -  --Galvanized roller
    Stainless steel
    rakes

         A    T- 1~~ ~~ --                    -                  -__
         5 ft

                                               ____ ___                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~1/8"' Nylon
                                                                                                    Ace Netting

                                                                           3/4"
                                                                          Mesh

                                    3 ft

                       Figure 16. 5' roller-rigged shrimp trawl.

                                      5' Shrimp Trawl

       2.5" Galvanized -\
       Eyebolt

    Al uminum-g"
    Hinge

       16' Aluminum

       Figure 17. Towing configuration of roller-rigged shrimp trawl.

        Figure 17. Towing configuration of roller-rigged shrimp trawl.

                              Tick 1e Chain

                           Bridle               Trawl, doors

                                                                       Ace NVetting

    Figure 18. Towing configuration of 6.lm otter trawl.

                      JUVENILE RED DRUM POPULATION ESTIMATES

      3000-

      2500-

      2000-
    N

    Z                                                                   '
    O
    F 1500-

    a.

      1000-->
                   o 0
                            0  86

                           0                                                                       e
       500-                   o
                             0O ~ ~     ~       ~     ~      0                                   0

         I0--    .   I   .2I   .   I            I       I        I        I        I
            1       2        3        4       5        6        7        8        9       10       11       12
                                                   MONTH

                    Figure 19. Juvenile red drum population estimates.

                                                         I.Hllsborough Bay, the heavily damaged finger
                                                        :.Tampa Bay that extends up into the Port of
                                                        Tampa, has shown improvements in water quality
                                                        over the past decade, according to research com-
                                                         piled by the Hillsborough Environmental Protec-                      ;.
                                                        tion Commission. Since the city of Tampa opened
                    ~:BaEy  l W S o w s sh       t L     its advanced sewage treatment plant and
                                �:#ayshowss~    . .began pouring cleaner effluent into the                     __
                                                         bay, the water there has become clearer
        "p"'IT     -ess ma Athe                          .and bacteria and algae have declined.           Attachment
                                                        :Lower Tampa Bay, in the relatively pris-
        batntle for   'u~i~al  tine areas south of the Sunshine Skyway
                                  I'.rattl1e fr suvval   Bri dge, has also shown some water quality
                                                        I  improvements in the past decade, accord-
                                                        -ing to other research.                                     SERVICE
         By ION EAST ' :                      -               'IThe regulatory emphasis over the past          P.O. 8OX 10278
        Sta      ff Writer TAA. FLORIOA 33679
                                               .." Writ   ecade on cleaning up or eliminating sew-
          '"-Scientists have their own language to describerage effluent entering Tampa Bay has paid
        the waters Mark Taylor calls home, but terms like. some dividends, according to Rick Garri-     pdl 37,000
        dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll A and coliform.ty, district manager of the state Depart-                   SLPeetmsur
        counts don't mean much to him. Taylor's a fourth-ihnent of Environmental Regulation. But
        generation fisherman, and he understands Tampat as the metropolitan. areas surrounding
        Bay in a different way.                          ',Tampa Bay continue to grow, another
          -He measures it everytime he empties his nets. ,,unchecked source of pollution looms as a              APR- 2 1-8 6
    |       "We have to wear oil coats," Taylor says, winc- r more intimidating threat, he says.
         ing as he describes it. "'The stuff we pull up burns so'   Stormwater that rimns across fertilized
         bad you don't even want it to touch you."        lawns, oil-coated streets and through
            When the season is right, Taylor moves his boat overloaded sewer systems pours into the
         into the middle stretches of Tampa Bay and drops bay without treatment.
         the nets in search of shad. What he pulls aboard    "Despite all the improvements we are
         eaci time, though, is more than fish. The webbing making in point sources (sewage and in-
         of his nets is caked with muck, courtesy of the bay's dustrial discharges), nonpoint sources are
         bottom, where sea grasses have died. He says his definitely going to have to be on the
         crew members wear rain jackets and rubber gloves agenda for the future," Garrity says.
         for protection, and their eyes often burn when they    State legislators are considering ways.
         begin peeling the muck away.                      to control stormwater runoff in this year's
            Taylor needs no laboratory analysis to draw his session, but cities and counties have
         conclusions: "Some of these sediments, I don't fought itbecause the expense is potential-
         know what they are, but they're not good for us."  ly enormous. Short of actual treatment,
            By some gauges, the environmental quality of stormwater plans would require holding
         Tampa Bay has improved over the past decade, ponds that help filter out contaminants
         according to a team of marine-related professionals through vegetation. In Tampa, Mayor
         who gathered Saturday to talk about the troubled Bob Martinez has proposed a stormwater
         urban waters that surround us. But the intricate, control plan that calls on residents to pay
         community of marine life that is a playground and a monthly utility fee.
         source of commerce for the Suncoast is still behind    .Even with the attention on cleaning
         in its battle for survival, they say, and the increas-e up water that enters Tampa Bay, howev-
         ing. stresses of growth are threatening it as neVerier, biologists say they are still not sure
         before. Amid all that, those who plot strategy say what can be done to restore much of the
         still too little is known.                       marine life that has already left it. Tampa
           - "From the biological aspect, we don't under- Bay is an estuary that serves as a breeding
         stand what we can do (for marine life)' once we ground for 70 percent of the area's recre-
          marine research lab biologist with the state Depart- that estuarine system - the vegetated,
          ment of Natural Resources (DNR). "We simply sloping shorelines, the underwater grass
          don't know."   -                                 beds, the mixture-' of salt and fresh water
      ---The setting Saturday was Bayboro Harbor, ate_ is linked to the overall health.                  ~ -- -=               ' C _
          the University of South Florida St. Petersburg                                                                      i
          campus, and many of the people considered experts     No research is available to be able to    . .                 .
          hil the bay environment were there to draw conclu- tell what's going on biologically in the     '    ~   3         o
          sions about its health. Bay Day, as it was called, was bay," DNR's Haddad says. "We need to           :    -   * -  0
          also an attempt to gather attention to something set up long-term programs."                         m   o           D
          that those who study the bay have known for years:   Commercial fisherman Taylor and his              �c             _
          Growth has harmed it. In the past 50 years, 81!remarks about bay sediments provided              "     -
          percent of the sea grasses have died, 44 percent of illustration for another area where re-    :      1  *     -   _
          the important mangrove and salt marsh borders search is laclking. Carl Goodwin, a U. S.              -=       =
          have been destroyed, bacteria levels have prompted Geological Survey hydrologist, says. bay      o   =
          occasional swimming and shellfishing bans and fish bottom land can continue to plague water                          3 3
          populations have declined.  .. .
    |         "We're playing catch-up," says Jacob Stowers,' qality for decades even if pollutants nev-
          assistant Pinellas County administrator and   er again enter Tampa Bay.                                      ,      :
          member of the Agency on Bay Management. "Th'  Goodwin says contaminants found in               R.
          people (who planned growth) didn't know they4i  Sedimenlts are thousands, even tens of             D  3   =
         weren't doing right."                               Etousands, times more concentrated than        o;
            State of the Bay 'E86, though, brought some those measured in water. When tides,              7  >
          encouraging signs.                               rsent   and turbulence stir up water,
          ehiIciuragina,             sig n s,

    I                                                                                                                        ,t  (N-

                                                                               ,or several hundred years, into
                                         a movement to halt the flow of       the early 20th century, man's im-  CjC&Ar0  S-ta
                                         pollutants into the lagoon and       pact was limited. Only the hardi-
    IL3S   iazCcP;                        eventually restore its water          est homesteaders settled along       ! ,
                                         quality. Their task is staggering.   the lagoon's shores, arnd their ef-
      P4RT 1 - RIVERS OF 'WASTE             In an average year, nearly 170      fect was minimal.
                                         billion gallons of freshwater          Vernon Lamine, a longtime
                                         runoff and treated sewage low        newsparer.an and son orf ne of
         1   - , * . a    . :'. -         into the lagoon. In times of         the first :Ierr-i:- i-land home-
      _.'. i :-.. 'l, J  . -a., Al        heavy rain.ail, the runoff 13    steavers.vc:e in :his ojG*k F ,-
                                         r uch  -nat-r-                    I dc Lore  O  i-h dealers re.-iSn..
             ,>.77 1'8'UvTn    } up :The results are in..escapable:            to buy :rout unless they were so
      �ig       P   *2 ~ ~    r !             Estimates of sea grasses  long that they had to be bent to
                                                                             fit in the mouth of a fish barrel.

                                        30 percent to 80 percent.
                                             Cocoa, which once billed it.      nets and fishing poles weren't
                                        n Wself as the "Saltwater Trout Capi-  needed. Instead, a few men wield-
            T T oNELOI>cTOswTOR5 T R     tal of the World," has long since       ing clubs would wade out into the
                                        abandoned the claim. Each year         lagoon and corral a school of reds,
                                        anglers complain about dwindling       herding them like sheep.
                                                                              herding them like sheep.
       Six thousand years ago the la-   catches.                                   "We would rush toward the
       on system known collectively           Each year large areas of oys       shore, driving the redfish ahead
                                           Es Each year large areas of oys-
        the Indian River Lagoons was    ter and clam beds are closed             of us, and when they reached
       ored, made up of the Indian    when massive freshwater runoffs            shallow waters they would all mill
     River, Banana River and Mos-    raise bacteria levels,                      around, and we were able to
      uito Lagoon. The 150-ui!e tidal      m The direct financial loss to        pound them over their heads with
       ooll network evolved into the    commercial and recreational fish-        our clubs. We  could have killed
     richest marine environment of   ing is estimated at more than $             any number, but we would take a
      its kind in North America, with    million annually                         dozen or more ashore and ...
      more than 400 species of fish         In just 60 years man has unrav-       have a fish fry," Lamme wrote.
        and 260 types of shellfish.       eled a tapestry of life that had          In the 1920s, however, that be-
       Today, the Indan Rver and    taken 6,000 years to evolve.                 gan to change.
     Banana River are- dying, and          In Palm Bay the trout fishing is
               Mo t agon'sway               n Palm Bay the trout fishing is      Canals, causeways hurt
               su .agoon'swater qualitye   so poor that Barney Gottshall, a
    Ea  suffered. The-effects are be-..  retired Air Force colonel, has
      Ing felt in the  six coastal coun-t  hung up his fishing rod in disgust.      Entrepreneurs began draining
      ties  that line the lagoon, fiom      When Gottshall moved to Palm          freshwater swamps for develop-
    ptalm Buach County on the South-   Bay Point in 1959, he could catch          ment, and their drainage canals
    to Volusa County on the nort          15 to 20 sea trout in an hour or        funneled huge
             nMan has turned tie   lagoon   two of fishing from his backyard    amounts  of
      system into a gigantic refuse p t   dock                                   nutrient-laden          39'6
                                         system  a  dock.                       nutrient-laden                  n
     for his liquid wastes -  treated                                             fresh water   E-
    sewage and stormwater runoff   Trout, redfish disappear                       into the frag-    .
                                                                               ile lagoon.      -
      loaded with fertilizers and pest-                                             Causeways
    *ecides. .-                             Today things are different.           were      built        b      i
        Everyone thought that being         "The last trout I caught out          across the la-
      1pumped  into a- lagoon, such.   here was a year ago last Febru-            go on  th a t
      waste would soon flow out to-  ary," Gottshall said. "I haven't             helped cut off       -
    sea. They were wrong.   : -           caught a redfish in three or four       its circulation.
      *  Tidal flow in the 220-billion-.  years."                                   When  the   Thomas
      igallon lagoon is so slight that':   Once, he said, he could stand at       developers succeeded in luring
      scientists estimate only 15 per-,  the end of his 60-foot dock and          thousands to the new Eden, local
      cent of its, water is exchanged:.  see fish and crabs in the sea grass      governments found themselves
    with thatof theocean.4ny piSt-.  7 feet below the surface of the              awash in waste, which they
    Ification caused by that flushing    clear water. Now the grass is            pumped into the lagoon.
      effect occurs within a mile or '  gone, but the water is too dirty to         During the years the runoffs
      two of one of the lagoon's' see it even if it were there.                   and sewage increased with the
                       .e_~ In addition, sediments carried   ~growth of agriculture operations
      n four inlets.   -: .; -.: ::: .:: -  by the runoff are rapidly filling i n  d
                                                                               and developments. Now they are
        So whatever man pumps into ! his section of the lagoon.                  at critical points.
      the-lagoon stays put:  -  ::  ,;  "At the end of my dock, the wa-             St. Johns River Water   anage-
                                                                                 St. Johns River Water Manage-
    .- "What most people didn't un-   ter used to be over my head," said          ment District engineer say that a
    ' derstand was that it is not a lv- '  Gottshall, who is 5 feet 7. "Now       10-year storm would result in 2.9
      er, so there is no flow," said: it's just up to my'armpits.                trillion gallons being diverted to
      Diane Barile, executive director      "I used to catch big trout down      the lagoon through just one canal,
       of the Marine Resources Council   there, but not any more," he said.       the CS4 Canal on the Brevard-In-
       of East Central Florida. 'The Ir-   "Now you could fish for a whole        dian River county line. A 10-year  .
       dian River is a dump -  a sump.   week and not even catch enough           storm is one that deposits 8
       Anything you dump in there is  fish to keep a cat from starving."          inches of rainfall on the area in 24    -C3
    I going to stay there, unless it can    The change has been so great          hours, usually a hurricane.
       evaporate."                        that few realize what the lagoon          That's enough water to cover
         Barile is one of the leaders of, <once was.                              the entire city of Orlando to a
                                                                               depth of 3 feet..
                                  ;;  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~7~~~~~g.

    1
    -                 3'

    I  -                                 ed sewage that 19 sewage-treat'  beds in the lagoons. Once that is
                                        ment plants empty into the la-
                                        goons each year. One University  completed, biologists may be able
    U "And that's just one canal,"   of Florida study estimated that  to compare existing beds with
      Iarie said. "T-? :.e ubeume-Til-  the combi.ed nutrient loadi;g  earlier aerial photos of the river
     man Canal !s ev'n longer.            from both runr.ofs and seae  .   and  st           th loss
       SuCk ac n  oh2mous volume ot   ch arge s totals 1                        YiliionS b.yrl 5 OPun,
       wesl w:ater is, itsel.  oi:hou: con-   annualiy.
      idering pollutants, a serious         Those nutrients suse-charge
     problem for the river. Organisms   the water and lead to large-scale    One study has determined that
       ccustomed to certain salinity lev-   algae blooms that also cover the  3,000 acres, or 30 percent, of sea
                                                                            grasses vanished between-St. Lu-
    i                                                                          cie Inlet and Satellite Beach,
      Is cannot cope with massive surface and block sunlight, killing    while mosquito-control programs
     doses of fresh water. while mosquito-control programs
     doses of fresh water.              more sea grasses,                      have impounded 6,000 acres of
       Richard Thomas, an educator   Brevard County biologist Con-             mangrove swamps. Dikes built to
    Iom  Sebastian and part-time  rad White compares the algae                 foil the breeding of salt marsh
    .-Immercial fisherman, can vivid- bloom process to "cutting a real          mosquitoes have raised water lev-
     ly describe what happens to such  heavy lawn and letting the stuff    els and caused unforseen ecologi-
       fi eatures.                      just lay there." White has been         cal damage.
       E"You've got organisms out  taking inventory of the lagoon's               Using Hoffman's calculations,
       ere that are used to 25 parts per  grass beds to determine how           that loss of 9,000 acres of wet-
     thousand salt content," Thomas  much grass is left.                        lands means a loss of $11,313,000
      aid. 'He's a slow mover -  he's    Just as that hypothetical lawn         in annual income for commercial
      to crawl or swim real slowly  would die, so has grass in the la-    fishermen, bait and tackle store
         I   and, all of a sudden, heren. owners, motel orners and others
     comes this tide that's solid fresh
     cowater. Ban! He's had it" solidThe Florida Department of Nat-    connected with recreational fish-
                Baile said that was what hap   ural Resources estimates that 30    ing.
       ened to  ndian Rivaer chlams in   percent of the lagoon's grasses           Such bread-and-butter econom-
     September 1985, when a one-two   have vanished.                            ic realities have motivated com-
     knockout punch killed an entire    Thomas, who has been roaming    mercial clammer Charles Hotca-
      eneration of the shellfish .        the lagoons for 30 years in his    veg to report polluters and dog-

       tloodgates spill out death    ing at 80 percent losf. Its habitat    where he learned his trade, and
        Unusually heavy rainfall low-   commercial fishing boat, said he    gedly follow up the cases to make
      eredt       s    alinity levels, stressed the   thinks that the  sea  grass   loss is   sure tha they are corrected.
      clams and forced them to spawn.      greater.
                                           111 say that's a joke. We're look-    ed south three years ago after pol-

      [loodgates topill ouat death                                               lution closed the clamming waters
                                                tersruction, fromPlain tnd simphe is afraid that the Indian River
        Then the St. Johns River Water                            said.es  e se
    |lanagement  District opened             As the sea grasses disappear, so
      _B0.od gtstreoesraew                 do the fish that attracted people       "Those waters went from a
            .,re waters  o drent fceri ea
      ters from the river basin, and the   such as Gottshall and Thomas to    beautiful, crystal-clear environ-
      water  went  the area.                                      t              ment to a cesspool," he said, "and
      brusi g ito                         The losses, th   ough, have area.  m-    I'll tell you, we're not too far be-
      wBruhig   nt                                                                hind that here."
    Slhe lagoon.                           pact on more than just fishermen
        "The   gates                      --they affect the economy of the    Monday: Are there solutions?
      were opened                           entire area.
                Ewhi  thend lar-u ~Natural Resources biological
     EVa e wee e'irn          '             scientist Barbara Hoffman has
      the water, and                        calculated that an. acre of wet-
               ~that slug of ilands (mangrove swamp or sea
       cIft e lug of                         grass) produces  a direct fisheries
     klled  the lar.       .i.              yield -  commercial and recrea-
                vae,  Barile white          tional - of $1,257 each year.
       mbsaid.     e   White                   No one knows the exact num-
       didn't have clams for the next        ber of acres of sea grasses that
       season." have disappeared. Biologists are
        When drainage canals dump            taking inventory of existing grass
      billions of gallons of runoff into
      the lagoon at once, they create an-
     otherproblem. The cascading tor-
       rents also carry huge amounts of
       suspended silt particles that block
       the sunlight that sea grasses need
       to survive.
         The same runoffs contain ex-
       cess nutrients from fertilizers that
       combine with the nutrients in the
       nearly 12 billion gallons of treat-

    1                                                                                                                           _3~

                                               3o~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    have to get nvolved - now C , ,
       re than ever, Taylor said. ,.  K, .-                                     .                             =;
                                                      i   m   3 r~~~ m     o 3� ~~o   ZpI                      o8
    te  learned�               lot- I'm eager 2    C0   '  '='E='5
                                                                D~.~~~~~  -a_i 6i.~"'"Rr me=

        to arn more." =.m o,, 5 21                                     m,        .      ='    m , .           . -
                                        > N,  o                      exb  COo     3        0       L
                       .~~ �  ,..m               ,-_13ri C PD3~. 2.7  c,   f o   '-, = ~ o

     Jan Platt, who is chairman of                                                      Bm o ,_?.c,-o~e      ~~c:M --W. ?'    -,'      ~'
                                                                        "=~~~~~~~- M                .  an .5'--  1    ~--M
              Ag~~~~~~~~                 enc.. on Sa Maae _�                              Q- =- _.t~ ZM  I  ; '  -
                                 now~~~~                                               = g~'.. ~a= 36,
             r~~~~~~~re~=~..  thnee,. _alo   ._m._ 3..                       ~=c
                                                   am,< El                        ag~cCD  CD�Ez~4

    BI9.y. she added she has  wit-ra.bbe'd~ ~    ~=,, U-. 11                                    C mL= " ,  ?~   = ~ ,   '
    ished an decined on Tampaer.                                   �1                           , E , I  .
                                   wit11             3,Rgo                    D               2.eCr
                                                           -""0,.  ~~~~Y3M C CD     li~a  ~~"                       a~

                                                             R'~~~~~~ ""
      ~~nt~gdcline n                CD                                   inW              O'D

    C  ches`                                                                          C' a
     "We can hae very c lean *1  S'                       E               0 0 -'            0.       , .
                                                                 1 C   3 L3. rr~~~~~p, E   a J�$.PP    .. CD

             w~er.--but                     Zq  o."' m,,
    irjrednt sth at are the   hah--     C     D CD        "M '_                         :3 "   '
                     lit, 0"                                                       1                   co

    it s for fish (seagrasses; and    9 ~    ..   -�? ~=CD  '---"'   ~:'
    mangroves) - the decline  i i 'R Q-               2, eu-                                  a- =.
       t. most alarming fact"' Ms "                              -IDC;CD
                                              CD~~~~~~~~~~~~ -. _,.t ,~ .~ .,. r"            ::E I D       ~~   ~~
     Ftt noted. -                                                   M          -      M      :0
                                              us 0,                oP,     CD                             CD  ;,iED P 3O
                     that aro,.~.~=.:                                a                ......
                                                         p,  3                       mF   u~~~~~o ,a

    m1he recommended pushing
    for strong regulations on storm-                  = .., C=?      o~                                      , = ~~
                                  'a .=.        ..C ~_ ~= ;                          _      =~- -=
       ser disch    arges,ase a as-
    f her state laws and more =�  m-  MC'  m. >                       or-�
                                    ~ --- ' '~ '~ ~.o,, e e

                                   If for regulatory - ag en   ci--s. - o
     "We need to be ever aware of , '
                                           M =w              O ma -D0                            CD =
        factthat each piece is an                                       o                            zM q C)
       ortant part of the  whole ," _  , -   .. C                              .  o1     e           ..
                                             .~~~� n - ~-a~L                                                                 Z
           Is at.                                                                 i :~ -=  .  Pa  C, 'CD
                                                   CD= A                                                 .3gn
     The Agency on Say Manage-  .M Co C --- M                                                                ,.
      fjnt is "an important first s= CD' ~ ~ - '                               = -=  o                  2)     I'
                                                           3   y. , 3.rs g 0�  ~~ ~   D = os  ~ ." o o_   ~ ~.,.      .,, :
                                                                       ze    (Ip---    c`.    ---, --~        C1

       the bay," Ms. Platt said. "It's                                 L-
                                     0, e1 =r =, ~                        o    ..n P'~
                          Platt~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~' rde.   := .aS2    ,,~0

    to everyone's advantage for the.- I-  ,                                               '" --   0= �  ~   = .~ E   '-
            fqthe bay,"~~~M M             ;;- M Cd " ~   aII0 ~ FgO --
    hav to be what we want it to be~  Ig       0 M  ,  CA m
                                                        I ,-=' -. 0.
        (omically beneficial for theL  m  S' m  ton --,EN'                                                  43
                                                   . ~      ~        o C"~ .-  Ot:                            < ~
       ping. and  fishing  indus-                                                            '0.' o
    tries). "Pg    pP       O, o                                    ~da 3 5V                         llC0          31
     ,jishermen want to pay their   _ Q = ..
    o way by buying saltwater    WC.
    Iciml~ng licenses, said Larry Hart. M  ,.-c ~?'=~.                    -         ..=           ~-~=-=
    who runs a statewide fishing a'- C             _.  . en CA'~,  ~ ~ 7
         ieywith 800 members in: ==            -    '      '   *
       bay area alone.
     teach Florida fisherman paid ' -                                                                                  7--
    S7 for a saltwater license, CD Z.0 M ,.    .me~?..;-..0                                  ~~   .o_,   .      -?   ,
     alut $14 million to $35 million'                         M~ '. = 2.                       <      _     '    -,,===-
    C~i be raised, Hart said. .4 <L _L                     F.o;   -0_-?                 ~~'=  -~-=--"-~
                                                      CD W  MC  -0                             , ,    ZS-Q,

       lobin Lewis of the Agency on 0D                         :n5n
    Say Management said the M._r   et-w~                   ~ ~-=:        .?0            '       _? x--,9.
            ,~~~~~~~~~~~ =3, ~                     'A  CO' U..t         E '" U1  ""
     alncy is planning to replantS                                                                  '       I ;- -
     sgrasses in Hillsborough Say V      i....=o   . -"                       ~     .~        : .      -4- '~.~        := ..
    sometime this summer. 'O
        "tis possible to reverse         ' R C-- ._         )   a ,.~~m   ~=mo   m                 .<r~' ---"v--
       Sof (the damage)," Lewis a- ,-                                                                          V''~=  bc ~ -    ..
                                        � ~ '"1 :~"~ ._O ~..g~'. ~ , ' CD

                                              o.~~~~~~~~/ MD oCD                                              ..E-Q"a-

                            Su DI Cr~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_~

                            'APR-2 3-88 6                                  saye 4smprov4                                          , -

                       ........I~~~~~~~~~~ I ng somewhat, said Rick Garrity, - seagras  and mangrcve nu
           ThE!enee 'focontinued    "What little I saw last Thurs'.i the  director  of  the  DER's, bers were not reduced -
      I   e TI enedfor coandbswerinthrdue
                                      ,day in no way compared withTampa office. The misconcep-. fact,  10  percent  more
       vigilence was Cited            what I used to see 10 or 15 tion is that "the bay years ago           -                 -
               duringBayDay '86.      years ago," he said. The water was a heck of a lot better than  mangroves have been add
               d n Ba y  Day '86      looked much cleaner than dur- it is today."                       Haddad said.
           By Lisa Cunningham         ing the early 1970s, he added.    However, the bay was worse    Comm erical fish catches
        In B repeat of last ,all's Boat-   He  cautioned  the- environ-, I0 years ago, he added.        Tampa Bay have thus been
      Ina                                              reeto ast alsBa-mnai h ih att  lgtdw rnwt e
      a-cade,  about  30  Bay  area mentalists who might want to   Pollution and sewage prob-  a slight down trend, with pea
              * latr,   -nvlronmental~sts ~begin projects to "restore" the lems in the bay were recorded  and valleys over the past 15
      legislators,   envIrommenm allsts bay.  "Nobody restores a system  as far bac . bay were recorded. 20 years, Haddad noted.
      and fishermen gathered In St. bay  Nobody restores a system as far back as 1 887, Garrity            years lHaddad noted
      Petersburg Saturday to discuss like Tampa  Bay-  thats a said. Now there are more than    Haddad  lamented  the fc
       whether Tampa Bay is clean or physical impossibility... 4 60 companies which discharge that he has no biological da
      polluted.                         "What we do Is stop bullying, chemicals:and other substan-  on how fish are actually affe
          Alogh  no  definite  con.. the system - (and start' patch', ces into thebay.                  ed by the seagrass and ma
     *  lusions were drawn, mos  ofng it up, helping It along- Pub(  "We have to be very diligent  grove loss in the bay. "There
      the people present agreed that the funds where theyre goingl in regulating dischargers, Gar-  a relationship - we can't qua
      the bay is- cleaner now than It to do the most good,  Stewar=   rity said.  : '- .  tify iL .
      was about 10 or 15 years ago suggested.-  The Alafia River basin, where    Long-term    programs
    * (in the 1970s).                   The EPC has 55 stations I  Gardinier, Inc. - which holds a' "understand what we're doii
     IThe  "Bay  Day  '86"  sym- the bay where it has monitoredtemporary operating Permit-  to Tampa  Bay"  are  needE
                                                                             ,~~~~~~toeTmpoaBy" oeatin permit
      posium -  featuring speakers bacteria counts and chemical discharges into the bay, is an  Haddad said.
                              posium - fe~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~aturin spekr aceiad.
      such as Tampa Mayor Bob Mar- data for the past 14 years, said important.concern, Garrity said.    The primary problem is edu
      tinez; Roger Stewart, director of Rick Wilkins of the EPC.       He  recommended  studies on  ating the public on the need f
     the Hillsborough County Envir-   The bacteri-a counts In Hills- wasteload  allocation  on  the  these programs, he added.
      onmental  Protection Commis- borough Bay have usually been Alafia and Manatee rivers.            recent  DNR  survey  show(
      sion;-County Commissioner Jan the highest, followed by Old   "We need a final solution onr  most Floridians have no id(
       Platt and other officials from Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Itself, what makes the bay tick," Gar-  what an estuary is, he said
      agencies such as the Depart-}and lower Tampa Bay, Wilkinsarity added. "We need an alert   Biologically and  chemical
       ment of Naturahe, sources and )said.                    .           regulatory program" to "regu-  Tampa Bay is "much worse c
       the  Department  of  Environ-. Two additional sewage treat- late dischargers extensively."   ' than 100 years ago," noted C
      mental    Regulation    -was, ment plants (at Hookers Point!  Pollution in the Alafia River Goodwin, a U.S Geological St
       followed by a cruise from St. and River Oaks) have Improved! also needs to be addressed,  vey scientist.
       Petersburg to Port Manatee, in. water quality In Hillsborough Garrity said. Biological data, as'   Hoa.ver, Tampa Bay has ah
       the lower portion of Tampa Bay.:Bhentd
    I  the lower portIon of Tampa Bay. Bay. he noted.                  well' as chemical and physical  experienced, a period of "tr
         Ruskin  fisherman-turned-en-   While  Hillsborough  Bay  Is studies of the bay, need to be  mendous,   positive   growtt
       vironmentalist Gus Muench and also high  In the amount  of gathered, he added.                 : Goodwin said.
       his family also attended  the algae growing In it, phosphate  Yet many other agency offic-    Goodwin said he studied it
     *  morning session and followed levels have been reduced in the ials present agreed with Garrity  amount of tine sediment whi(
      the  cruising   boat  in  hiS- last several years, Wilkins said. that the DER, DNR and EPC  settles on thle cottom of Taml
       motorboat.                        We're   playing   catch-up," could  use  more  funds  and  Bay. If all the sediment th
         The session and cruise were noted Jacob Stowers, Pinellas scientists, as well as graduate  accumulates on the bottomrr
      sponsored by the Tampa Bay County's assistant county ad- programs at state universities;  Hillsborough Bay in one yeae
       Regional Planning Council, its minlstrator. "I. believe Pinellas to carry on their-research.        ;
                                                                                                           ttm~ was ~ trid ou , it  ou
       Agency on Bay Management County is a very good example   DNR environmental scientist  tim  was dried out, it wou
       and  the  Florida  Institute  of of how  you  can destroy  an Ken Haddad explained the im   weigh            million
      Oceanography  In St. Peters- estuarine system."                 portance of estuaries winsaid'
                               Oceanography In St Peters-.                                        thl-I Boat activity, dredge and i~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Botatiiy reg n
      burg (which provided Its boatf An estuary Is an area where group.                                  Boa   ctivi, dredge and
      theurgV whic provided Its boat, fish reproduce and-live; many'  Seventy'percent of Florida'Si  oealtir u  p       e edocsa
         R"I think that all governments estuaries  are  protected  by commercial  and  recreational; Piers can  lirp sedie
      th oer think    that   all governmento seagrasses and mangrove&  fish species, such as grouperi  Goodwin  explained. Sedime
    *tha be concer oned" Martines bay noted to Boca Clega Bay, when it was snapper, shrimp and mackerel,   makes the bay look murky, I
      be c oncerned," Martinez noted. developed between the 1920s utilize estuaries as a place for  added.   -
        Tampa city officials can show to the 1-960s by many  sub- food and shelter, Haddad said.          "There's a lot of people th
      their concern by setting aside divisions built on canals, after   Although   seagrasses   and' don't realize there's a prohiE
      money  for such  projects  as                                                                     because  t.hey  haven't be,
    limproving the Bayshore Drive dredging and filling, had mans man groves  are  important to
              improvindthe ayhroe rtye adverse effects on seagrasse. fish, seagrasses in Tampa Bay  here  very  long,"  said  Ma
      seawall an       d  acquiring property and estuaries, Stowers noted.   were reduced by 80 percent  Taylor,  the  president  of
                                                      and es~~~~~~~~~~~Tuaries, Stowepresidnoted.
    a*  on   e     d"W can't ay, sout the  habita between 1940 and 1980, Ha    statewide fishing society.
      Drive, he added. W e  c n t pthe habits'.   .......   st- -   ai"Itewinkea fishermng soety.
    * IvSeat  he adsedn- back," but agencies such as the aaa noted.                        ..I think as fishermen we'd
       Stewarnet  said t hat mor e was   did Pinelas County Planning  oun   Mangroves  were  eliminated   witnessed the decline in sort
                                          �ielsCut  Plannin  Couny a rate of 44 percent during   of our fisheries," Taylor added.
      not attend t   hat m ore people did.can cil may stop similar destructiont during   of our fisheries," Taylor added.
      I not attend Say Day. "Hwca  of fish habitatsthat same  time period, he said.                       He agreed with Goodwinth;
                                     -of fish habitats in the future, �                             .    H  gedwt odi h
      we goet to the lay public?" he Stowers said.                     He  contrasted  Tampa  Bay   sediment has adverse effect
       Although  Stewart  said  h    Enforcing planning ordinan-with Charlotte Harbor, which is  "This stuff will burn your skin E
      used to travel on the bay all the ce  is one tool to preserve fishstll relatively  untouched  by   bad (that oil-skinned coats mu
      time, he recently toured the bal life, he added.               urban development  Charlotte   be worn by some fishermen)."
      afti he recentl toured theix-he bay seems to be improv- Harbor  represents  the  only                                     I
      after a six-year absence.   I         basemtobipr area of the state where the

    !!

                            ---   _E&  -wfl"          _-                                               -             _-

                                               WBdenton Ihsrald
                                               AM 33000
                                               $un 37.000

                                             OCT-2 0- 8 6                       part of thle county, showed that a   artificial wetlands for every acre
                                                                                large percentage of wetlands had    they fill in, to allow sufficient time
                                                                                been lost. The study was conduct-    for the new wetlands to begin to
     M   ant   ade  wetlands                                                     ed in 1980 by Robin Lewis, presi-  function, Walker said.
                                                                               dent of Mangrove Systellls Inc., a       Developers also would have to
     con,%icern ,manasota au                                                           ~recreating w etlands.
                                                                                 Thatl4  stu dy frshllowed that 8le   umitigation projects thallt cost over
                                                                                                            t sudy  howd    per-    $20,000, Walker said. They would
                                                                               Cent of seagras~ Iwe and 44~i per-    Ilhave to post b)onds or some other
    JOHN ALLARD                          said Anthony Cleveland, a DER   cent of the malngroves and s alt                n     f as ri do t  h        ui
    }itzalo Staff Writrc                                                                                                otile,  zngoe   reanl  of assuring that they build
                                          attorney.                             marshet  were lost between 1910   artificial wetlands, she said.
       Environmentalists  are con-    Under the 1984 Henderson Wet-  ani 1980, said Barbara Hloffman, a
    cerned that the state's consider-  lands Act, mitigation plans hav  to  lmarille biologist with tile state De-       But environmentalists say the
    ation of developers' plans to  be considered by DER  when it  partumerit of Natural Rlesources' re-    proposed  rule won't prevent
    recreate wetlands to compensate  looks at requests to fill in wet-  search laboratory in St. Peters-    enough developers from  filling in
    for ones they fill in will lead to  lands, Cleveland said.                 burg. She said 11,000 acres of    more wttlandu.
    approval of more fill permits for.   DER's consideration of mnitiga-
    salt ma-rshes and other wetlands.    tion in permit decisions has an-                                                "What they (D)ER officials) are
                                         gered environmentalists who argue  mangroves and salt marshes were    really trying to do is accommodate
      A case in point is the Depart-  that it doesn't work in most cases.  lost, while 61,965 acres of seagrass    tlhe developers, while maintaining
    nieat of Environmental Regula-                                                                                                                   I
    tion's initial decision to approve      No one has ever tried to recreate  were lost.                              the environllmental atance," Railll
    permit that would have allowed  aalt rarsh m                                      Florida, sala    "''aPpa Bay has really been up-    Lsd.
                                         ManasoU  88 Csairwoman Gloria,   said
    developer Wilbur Boyd to fill in 17  ,Moasots 88 Cairwoman              a  set ils far as marine habitats are       B1ut adoption of the rule would
    acres of wetlmlds for a golf course   ain                                  collcerlled," l-loffman said.           Ilot be aln open invitation for devel-
    at his Riverbay project in North-    By granting fill permits to devel-    In response to complaints frolt    opers to fill in wetlands, Walker
    west Bradenton.                      opers who have offered to create  envirounllletalista, D)El;R  has at-    said. That rule would simply give
                                         some artificial wetlands, DER  is  tempted to conle up with a rule to    DE1R somne criteria to use when it
      Manasota 88, an influential en- 'risking tile loss of valuable marine  govern thie application of uitiga-    considers mitigation as part of a
    vironmentul group, appealed the  habitats with no guarantee that  tioni to fill perlit ca.es, said Su-    fill permit application, she said.
    ruling to a state administrative  they will ever be replaced, Rains  zallnle Walker, clief of tile DlEU's
    hearing officer, who probably  said.                                       bureau of permiting                       oul  be fi eit iga by tihe end ofrule
    won't issue a ruling on the matter    Wetlands are important breed-           Uner tle propusll,  evelolers    tle InoLitiL, Walker said.
    for several weeks.                   ing and feeding grounds for fish  woUld    tlve tp create iwm acres of
      DER'%s initial approval of Boyd's  and wading birdseate two  cre  of
    permit request was due in part to   . A study of wetlands in the Tam-
    his promise to create a 1�/2-acre  pa Bay region, including the north
    artificial salt martsh to replace
    sonle of tlhe wetlands he fills in,

             | Storm,- ga-ter run*off                                                     During stormy weather, the first
                            x,~~~~~~~~~~~~ *                                          ~~~Inch of rainfall picks up about 90
                                                                                     percent of the pollutants on the
                                                                                     ground or street, and much of that
                                                                                     eventually goes Into the bay through
                                                                                     drainage systems that were  de-
          nLast of a sernes                      '"It's going to boil down to: Are   signed before scientists recognized
                                               we willing to pay the price?" said   the problem, Betz said.
        By BOOTH GUNTER                         Gary Kuhl, executive director of the      "That first Inch can have a con-
    |    Tribune Staff Writer                    Southwest Florida Water Manage-   centration of stuff equivalent to raw
                                               ment District, the agency that would   sewage," Betz said.
        er on the lawn, a dead animal on    water runoff In Tampa Bay under   toxic substances In the water, but it
        the road or the     m uck that seeps    legislation passed Wednesday by a   also adds nutrients, such as nitro-
            Add rain and the  bot ecomf a dumpster.   House committee.                 gen, phosphate and organic matter,
            Add rain and it becomes storm-          "It is a problem that, at this   that cause rapid algae growth. This
        water runoff, killer of fish and oth-    point, does not have a solution,"   algae eventually kills fish by using
        er marine    life in Tampa Bay.        said John Betz, a University of  up oxygen in the water as it decom-
        point pollution - the kind that cait non-'t    South Florida marine biologist who   poses.
        pont p      ollution-the kind that canifc source -'    has been working with legislators to  Studies have shown that the up-
        bes  ayt tisoathesnpecitimcajorurdle - draft bills to help clean up the wa-  per parts of Tampa Bay, which re-
        and say It L s the next major hurdle    ter in Tampa Bay.                     ceive moqt of the pollution, have ex-
          In cle a ning u    p the b ay.            The  Surface  Water  Improve-   tremely  high  concentrations  of
          part, of cculturalse, bpollut in the  past de-   ment and Management (SWIM) bill  nutrients In bottom sediments, a
        cadert, of couthere havese,  but een thea    gans de-    would require the water manage-   product of decades of pollution and
        cade, thereating thosave been ma jor gains     ment  district, known  locally as   the bay's naturally slow circulation.
        And, warns tichael werry, an    Swiftmud,  to complete  a major                  Poor water quality in the bay
        administrator with the Agency on    study of water quality in Tampa   has been blamed for the loss of
        Bay banagement, unless the 20-    Bay by February 1989, and develop   thousands of acres of marine habl-
        year battle to improve water quality    a plan to control pollution from   tat, Including sea grasses, which
    y is won, Tampa Bay, which has been    storm water and waste water treat-  provide food and hiding places for
        the areas biggest asset, could ben ment plants.                               juvenile fish and shrimp as they
        othe area's biggest a sset, could be-  "It's going to be a problem that  mature. Studies Indicate that 81 per-
        come a major liability.
            Hanging i th balane is a mul-    we're going to have to come up with   cent of Tampa Bay's original 76,500
        tiillion  ollar commercial-fishing    solutions for, and they won't be easy   acres of sea grasses have disap-
        industry and the area  cohief recre-   solutions," Kuhl said. "Most any   peared. Some sea grass was de-
        attonal and tourist attraction,        study you see done by well-qualified  stroyed by dredging, but the bulk of
                                               people  says  that,  nationwide,  it disappeared "for no mechanical
            "I have been here 58 years, and
      � I've seen this bay go slap to hell,"   (storm-water runoff) is our. biggest   reason," said Kenneth Haddad, a
        said Robert RLchards, a commercial    problem now.                            marine biologist studying sea-grass      '    a o >
        fisherman. "If the pollution gets   .-Developers say the SWIM  bill  loss for the Department of Natural
        much worse, what we catch won't   could force them to add new drain-  Resources.                                       o   , -   _
        be fit for human consumption, and    age systems to existing structures as       The biggest problem with storm
                                                                                       The biggest problem wch storm   -- a          :-
                                          they are  redeveloped. The  cost  water is not with new developments
                           that's.       -     a. a uwould be enormous, they say.    because most of them are required  .   .  a
        the bay."                                 ."It's hard to tell whether we're   to have storm-water systems. The         .       ,, a =
           Storm-water runoff is the catch   .talking tens of millions or hundreds   problem is with development that          _,  ra a.
       phrase to describe the way the   'of millions until we see the effects  took place before the regulations               � X   ' 7
        scraps of everyday life are washed,   *of the bill statewide," said Ron   were enacted in 1982.                           m X    :
        untreated, Into the bay.               Weaver, an attorney representing          Most storm-water runoff systems        <             '
           As the area around the bay be-    the Natlonal Assoclation of Industri-  consist of retention ponds, which al-   .         =       7 ,
       comes more urban and ground Is   al and Office Parks.  -                      low pollutants to settle before th.'           =
       covered with buildings and parking         Betz said It Is a mind-boggling   water Is piped out to traditional           =       =-. , .
       lots, attempts to clean up the bay    proposition to control urban and ag-  drainage routes, Kuhl said.                 e c_
       E   will focus on old drainage systems    ricultural runoff from the 2,200       Installing storm-water systems is
       and developments engineered be-    square miles of land that drains into  expensive enough In new develop             -
       fore the phrase non-point pollution    Tampa Bay, Florida's largest estu-  ments, but going back to add them             -.           c c
       found Its way into the environmen-    ary. It will become  even  more   to developed areas becomes prohlb-                c
       tal vernacular.                         pressing as the population in the  itive in some cases, Betz said.                _ oX X  X
          Controlling the runoff will re.    three counties surrounding the bay         Weaver said current drainage             o-             "
       quire massive expenditures by gov-    tops the 2 million mark by the turn   regulations are strong enough. HeO                        c
        eminent and private industry, envi-   of the century.                        said the SWIM bill, which would re-           -m  o   a
       ronmental officials say, and many          The pollution comes from a mul-   quire a master storm-water plan for           >
       I  are wondering how much the public    titude of sources, many of which   Tampa Bay, would place another,                c .         Z
       is willing to pay. Estimates for up-    seem  harmless.  "Anything  you   unnecessary tier of regulation on                C: 2.
       dating drainage systems in the Tam-     might dump around your house, the  developers.                                    � - c
       pa Bay area exceed $1 billion.          remains of a can of gasoline you          But Kuhl said the bill would not              W a _

                                              fluid, lubricants, kerosene, the feces       who now mut et stor         e               c
                                              of animals, dead animals, spilled    rs, w        ho now must get storm-wate r
                                                                                     permits from the Water Manage-
                                                                                     ment District's board.
                                                                                        "What it does is ask the permit-
                                                                                     ting agency to ensure it Is Incorpo-

                                     I~~~~~~~

                               in   ad seterm effects of the pollution and             search remains to be done before
               ~rst in a series    a     i9"  dredging on the marine life.             spending money on costly cleanup
         B  OTH         G     U    !?NTER    lFXWhile the harm will be felt for         measures. Estimates for the total
    TBribTn S           , W   iter            generations, some of the underlying       cleanup reach into the billions.
    Tribune Staff Writer "'                   problems  have  been  corrected,              Stewart, 61, the once-radical gu-
     rAAMPA  -  Out on the tip of  -Stewart and other environmentalists                ru of the cleanup movement, be-
    Hiker's Point, at a place created         say. Tampa has a new, advanced            lieves the bay can heal itself if the
    by  man's desire to make  a ship          sewage treatment plant; industrial        pollution and  dredging are con-
    channel, Roger Stewart stood ankle        waste dumping is restricted; marsh-       trolled. The dredging is gone, ex-
    d    in memories.                         es are no longer filled in to create      cept for maintenance of the ship
        IT'here's an awful lot of marine     land for houses.                          channels; and major inroads have
    liMlout there now," he said. "Every          But the fast-track development         been made in controlling municipal
    little piece of seaweed you pull out     of the Bay area worries environ-           and. Industrial wastes.
    O bere has got something living on       mentalists. Population in Hillsbor-           "Personally, I have a great deal
    its                                      ough, Pinellas and Manatee coun-           of faith in Mother Nature," he said.
     Eit's much different from the wa-       ties, which surround the bay, is          "I think the best way to fight ecolog-
    ter lie studied as a graduate student    e.xpected to explode from 1.7 mil.    ical battles is to remove the bur-
    atte University of South Florida in    lion ,to 2.08 million in the next 13         den."
    tti'late 1960s.                          years, bringing new pressures on              To make his point, lie shows ae-
     The bay was dying.                      the bay.                                  rlal . photographs,  which  he said
       At this very spot, you could             New threats to the bay continue        show sea grass returning naturally
    smell the fetid odor of raw human        to develop.                               to once-barren bay bottom.
    vtte dumped into Florida's largest           Recently,  the  Gardinier Inc.            Restoration of the habitat, advo-
    e   ary from Tampa's overl oaded         phosphate plant, the largest on the       cated by many environmentalists, is
    sewage treatment plan.   aories    bay, dumped almost 14 million gal-              a costly venture and may not even
        Toxic  wastes  from  factories    Ions of untreated acid into the wa-           work, Stewart said.
    fwe- d freely.                           ter after heavy rains. The EPC is             Many  fish species,  including
        I6'langr ove forests became condo-    assessing the damage.                     shrimp, use the plant life in the
     -trinturns.    forests became condo-       And Tampa Electric Co. is lob-         shallow waters of the bay to feed
    -rm!niums.
                                             bying in Tallahassee to keep ave-         and avoid larger fish while growing
        Sea gras disappeared.
     *lSo did the fish.                      nues open for construction of a pow-      up.
     *And then there woas the dredg-    er-generating   plant   at   the                  Once damaged, the vegetation is
     . cientists are still assessing the    Cockroach  Bay aquatic preserve.           slow to return. The decline of these
     dam.age it caScientistsa asse sgd.      The power company says the plant          habitats has been blamed for re-
      _That was all before Stewart and    is needed to accommodate growth.              duced fish populations. Mangrove
        -ore of other environmentalists    Environmentalists  say  the plant           trees prevent shoreline erosion, fil-
     rean to study the bay and to taklie    would upset the fragile marine habi-       ter water and provide nursery and
     oan to study the polluters.             tat left in Tampa Bay.                    feeding grounds necessary for ma-
     on the polluters.
        The bay hasn't fully recovered           Meanwrhile, the House Natural         rine life.
        m the decades of dredging and    Resources Committee is expected to                Kenneth Haddad, a marine biol-
        lution, but the signs are good, sci-   vote today on the Surface Water Im-     ogist at the Department of Natural
                                        .    provement   and   Management              Resources' Marine Research Labo-
     endists say.                            (SWINI) bill, described as the most       ratory in St. Petersburg, is studying
        Water quality, monitored since    significant environmental legislation        the loss of sea grass. The improve-
      12, has improved considerably.    in years. On  Tuesday,  both the                ment :n water quality has not signif-
         there are signs that sea grasses,    IIouse and Senate observed Tampa         icantly spurred the comeback of sea
    .which help form the base of the mna-    Bay Day.           '                      grass and other fish habitat. Sda
    � rine food chain, are making a come-        Sponsored by Rep. Sid Martin,         grass planting is still in the trial
    :-k, Stewart says.                       D-Hawthorne, the SWIM bill would          stages and research remains a pri-
    . iany bay activists are cautious    make the state's five water manage-           ority.
     saout the gains in water quality,    meat district boards responsible for             Robin Lewis, a marine biologist
    �saving the pressures of greater ur-   protecting and restoring surface wa-        and private consultant who along
     I idication in the Tarmipa Bay area    ters all over Florida.                     with Stewart and others was active
        cuId cause a reversal in the trends.    In the Tampa  Bay area, the            in the bay cleanup movement that
        But Stefwart,  director of the    Southwest Florida Water Manage-    began in the late 1960s, agrees the
    teilisborough County Enviromllentatl    meat District, known as Swiftniud,         bay needs more study. lie and an-
     lotection Cormnission, is optiniistic    would take the lead in overseeing    omher scientists are conmpiling all of
     4mut the bay's chances.                 research and cleanup programs. It    the scientific research on the bay
      .   Against a backdrop ot power    would mean a small increase in    into one document.
     and phosphate plants, ibe pulled a    property taxes to provide matching             "In that'document, we point cut
        j  Yufrom the water.     c  u        money for state grants.                   that there are many gaps in what
        "You go out here and pick up a                                 we know," he said. "We know a lot
        k or soniething, vou'll find it's       The Tampa Bay portion of the    we ie s  oe  th ba              .      a lot
     encaut ittle                                  kinds of  livain
       encrusted with all  intdes of liouin,   bill calls for a $1.8 million state a-     ut little pieces of the bay.
                                                                                     cd on't know a lot about tile bay as a
      things."  e said.                      propriation. Atstate trust firnd would
        "TThere are nice, fat, happy litle    be established to pay for cleanup            e.
                                                                                         lie likens the bay to a living,
       ters living right here in tile smp    programs in the years ahead.               rea in b          i          al  sv
                                                                                     breathing body, In which all svs-
         mnnel. The bay.s not dead by any                                              tens depend on one another. Dan:-
     means. If the water were lousy,    mentalists believe they know the
       'd find dead things."                 bay's major problems, there is con-         e to one plant or fish species be-
                                                                                     deas damage to another.
      m Scientists say they are only novw   siderable disagreement about how
          �initsa they areo                                                               "The first thing you do is, you
     minning to understand the long-   to fix the  and how much more re-

      o

                                                                   /Tallahassee Democrat/Wed., April 22, 1987
          A       9-rr A__                                                                  7

            what those particular prob-                        ,3
         are, and come up with some
         ons based on science," Lewis
    t  d. "The truth is, we have to                           E              ,,                     - m
       nd a couple of years examining                                  LV -                      JMu
       problems and only then can  we
                                                           Clean Air Week is April 26 to
    spend the mneyeeing to havely.                        May 2. Most air pollution is man-
                   "We  are never going to have          made, and motor vehicles are the    m yi             MF-
    Ieugh money to do everything                          biggest contributors. Poorly adjust-  '' :
    ten that assumption, how do you                        d engines and mistreated or dis-eTar
    spend the money? The answer is,                       connected   ctaletic converters can              u
    l don't know."                                        cause seven times as much pollu-
     Stewart's faith remains firmly                       tion as a well-tuned engine and
    rited in the natural resiliency of                      tionia    werter                     ar\ the U.S. Senate Subconmnttee
    the bay  But he is ever vilienlacynt of               fuctionin  converter                   on Environmental Pollution heard
    the   b ay. But    he i s    ever vipla   ofzone, a key constituent of   testimony from three of the na-
    the possibility that the ways of the                  smog, forms when unburned hydro-  tion's leading doctors. They  said
    pt will return. He uses words like                    carbons from poorly-tuned gasoline  that next to cigarette smoking,
    aIorrent when  describing  the                        engines reacts in sunlight with ni-  breathing acid particles or fine
    dredge-and-fsll operations of the                     trogen oxides from exhaust. Tne  acidic droplets is the greatest cause
    pre-1970s days, "Over my  dead                        nation has 76 air pollution control  of lune disease. Florida is the 11th
    bay will anything like that happen                    arieas in which ozone levels exceed  worst state in the nation for the
    IN'ampa Bay" again.                                   the federal health standard. Seven  amount of sulfur dioxide; most is
     -At Hooker's Point, man's dam-                     Ware in Florida.                        produced by  utilities. Exposure to
    age to the bay Is still most evident.                     Unfortunately, a myth exists  aciddeposition isdirectlyrelated to
    C -crete and steel rubble, rusted                     among  backyard  mechanics  that   the amount of sulfur oxides being
    cENT;, an old volleyball and other                     money can be saved using leaded  emitted in any region. Now that we
    gadIage litter the shoreline where                     fuel in a car equipped with a con-  know our health is being affected,
    mangroves have sprung up since the                     verter or that altering some of the  we must join in the nation's effort
    laugh was created by dredge spoils,                   settings on the exhaust control sys-  to enact a strong acid rain bill. The
      5way from the shoreline, Stew-                       ternm saves fuel. Joint Department of  technology is already here and costs
    a   pies two steel, 55-gallon drums.                   Environmental Regulation and the  have decreased greatly.
    casually, he jams a finger into an                    Environmental Protection Agency's         Acid rain in forests has recently
    _,pAing in one. It comes out black                    random  inspection of autos and   been linked to disappearance of the
    i3nooey.                                              light trucks in Tampa in 1984 re-  fine hairs on tree roots
      rETht says 'olive oil' on it, but                   vealed that 38 percent of their ex-  the killing of beneficial soil micro-
    t's old, used motor oil. Somebody's                   haust systems had undergone tam-  organisms that help roots absorb
    lumped some old, used motor oil                       paring. This was  the highest   nutrients. The  result is slower
     1e5                                                  tamnpering rate in the nation. Mi-  growth.
         nevitably, it's going to get out                 ami had the second highest rate.          zone, on the other hand, has a
    o  e bay."                                            Between 20 percent and 25 percent  more imm ediate effect on the green
       He shook his head. Some things                     of the vehicles had been misfueled.  parts of trees by interfering with
    iaj't changed.                                           Each year states must submit  photosynthesis. Both ozone and
                         *, |qA~j ib e  lI    O          plans to be approved by the EPA   acid rain are hermful to the lungs.
                                              o~,9  ~    that outline efforts to clean up the  The EPA adinistrator is consider-
                                                        state's air and water. On April 7,           posing  both stricter ozone
                                                        the EPA administrator sent letters  standards and stricter sulfur diox-
      let bisacks rover drive                              to governors of all states with areas  ide emission standardsiince health
       GOVERNESS -  Citrus County commission-              which did not meet ozone stan-  effects have now been noticed in
     rs expanded their support Tuesday of a move          dards, giving them until Dec. 31 to  human subjects at Lower levels of
     9  ve the Withlacoochee River designated an           meet standards or suffer the loss of  both pollutants than were previous-
     )uranding Florida Water.                             federal highway or sewer funds.  ly thought to occur. This would
       ie commissioners voted to back the drive           Florida could comply with federal  make it even harder for Florida to
     2 protect a stretch of the river about 12 miles      regulatidns and meet the standards  meet federal air pollution health
     )ngfrom the western end of Lake Rousseau to          by implementing annual auto ex-  standards and may mandate sulfur
     ie'ulf of Mexico.                                    haust control inspecticn.              dioxide controls on the worst pol-
       Etrus commissioners already had agreed to             This inspection would rapidly  luting utilities and auto exhaust in-
                                                        weed out those cars which have had
     upport the effort for about 1510 miles of the                                              specrion for the entire stte.
     ivfrom its headwaters in the Green Swamp             exhaust control tampering or mis-
         eastern end of Lake Rousseau. The lake           fueling. A trained mechanic can vi-         a              0
             ; 1  included because its water does not     sually inspect nine parts of the en-      The DER along with the Ameri-
                                                        gine and a simple tail pipe test can  can Lung Association is sponsoring
     neet state standards for the outstanding desig-      detect misfueling.  It should  not  a free auto-exhaust check Mlay 2, 10
                                                        take more than a minute to do. If  a.m. - 4 p.m. near Sears at the Gov-
                                                        20 percent of Florida's vehicles are  ernor's Square MNall. During Clean
                                                        emitting seven times the normal   Air W'eek, the Lung  Association
                                                        pollution, they are contributing   will also sponsor air pollution re-
                                                        more pollution than all the other  ports on the CBS and ABC local
                                                        cars in. Florida, and are responsible  news stations. The report will in-
        I                                                  for Florida's failure to achieve the  clude  information  on  the ozone
                                                        air quality we all want.              levels.
                                                            Eventually it may be necessary        Patty DeTar is chairman of the
                                                        to require vapor-recovery nozzles at  Air Quality  Committee  of the
        I                                                 filling stations.                      American  Lung Association  of
                                                           During the first week of Febru-  Florida.
        i

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                                                     SPECIAL SERIES

                                                ing~ %r ,..,..
             Trawlinil r U.

                Destruction of Gulf and ba bottom, a side effect

                       of shrimping, is a burning issue in Florida.

                                               dragged across the ocean floor. Commer-         a sharp  decline  in trout catches  in
    By MARK  WEINTZ                                cial shrimpers, however, say their nets are    Tampa Bay.
                                               not the cause of the damage.                      "Since 1952, Tampa Bay has lost 64 per
                                                 "Trawl damage," is an issue that has  "cent of its sea grasses," said Kenneth Had-
      Editor's Note: Shrimp are a vital link in    been smoldering for years, but which late-    dad, marine biologist with the Florida Bu-
    the marine food chain, directly affecting    ly has burst into flames. In the wake of    reau of Marine Research in St. Petersburg,
    the quality of our fisheries. This is the    escalating declines in marine habitats and        adding that an estimated 80 per cent of
    third article in an in-depth series examin-    fish populations, testimony from "expert        this vital grass has disappeared since 1900.
    ing the handling, or mishandling, of our    witnesses," most of whom are shrimpers,              Seagrass losses-by no means limited to
    vital shrimp stocks. The first two articles   is beginning to be heard before various    Tampa Bay-are linked to a serious de-
    covered indications that we are allowing    fisheries management councils.                    dcline in both shrimp landings and trout
    an overharvest of shrimp, causing a basic        The controversy promises to be a corn-    catches. In the mid-50s, Tampa Bay bait
    decline in marine life, and that officials    plex one because:                                shrimpers brought in some  50 million
    have been lax in requiring simple devices        * There is a lack of scientific data on       shrimp, according to Haddad.  By 1981
    that will save thousands of turtles and    trawl impact.                                       only three million were caught and since
    megatons of juvenile fish. This month            * Little money is allocated to conduct        the bare-bones studies done thus far don't
    covers the question of bottom destruction    the necessary studies.                            include fishing effort, the findings are
    byshrimpers.                                     * There is a misunderstanding about           not exact.
                                               the different  trawl  types  and  how             Nevertheless, the apparent magnitude
                                               they work.                                      of the losses is making the Tampa  Bay
          ar out in the Gulf of Mexico are          * Waterside development arnd its doc-    situation a hot topic on the West Coast.
          barren stretches of bottom-ma-    umentced  negative impact  on  aq(luatic               And  the connection  between  habitat,
    X      rine deserts which sometimes sup-    resources continues to escalate, making            shrimp populations and shrimpers is be-
           port green stubble if anything at   it difficult to keep  the trawl issue in    coming even more of an issue because
    all. Many  of these large areas display    perspective.                                        the bait shrimpers, of course, are now
    strange scars in the sand, as if something       Declining shrimp and fish populations         concentrating all their efforts on the lim-
    heavy had been dragged through.                often throw policy makers into the unde-        ited areas where seagrasses remain, Had-
      Those who discover these voids usually    sirable posture of "crisis management"             dad added.
    move on if they are searchLng for fish or    and a major problem with managing a                A
    underwater sights. But sometimes, awed         crisis is that vital, long-term factors can    MI any states have ongoing programs
    at the sudden sterility, a diver lingers to    be overlooked in the stampede to pre-      that have for decades monitored the status
    contemplate the mystery.                       serve stocks.                                   of vital fisheries. But in Florida, research
      To some, such undersea wastelands are          A good example is the spotted seatrout.    programs are jump-started annually and
    no mystery at all. They seem obviously    Grassy habitats and ample shrimp stocks    are often geared to address a particular
    to be the result of shrimp trawls being    are vital to trout. Research has shown              crisis. An  example is a small, one-year

                                                                                                            FLORID)A SPORISMAN/May I'J87 41

           TRAWLING continued

     |     Kill the  Grass  . .   and  Kill the Shrimp                                                 county governments had jurisdiction over
            Here's a rundown of how commercial bail shrimp landings in Florida have declined over the years:  the issue of destruction of marine habitats
              POUNDS                                          b)y shrimp trawlers. For its part, the legisla-
                                                                                                  ture relied largely on the same experts that
            2,000,000                                                                                  will be appearing before the MFC to speak .
                                                                                                  on trawl damage.
            1,750,000                                                                                    After being given authority over
                                                                                                  shrimping last year, the MFC  hired a
                        1  1:500 0;( st.:',;;*:'~t>W~lt.~g                    .shrimp biologist--a position the Bureau of
            1,500,000                                                                                             s       pe
             t,500,000    ic.,                                                                         Marine  Research never did have-but             -
                        .;'1.-25"0-~-~  000I,:..-   ',:;                     ' .shrimping studies promise to be expen-  K
                        *�~.~,..-;:..~,: 1,250 it,000 s.,~                                            sive and time-consuming. Any valid re-
                        1,000 0,00g ,./.....::                    .. X? z- ............. '            search must cover different types of nets,      '
            1,000,000                                     ".Amt,:..i.  rP'...:3- 'g:                  different types of bottoms, shrimping
                                                                                                  grounds within the state and the different
              *,750,000   er:~f.,,.~.,..14{  A�i':-:Mg~g    ,              ._.,,.                      types of shrimpers presently operating in
                                .F.J~"~a~,?; :5,0              i;..1;...Florida waters.
              500,000-                                        .   .                                       Though Tampa Bay is targeted as a top-
                                                                                             ;'    priority area nobody can really prove who
              250,000-   ,              .                 i,-:                   .                 .   is to blame-or to what extent blame
                        -:,..'.                          . ....                               '-      should be shared-for the loss of sea-
                             ~~,::'.:"-          " ":~                                      *'";'":'   '"~--;~  grasses, shrimp and trout. Development,
                       1,663,485       1,282,021        1,020,231         656,405          649,912    sewage, Florida's pro-growth policies and
                                                       LANDINGS                                      waterfront construction, are all factors that
                         1965    19 70                     1975             1980            1984       have to be taken into account when trying
                                                                                                  to assess trawl damage.
           study that just began on bait shrimping in    has little money with which to conduct           "There has been no research that has

             Even as shrimpers converge on virtually    volve around the scanty studies that have    into what  has caused  the problem,"
           every patch of grass in Tampa Bay, the    been done by the DNR's Bureau of Ma-    says Haddad.
           Florida Marine Fisheries Commission has    rine Research and the testimony of the              A basic question to be resolved is simply
           begun a series of workshops designed to    aforementioned commercial "witnesses."            "Do trawls damage the bottom?" The an-
            investigate shrimping. But since the MFC       Until last year, the state legislature and    swer depends on who is answering it.
                                                                                                    "Yes and no," says Bob Jones, executive
                                                                                                  director of the Southeastern Fisheries As-
                                                                                                  sociation, whose members represent a
                                                                                                  broad spectrum of commercial fishing in-
              How tIoW  JObu y How    c o o lert   .   terests, including shrimping. "One storm,
                                                                                                  or a Northeaster with enough wind to
                                                                                                  move sediment and everything around on  ,
                                                                                                  the bottom can do more damage than             I
                    s tompi  it                                   *                                   shrimp boats can over a long period of
                                                           rn. ~ j u m p ' on it~~                  time. You cannot make a blanket state-
               ElO jump  on   it                                                                       ment such as 'they are tearing up all
                                                                                                  the bottom.'"
               Eowi  td+ nit                                                     l~l| Bob Mahood, executive director of the
                     rq 111l             J                       1           l         J                 wad1hit it South Atlantic Fisheries Management
                                                                                                  Council, which will co-regulate Florida's
                                                                                                  Atlantic waters with the state when both
             ii    Then  mgejt ~serinlous                       I--�-eh                        ~    organizations get a shrimp management
                                                                                          e   get  s  plan finalized, replies, "It's debatable.
                                                                       tk~               A''~ "       There have never been any definitive
             |  an d   c hec k  f o r:                                                     w           studies that I am aware of, as far as shrimp
                                                                                                  trawls go, that have shown destruction of
             O i 11/2" - 3" DENSE POLYURETHANE FOR                                                     the bottom. The argument on one side is
               SUPER INSULATION                         0 EXTRASTRONG SEAMLESS INTERIOR OF             that the trawls are kind of like a plow and
             O THREE HUGE SIZES - 186 QT. to 320 QT.       STAIN-RESISTANT ABS PLASTIC                 you have to cultivate the bottom to make
               CAPACITIES                               0 LOCKABLE HEAVY DUTY HASP CLOSURE             it productive. The other side says the
             [ 5 YEAR WARRANTY                           0 SUPER-DURABLE'STAINLESS STEEL
            'O RUGGED EXTERIOR OF UV-RESISTANT             HINGE                                       trawls tear up everything on the bottom
               ROVEL�-CAPPED ABS WHITE PLASTIC          O SURE GRIP TEAK HANDLES                       and destroy it."
                                                                                                    "There is a lot of reason to think that
               A _                                                                                     trawls may destroy a lot of bottom grasses
                                                                                                  and sponges," says Alex Jernigan, chair-
             yeaCl'of the above for
                                                                                                  man of the Florida Conservation Associa-
                                                                                                  tion and a member of the Gulf of Mexico
                                                                                                  Fishery Management Council. "If you go
                                                                                                  aboard a shrimp trawler in the southern
                                                                                                  Gulf, you'll see a lot of sponges and bot-
                    ForFree Cala/log.'  lI - P. O. Box 527, LEXINGTON PARK, MD 20653-0527/(301) 863-8196  tom formations that have been scraped up
                                                                                                  off the bottom. How permanent that dam-
            42 FlORIDA SPORISMAN/May 1987
    II

    TRAWLING continuedl                                            I

    age is, I don't know."                        other areas, there are sea fans and hard
      "Trawl damage is a part of shrimping,"    habitats of the kind that concern Jernigan          �           _
    said Dr. William  Fox, Florida's Marine    and other critics.
    Fisheries Commission (MFC) chairman.            One  fact remains clear. Right now,
    "There is concern about bay shrimpers    neither tile state nor tile federal govern-
    and  inshore shrimpers who  use otter    ment is protecting the bottom from trawl
    trawls and dig up the grass beds." How        damage. Another fact that is indisputable          FLORIDA  DEALERS
    substantial the problem is won't be known    is that most of the sea grasses lie in
    until after the MvIFC's workshops are corn-    state waters and these habitats are vital
    pleted, Fox noted.                            to healthy stocks of trout, shrimp, scal-
                                                lops and scores of other species of ma-            BRADENTON/
    T he types of trawls used are certainly part    rine life.                                        SARASOTA
    of Ihe issue. Otter trawls are large nets       And( while grass and habitat(lestruction          Cycle Marine
    held open by wooden doors and are gen-    are most ofteni associated with otter trawls,           813-758-3854
    erally used by "food shrimpers" in deeper    there are also problems with roller
    water. The doors, the chains that hold the    trawls.                                             DUNEDIN
    leading edge of the net down and the net        "Basically, the idea of rollers is good,"        Pirate's Cove Marina
    itself can all scrape and scar the bottom.    says Homosassa's MacRae, who has been a            813-733-1102
      The roller trawl, a different type, is most    commercial and recreational shrimper all
    often used by bait shriml)pers who work    his life. "T hey're perfect if they work, but          FERNANDINA/
    the seagrass areas of shallow Iays. Inslead    a Inl of shrimipers use extremely heavy           JACKSONVILLE
    of plowing the bottomrn, as an otter trawl is   trawls wilh small rollers that just bury         14th Street Marina
    likely to do, the rollers on this net are    themselves in the sand."                            904-261-7328
    designed to allow the net to roll over the      MacRae says the grass beds from Hloin-
    grasses without tearing them up.              osassa northward are vanishing, and while          FT. MYERS/PINE ISLAND
      Shrimpers, and some researchers and    he calls bait and table shrimping a                     Pine Land Marina
    fishery managers, explain that the heavy,    "necessary evil," he says larger rollers            813-283-0080
    bottom-dragging otter trawls are "used    on the bigger trawls would help protect                FOR
    in deep water where there are no grass    the habitat.                                           FORT PIERCE
    beds." However, a closer look indicates                                                          St. Lucie Outboard Marine
    there are some flaws in that long-standing    Yet another problem with bait shrimpers            305-464-1440
    observation.                                 is "black market" shrimping. Even though,
      "In some  areas of the Gulf," says    by law, a bait shrimper is required to keep              LAKE CITY
    MFC  executive director Connor Davis,    his catch alive, lie may sometimes haul up              Bob's Marine Village
    "repeated use of trawls is knocking down    a load that was killed in the net. Shrimp are        904-755-2611
    all the hard-bottom structure and sea    wanted alive or dead at the dock and
    fans. This may be reducing the habitat's    some "bait shrimp" are being sold illegally          MIDDLEBURG/
    ability to support grouper and snapper    to seafood wholesalers as"food shiriml," a             JACKSONVILLE
    stocks. But there's not a lot of hard infor-   practice state employees note does hap-           River City Tackle & Marine
    mnation available."                           pen if  "sonle places at some tines."             904-282-3115
      And  even though otter trawls are             I laddad  has begun a stludy of bail
    designed for deep, open water, current    shrimping in Tampa Bay and the initial                 OKEECHOBEE
    regulations leave the choice of where    findings-using two roller trawls and an                 B.O.B.S. Marine
    to work these rigs up to the individual    outboard-powered boat to pull them-                   813-763-0936
    shrimper.                                     indicates that the nets rolled over the grass
      "Hell, they come right into 10 or 12 feet    without "mowing it." But, says Haddad, in         PENSACOLA
    of water and they clean the bottom wilh    older for tie stuy to be truly accurate, it             arbor Vew Marina
    those Irawls," said l)u('anl MacRae, own-    sho9l0l ell-olpass shrilillping goal more           904-453-3435
    er of MacRae's Bait House on the I lorno-    in line with what commercial bait shrimp-
    sassa River located in the Big Bend area of   ers commonly use.                                  PO   MPANO  BEACH
    the Florida Gulf Coast. "I think the com-       And, while study is just beginning in            305946-3370Hillsboro Inlet Marine
    mercial part of shrimping (otter trawls)    shallow-water habitats, nothing is being             305-946-3370
    should be moved farther offshore."            (lone on the large offshore grass beds off
      The MFC's Fox said the problems of    the Big  end coast.                                      TAMPA/LAND O' LAKES
    otter trawls digging up grass in shallow        Yet another angle of bait shrimping is           Land O' Lakes Marine
    water will be reviewed and when the    that it is conducted on' nursery grounds.                 813-949-3373
    shrimp managemenit plan is taken to the   It is well-known thati bait shrinipers catch
    Governor and Cabinet at the end of the   (quantities of juvenile fish-including baby             WINTER HAVEN/
    year, could contain restrictions on the    seatrout.                                             HAINES CITY
    kinds of gear shrimpers use.                    "We recognize there is some damage to            Hoppy's Marine
      Outside state waters (meaning beyond    some habitat as a result of bait shrimping,"           813-422-4321
    nine nautical miles in the Gulf) federal    said Charles Futch, assistant director of
    jurisdiction begins. Here, the water is gen-    the Division of Marine Resources. "You
    erally too deep for sea grasses, says Wayne    know that shrimp is the most popular
    Swingle, executive director of the Gulf   bait among fishermen and I think there
    Council. The byword, however, is "gener-    would  be a lot less fishing success if              PROTECTED TERRITORIES AVAILABLE
    ally." In some places, sea grasses do grow    this product were unavailable. So it be-           For Dealership Inquiries Contact
    because the clear Gulf waters allow sun-    cornes a tradeoff."                                  615.385-3652
    light to penetrate to the bottom. And in        One of the few research studies of bait
    44 FlORIDA SPORTSMAN/May 1987

    11c

    J
                TRAWLING continued
                shrimping that has been completed was    dance of fish reaching larger, catchable
                carried out on Biscayne Bay several years    size. Though conceding that the Biscayne
                ago by the Florida Sea Grant College.         Bay study indicated that damage to the
                  "They had a hard time documenting    trout stocks did not appear to be "all that                  ei/
         *       any substantial long-term damage to the    terrible," Davis says, "Other bait shrimp
                habitat," said Futch. The findings indicat-    fisheries in other areas might be totally        '. .   ,..
                ed that the catch has remained stable from    different. Every bay is totally different. And      .
                1971 to 1983 and suggested that the bait    you do not want to make a blanket as-
                shrimp fishery did not significantly  af-    sumption that everything is hunky-dory
                fect the habitat's ability to function as a    just because one study in one place said it
                shrimp nursery.                               was all right."
                  This study, however, contradicts itself       The  commercial  shrimp  industry  is
    m4          when it claims that Biscayne Bay is not a    regulated in. Florida the same way it                      , l
                nursery area and that adult shrimp popu-    was two decades ago when the fleet was
                lations swim into the Bay from other    much smaller and its ability to impact                AERODYNAMIC FRONT FOIL E TOP MOUNTED
                places. Making the study even more sus-    shrimp, fish and habitats was correspond-          OUTRIGGER HOLDERS * GROMETED VINYL TOP
                pect are the comments of John Stevely, a    ingly less.                                       * TEE TOPS ARE EASY TO INSTALL * ALL NECES-
                |   Sea Grant extension agent. Though not a                                                   SARY HARDWARE INCLUDED U ELECTROSTATIC
                I   Sea Grant extension agent. Though not a                                                   COATING U COMPLETELY READY TO INSTALL
                party to the research project, he said "I    Nets are by no means all of the problem,                   COMPLETELY READY TO INSTALL
                wouldn't stake my professional reputation    however.                                                      5' x 7' $799.00
     3          on it. I don't think any of them [the re-       "We had some beautiful virgin country            Cons1r,,cled o,.rrucl ..r..lurn..n.,tlinless hardware
                searchers] would.                             on this coast," said MacRae, "Then all                  V &
                  "They went out and collected some in-    these people moved in and had to shape
                formation that I think is fairly reasonable    it, mold it, re-canal it and change the di-           RA mDIO  BOX
                but, if you look at their statistics, there    rection of the water. They never cared
                could be some differences in fishing prac-    what damage it did. Now the damnage is           RADI BOXES FANERGLAINLESS       HARDWARE
                                                                                                          ACRYLIC DOOR AND STAINLESS HARDWARE
                tices that could throw it off," said Stevely.    showing up."                                    10 HIGH  14" DEEP  20" WIDE  $175.00
                  Despite Stevely's reservations, the Bis-      One indicator of the damage is a green                              30" WIDE  $220.00
                cayne Bay study is frequently cited by    slime nicknamed "gumbo" that has begun                               IE
                some marine experts as evidence that bait    rolling out of the canals and into the Gulf                      Sired By
                shrimping does not harm the habitat.          where it smothers the rocky bottom.               UNI MAC  INDUSTRIES, INC.
                  The MFC's Davis, who is familiar with         Habitat loss isn't limited to the area         1601 HYPOLUXO RD. LANTANA, FLORIDA 33462
                the Biscayne Bay study, wonders if the    of Homosassa. It's a statewide problem.                      TELEPHONE: (305)582-4126
                catch of trout in trawls affects the abun-    Working with satellite photos and com-                       Dealer Iquwresin,,red

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                                         -B Ir ~~~~~~~ __________,e"-~ AMERICAN '" ....

                                                                                         TRAWLING continued

                                                                                         puter-enhanced aerial photographs, Had-
                                                                                         dad and marine biologist Barbara A. Hoff-
                                                                                         man have been mapping habitat declines
                                                                                         in specific Florida waters.
                                                                                           "In Charlotte Harbor we have seen a
                             i4\>':,P Qloss of approximately 25 per cent (of sea-
                                                                                         grasses)," said Haddad, adding that Char-
                                                                                         lotte Harbor is one of the state's best-
                                                                                         preserved areas. Findings such as this have
                                                                                         begun to generate interest-and research
                   Brings you                      |OUTBOARDS by                              money--to determine the cause-and,
                                                                                         hopefully, to recommend solutions.
                                             A PI Y"   ~~~~~~~~~~~~How to pay for this research is yet to be
                                                                44   1    1   1 l  i'i   I   Idetermined. Very little of the billions of
                                         and  -7                         i             T  dollars generated yearly by Florida's rec-
                                                     aI~~~~ n  ~~~~~reational and commercial fishing indus-
                                                                                         tries finds its way into research programs.
                                                         2 hp -  225 hp                      Though almost everybody agrees that
                                                                                         Florida has steadily been losing marine
                                                                                         habitat-and probably shrimp production
                                                                                         capacity-for a long time, fishery man-
                                    TIVIII  We  want  to be                                 agers can only address a portion of the
                                           z  your YAMAHA                                   problem. Their jurisdiction does not ex-
                                                                                         tend to growth management, pollution
                                     Dealer!                         Aquasports              or development.
                                     Call us.   .  .                   1 7'-27'                Trawl damage, however, is a part of the
                                                                                          problem they could address.
                                     We're dealing!                   in stock!                 "Yeah, they cleaned the bottom with
                                                                                          those trawls," says Homosassa's MacRae.
                   LIMITED-                                                        ,o         or the commercials did it. Maybe fouled-
            \WIARRANTY                                 ,,/                                    up rollers did it. The commercials use
                                                 m�   i,.yO_  ;>,I *i                       chain on the bottom. They tear up your
                                                                                          grouper rocks and vegetation and every-
                                                                                          thing else with those otter trawls. They
                                                        ,~-^^//                /            have ruined about all the coral on this
                                                                                          coast. They flattened it."
                                                                                            Jones, the perpetual advocate of the
                                                                                          commercial fishermen, noted that the
                                    `.,"                                  ,/Q # trawlers try to stay away from outcrop-
                                                                           7  ..  *.       pings of rocks and "there may be areas
                                                                                          that have certain types of grasses that you
                                                                              , may not want to drag over."
                                                                              9,.  'But if shrimpers find catchable numbers
                                                                            ,~       L      @ .;yof the crustaceans in habitat-sensitive
                                                                           i f:,. -V      areas, would they trawl the bottom if it
                                                                                          were legal?
                                                            - OTHERS SHOW.   .              itatio"They'd do it," says Jones without hes-
                                                               , I F F Y  St-9'~B~l~r  L  WE SELL!  Regulating commercial fishermen isn't a
                                                                                          popular posture for politicians and neither
                        ' tH^~IB~B~a$FI~Rl~i~~ .  ;.,-=                                      is regulating development. But solutions
                                                                                          do exist and fishery experts believe one
                         Aquaspor't: 250     Expr~ ~essof them is limited entry, or allowing only
             Aquasport 250 Express Fisherman                                                   a set number of shrimpers to fish an area.
                                                                                          Many believe there are simply too many
                                                                    VISIT US               shrimpers working too little bottom. An-
                                                                   ( 0 3 6     FOR YOUR    other answer could be closing depleted
                (305)                                               B 8E6S3-7T7D7EA3 FOR YOURareas altogether.
                                                                 BEST DEAL!                   But without the basic research-and the
                                                                                          studies will be costly-fishery managers,
                                                                                          and the politicians who must pass the nec-
     THE LARGEST                                                South Florida's Largest         essary legislation, are sitting ducks for
                                                                                          magnum loads of trawler double-talk.
     SHOWROOM IN THE SOUTH! ,  ,0 BO AQ4 7r oDFSi I                                               Will they get the funding? The Sea
                                                    ;3751~     ~ Old Dixie Hwy.  0    7     Grant's Stevely had the best answer.
     .1375 Old Dixie  Hwy.             DkG  {0                       Bass Boat Dealer             "Everybody is asking for more money.
     N. Palm Beach/Lake Park  A,               d       GoAnd the fish don't vote."                                                      FS
     Florida 33403
                                                                                            Next month: As go the fish, so goes Florida.
    50 FLORIDA SPORTSMAN/May 1987

     chapter from Jurisdictional Management of Marine Fisheries;                                      Attachment 2.
     proceedings of the 11th MRF Symposium held May 1-2, 1986 in
     Tampa (in press).

          Management Of Tarpon, Bonefish, and Snook
                                          In Florida

                     Gerard E. Bruger and Kenneth D. Haddad

      Game fish status is an unaffordable luxury in   sizes effectively ended the snook haul-seine
    many countries. Some of the factors that allow   fisheries in Lee and Collier counties (southwest
    society to designate a species as a game fish   Florida) in 1947 and 1951, respectively, without
    include  availability of a number of edible   ever mentioning snook. Biological data, indicat-
    species, a fairly high overall standard of living,   ing a need for an 18-inch fork length (457 mm
    cultural preferences. a willingness on the part   FL) minimum size, did not exist when the re-
    of the public to be regulated, and a real or per-   striction was imposed in 1953. The 1957 legis-
    ceived necessity to eliminate commercial har-   lation that reserved snook for recreational fish-
    vest.                                               ing was originally an attempt to outlaw nets
      Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) needed little   while permitting the sale of fish caught on hook-
    protection from commercial 'exploitation be-   and-line. All sales were banned. snook was
    cause no market existed. Tarpon are consumed   granted game fish status, and limits on recrea-
    in some Central and South American areas but,   tional catches were also imposed.
    in Florida, an array of edible species provides       Most anglers may have difficulty imagining
    many more attractive alternatives. Preference   that game fish status could be a disadvantage to
    may have precluded development of a market   a species. Tarpon, bonefish, and the anglers
    in the past; legislation ensures that one will not   who fish for them, however, are not typical of
    develop in the.future.                              Florida's fisheries. The  fisheries are small,
      Game fish status for bonefish (Albula vulpes)   somewhat seasonal, and, especially in the case
    generated little controversy. They were seldom   of bonefish, restricted geographically. Anglers
    eaten, primarily because of cultural bias and the   seeking these fish spend a large amount of
    ready availability of alternatives. In 1981, how-   money, but they are neither extremely numerous
    ever, we were asked for the names of producers   nor highly vocal. As a result, other species have
    who could supply to a foreign market "substan-   gained higher priorities and very little is known
    tial quantities" of headed and gutted bonefish   about either tarpon or bonefish.
    on a year-round basis. Our reply, that bonefish       Snook, on the other hand, are avidly sought
    is a game fish and can not legally be sold, totally   by all types of anglers in coastal waters through-
    amazed the requester. Game fish status, there-   out central and  southern  Florida.  Marshall
    fore, prevented potentially lucrative exploita-   (1958)  and  Volpe  (1959)  were  conducting
    tion. Such an outcome probably was not antici-   pioneering research on snook in Florida during
    pated when the law was enacted.                     the mid-1950s period of maximum controversy
      The fishery for snook (Centropomus unde-   when game fish status was granted. Their work
    cimalis) has generated extreme emotion and con-   may have been used during the legislative pro-
    troversy during much of its history. Restrictions   cess. Everyone assumed that elimination of
    on the snook fishery had their beginnings in the   commercial exploitation was sufficient to main-
    public perception that the' net fisheries, both   tain or rebuild stocks, and all snook research
    seine and gill-net, were depleting the resource.   was halted when the law passed. Snook suffered
    Legislative restrictions on twine, mesh, and net   from benign neglect on the part of resource man-

                                                 53

                           I-t-..'       '                              I

              54                         MARINE RECREATIONAL FISHERIES

              agers and fishermen alike, from 1957 to 1974,   commercial fishing pressure. It is now apparent
              while Florida experienced a rapid growth iii  that Marshall's (1958) observations on the ef-
              human population and great changes in coastal  fects of environmental  alterations on snook
              areas. In 1974, a conservation group from Col-   populations received less attention than they had
               lierCountypersuadedtheDepartmentofNatural   deserved. Marshall (1958) felt that outlawing
               Resources that snook in southwest Florida, the   snook seines and imposing minimum size limits
               historical center of abundance within the state   had done little to reverse declines of the popu-
               (Marshall 1958), were worthy of renewed re-  lation and stated, ". . . they are more likely due
               search efforts that they would fund. A major   to alterations of the habitat produced by habita-
               study began in 1976, within five years, we had   tion and development of Florida. than to fish-
               determined that the fishermen's observations   ing." A total prohibition on commercial harvest
               were correct: snook were in trouble. The main   since 1957 obviously has not halted the decline.
               results of the study (Bruger in review) included,   At the 1982 Snook Symposium. in Ft. Lauder-
               (1) adult population size in the Naples-Marco   dale, Arthur Marshall (1983) presented the fol-
               Island area was small and dropped from approx-   lowing "axiomatic postulate": "In order for a
               imately 28,000 individuals in 1977 to approxi-   fish population to survive, it must be immersed
               mately 8,600 individuals by 1981; (2) reported   in water." This concept is deceptively simple,
               tag return rates from recreational anglers ranged   but successful management of recreational or
               from 12.5 to 22% annually, and true exploitation   commercial species that inhabit estuarine waters
               rates were probably considerably higher because   for some portion of their lives depends upon our
               not all tags were reported; (3) snook in that area  ability to insure that the species are immersed
               are not particularly migratory -  nearly 90% of   in water and that the water is suitable for them.
               reported tags came from fish that had moved         One scenario on the development of Florida.
               less than ten miles from the release site, suggest-   and its related impact on the fisheries. involves
               ing that Florida's total snook stocks are corm-   a hypothetical Mr. and Mrs. Smith from Any-
               posed of several sub-populations; and (4) poor   where-but-Florida, USA. During a winter vaca-
               survival of larvae and/or juveniles spawned in  tion to the Sunshine State they realize that fish-
               1978 produced low recruitment into the adult   ing and the sunshine were never like this at
               population in 1981.                               home in February, so they buy a beautiful new
                 Snook laws began to change drastically at this   house on a canal. Shortly thereafter. it is sum-
               point and, in 1985, nearly 80% of the snook   mer, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith cannot go outside
               population was illegal to catch. East coast critics  after 7 p.m. because of the mosquitos. Soon,
               of these measures contended that research done   the elected officials have 6,000 Mr. Smiths com-
               on the southwest coast did not apply to "their  plaining and they must act. In some areas the
               fishery." The, evidence is that snook abundance   salt marsh and mangrove swamps that serve as
               is much reduced from historical levels through-   mosquito breeding areas are drained by exten-
               out Florida di'spite this dissension. Creel surveys   sive canal systems. In other areas, dikes isolate
               conducted in the St. Lucie estuary, on Florida's   the marsh from tidal waters. The Smiths, mean-
               east coast, revealed that snook dropped from   while, are applying truckloads of fertilizer and
               26.3% of the total harvest in 1956-1957 to 2.2%   chemicals to their lawn and watering 24 hours
               in 1978-1979 (Van Os etal 1981). Snook catches   a day in a valiant effort to keep it green and
               in Everglades National Park declined from   stop the hordes of insects. Then, one day, Mr.
                19.300 to 4,000 fish between 1972 and 1977   Smith realizes that fishing is not as good as in
               (U.S. National Park Service 1979).                the past and demands that something be done
                  This presentation is not really about tarpon,   to restore his fishing'. He makes his demands
               bonefish, or even snook. It is about jurisdiction   from the house that sits on land that once was
               and management of Florida's saltwater fisheries;   bay bottom and supported mangroves and sea-
               snook just happen to be a convenient case his-  grasses.
               tory.                                               Nearly  three-fourths  of. Florida's  human
                  The snook tagging study (Bruger in review)   population live in coastal areas. These people
               showed that anglers could exert a major impact   required alterations of wetlands habitat for resi-
               once the population had been reduced to a low   dential and commercial development, flood con-
                level. The original decline, however, did not   trol, agriculture, mosquito control, and other
                result solely from recreational or, for that matter,   reasons. These requirements often conflict with

    ~~~I, ',j  i,~~~~~~

                                                         GAME FISH MANAGEMENT                                          55

                         the concept of keeping the animals immersed in   in existing canals in some cases (U.S. Depart-
                         water and. as a result, much critical wetlands   ment of the Interior 1959). The report concluded
                         habitat has been permanently altered. Once-pro-   that, "The project, as planned, would be detri-
                         ductive fisheries habitats now support dense   mental to the fisheries of the North Fork and
                         growths of condominiums.                          St. Lucie Estuaries." (U.S. Department of the
                            A general 'awareness of the intimate relation-   Interior 1959). The Corps proceeded with the
                         ship between habitat and fisheries production   project despite the warning. The  1978-1979
                         now  exists. Unfortunately, quantification of   creel survey evaluated effects of the discharges
                         habitat-fishery relationships has received little   on angling catch rates, and the authors stated
                         attention historically, and the scientific com-   that, "It is our opinion that the estuary is chang-
                         munitv has been unable to provide data for effec-   ing and, as a result, the desirable sport fishes
                         tive management of a species. Habitat losses   are becoming less abundant. Other estuarine
                         are now being documented and the figures for   species are now surpassing them in CPE." (Van
                         Florida are alarming. Approximately 30% of all   Os et al 1981).
                          vegetated coastal wetlands habitat losses in the     Naples Bay, on the southwest coast, now re-
                          United States occurred in Florida (Frayer et al   ceives 20 to 40 times more fresh water input
                          1982). Tampa Bay has lost 44% of its mangrove   than it did before the opening of the Golden
                         and marsh habitat and 81% of its seagrasses   Gate Canal in 1964 (Simpson 1979). This has
                          since development began in the area (Lewis et   resulted  in  strong  salinity  stratification,
                          al 1979, 1985). The Indian River lagoon serves   substandard dissolved oxygen concentrations
                          as a nursery area for tarpon (Harrington and   during most of the year (Hicks 1979), and re-
                          Harrington  1982), bonefish (R.G. Gilmore,   duced species abundance and diversity in the
                          Harbor Branch Foundation. personal communi-   upper Bay and Gordon River (Yokel 1979).
                          cation: Bruger, unpublished data), and snook         The situation is reversed in the Everglades.
                          (Gilmore et al 1983). An estimated 30% of the   Approximately 1,500 miles of canals, including
                          seagrasses and 86% of the mangrove and marsh   those connecting with the St. Lucie estuary have
                          have been lost in this area (Haddad et al in   been dug since the late 1800s for water control,
                          preparation). The mangrove and marsh losses   drainage, and "conservation" (Rote 1981). Re-
                          resulted primarily because of mosquito im-   duced water levels, reduced water retention
                          poundments that effectively remove habitat from   time, and hypersaline conditions in Florida Bay,
                          fisheries production.                             resulting from these canals, have caused a
                          Habitat alterations are not limited to the phys-   "catastrophic reduction in nursery habitat for
                          ical destruction of a habitat type. They also in-   estuarine finfish and shellfish." (Browder and
                          volve alterations to traditional water-flow pat-   Moore 1981; Spear 1981; Marshall 1983).
                          terns. Charlotte Harbor, on Florida's west coast,
                          has undergoTne development, but most of it has                       Summary
                          occurred sinde the late 1960s. The area was          Rational fisheries management cannot occur
                          targeted as one of Critical State Concern, and   unless the habitat of the resource is managed as
                          growth management plans provide a buffer be-   well. Fisheries managers may have jurisdiction
                          tween the estuary and upland development.   over management of a species, but they have
                         Shoreline margins of the estuary have been pre-   little, if any, jurisdiction over the physical envi-
                          served and mangrove acreage has actually in-   ronment of that species. The Indian River lagoon
                          creased by 10% since the 1940s (Harris et al  is a good example of a multi-jurisdictional sys-
                          1983). Seagrass acreage has decreased 29%,   tem. The lagoon is bordered or managed by six
                          however, probably because of changes in am-   counties, many municipalities, and at least 49
                          bient water quality by urban, suburban, indus-   federal, state, county, or local agencies (Panico
                          trial, and agricultural runoff and discharge,   and Barile 1986). Fisheries managers generally
                          dredging  activities,  and  fresh  water  flow   have not had too much impact on the planning
                          changes (Harris et al 1983).                      process in the system.
                            The 1956-1957 creel study in the St. Lucie .More than 70% of Florida's recreational and
                          estuary was part of an evaluation of the effects   commercial  finfish species  utilize estuarine
                          of proposed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers al-   areas for some or all of their lives (Harris et al
                          terations to the St. Lucie County Canals Project.   1983). A fundamental law of physics states that
                          These alterations would have doubled flow rates   for every action, there is an equal, but opposite,

    I                                                          I    '
               I~~~~~~~~~~~\

    56                               MARINE RECREATIONAL FISHERIES

    reaction.  Actions  involving  the  wetlands  or                 ity sections. In B.L. Simpson (ed.), The Naples Bay
    water resources will affect the state's fisheries                Study. CollierCounty Conservancy, Naples. Florida.
                  eiather  pstilyoregavly.ThchieLewis. R.R.. C.S. Lewis, W.K. Fehring, and J.A. Rodgers.
    either positively or negatively. The  choice is                  1979. Coastal habitat mitigation in Tampa  Bay.
    ours.                                                            Florida. In G. Swanson (tech. coord.), Proceedings
       Conflicts between recreational and commer-                    of the Mitigation Symposium. Technical Report RM-
    cial fishermen over estuarine-dependent species                  65: 136-140. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ft. Col-
    generally  concern  allocation  of resources re-    [             ins, Colorado.
                                                               Lewis. R.R.. M.J. Durako, M.D. Moffler, and R.C. Phil-
    duced by  habitat destruction. Cooperation  by                   lips. 1985. Seagrass meadows in Tampa Bay - A re-
    both sides to protect the habitat of these re-                   view. In S.A. Treat, J.L. Simon, R.R. Lewis. III.
    sources might forestall further conflicts. A  re-                and R.L. Whitman, Jr. (eds.), Proceedings Tampa
    source and its environment cannot be treated as                  Bay Area Scientific Information Symposium. Florida
                                                                    Sea Grant College Report Number 65: 210-246.
    distinct entities.  To  maintain  or rebuild  our                Burgess Publishing Company.  Minneapolis.  Min-
    fisheries. habitat concerns must be considered                   nesota.
    during the planning process.                               Marshall, A.R. 1958. A survey of the snook fishery of
       Forty years of snook management have pro-                     Florida. with studies of the biology of the principal
                                                                    species. Centropomus undecimalis (Bloch). Technical
    duced numerous regulations on fishermen, but                     Series Number 22 (37 pp.). Florida State Board of
    no increase in the snook population. Without                     Conservation  Marine  Laboratory,  St. Petersburg.
    proper management of habitat. fisheries man-                     Florida.
    agement merelv becomes an exercise in manag-   Marshall. A.R. 1983. Effects of water flow alterations on
                                                                    south Florida estuaries. In G.E. Bruger (ed.), Sum-
    ing people.                                                      mary of Proceedings. Snook Symposium: 9. Florida
                                                                    Department of Natural Resources, St. Petersburg.
                     Literature Cited                               Florida.
                                                               Panico, C.A. and D.D. Barile. 1986. Management of the
    Bruger, G.E. (in review). Assessment of adult snook popu-        Indian River Lagoon. Interim report to the Indian River
         lation dynamics. Naples-Marco Island. Florida. 1976-       Lagoon Legislative Delegation (79 pp.). Marine Re-
         1982. Unpub. Ms. Bureau of Marine Research. De-            sources Council, Florida Institute of Technology. Mel-
         partmnent  of Natural  Resources.  St.  Petersburg.        bourne. Florida.
         Florida.                                              Rote. J.W. 1981. Role of the National Marine Fisheries
    Browder. J.A.. and D. Moore. 1981. A new approach to             Service in the protection of freshwater inflow estuaries.
         determining  the quantitative relationship between         In R. Cross and D. Williams (eds.), Proceedings of
         fishery production and the flow of fresh water to es-      the National Symposium on Freshwater Inflow to Es-
         tuaries. In R. Cross and D. Williams (eds.), Proceed-      tuaries, Vol. 1:18-22. FWS/OBS-81/04 (2 Vols.). Of-
         ins of the National Symposium on Freshwater Inflow         fice of Biological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
         to Estuaries. Vol. 1: 403-430. FWS/OBS-8104 (2             Service, Washington, D.C.
         Vols.). Office of Biological Senrices, U.S. Fish and   Simpson. B.L. (ed.). 1979. The Naples Bay Study. Collier
         Wildlife Service. Washington, D.C. FWS/OBS-81/             County Conservany, Naples, Florida.
         04. 2 Volunies.                                       Spear, M. 1981. Freshwater inflows and Fish and Wildlife
    Frayer. W.E., 'f.J. Monahan. D.C. Bowden. and F.A.               Service operations. Pp. 23-30, Volume I. In Cross
         GraNbill. 1 02. Statusandtrendsofwetlands and deep-        and D. Williams (eds.), Proceedings of the National
         water habitis in the coterminus United States, 1950's      Symposium on Freshwater Inflow to Estuaries, Vol.
         to 1970's. Draft Technical Report (18 pp.). U.S. Fish       1:23-30. FWS/OBS-81/04 (2 Vols.). Office of Biolog-
         and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C.                     ical  Services,  U.S.  Fish and  Wildlife  Service,
    Gilmore. R.G..jti.J. Donohoe, and D.W. Cooke. 1983.              Washington, D.C.
         Observations on the distribution and biology of east-   U.S. Department of the Interior. 1959. An interim report
         central Forida populations of the common snook, Cen-        on the fish and wildlife resources in relation to the
         tropomus wndecimalis (Bloch). Florida Scientist. 46(3/      Corps of Engineers' plan of development for the St.
         4): 313-336.                                                Lucie County canals, Florida. 19 pp. U.S. Department
    Haddad, K.D., B.A. Hoffman, and K.A. Killam. (in prep.).         of the Interior, Vero Beach, Florida.
         Stats of fisheries habitat Indian River Lagoon and   U.S. National Park Service. 1979. An assessment of fishery
         Loxaharcbe Estuary. Final Report. Florida Depart-           management options in Everglades National Park,
         menat of Niural Resources, St. Petersburg. Florida.         Florida. 61 pp. South Florida Research Center, U.S.
    Harrington, R.W. and E.S. Harrington. 1982. Effects on           National Park Service, Everglades National Park,
         fishes and their forage organisms of impounding a           Homestead, Florida.
         Florida salt marsb to prevent breeding by salt marsh   Van Os, E., J.D. Carroll, Jr., and J. Dunn. 1981. Creel
         mosquitoes. Bulletin of Marine Science, 32(3): 523-         census and the effects of freshwater discharges on
         531.                                                        sportfishing catch rates in the St. Lucie Estuary, Martin
    Harris. B.. K.D. Haddad, K.A. Steidinger, and J.A. Huff.         County, Florida. 34 pp. aapp. Ecological Services,
         1983. Assessmen  of fisheries habitat: Charlotte Har-      U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Vero Beach, Florida.
         bor and Lake Worth, Florida. 211 pp. Florida Depart-   Volpe, A.V. 1959. Aspects of the biology of the common
         ment of Natural Resources. St. Petersburg, Florida.         snook, Centropomus undecimalis (Bloch) of southwest
    Hicks, D. 1979. Water quality and public health-water qual-      Florida. Technical Series Number 31 (37 pp.). Marine

                                 .i.'i

                                                      GAME FISH MANAGEMENT 57

                         Laboratory. Florida State Board of Conservation. St.   sturgeon, red snapper. Since 1976, he has con-
                         Petersburg, Florida.                             centrated on population dynamics of snook in
                    Yokel, B. 1979. Biology Section. In B.L. Simpson (ed.)   southwest Florida.
                         Ile Naples Bay Study. Collier County Conservancy.   Kenneth Haddad is a biological scientist with
                         Naples,                                         Florida. the Florida Department of Natural Resources'
                       Gerard Bruger is a fisheries biologist for the   Bureau of Marine Research. His current research
                    Florida  Department  of  Natural  Resources'   involves use of satellite and aircraft remote sens-
                    Bureau  of Marine  Research, St. Petersburg.    ing techniques to assess and monitor both histor-
                    From 1969 to 1976, he worked on a variety of   ical and ongoing alterations to fisheries habitat.
                    species including American shad, bonefish,

                      .1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
    I~~~~~~~

                          I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        I.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~,

        I~~~~~

                                                                   Attachment 3.

               THE ROLE OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN MANAGING
       I               ~~~~~FLORIDA'S COASTAL WETLAND RESOURCES
                   Kenneth D. Haddad* & Barbara A. Hoffman*

     I         ~~Florida is one of the fastest growing states in the
          nation and this trend is ex"6cted to continue into the
          twenty-first century. The impact of this growth on our
    I   ~wetland ecosystems is difficult to assess and monitor.  To
          deal with the complex and often conflicting issues of
          growth versus environment, coastal resource managers
    I    ~require rapid access to a comprehensive coastal resource
          database from which they can extract and synthesize
          pertinent data to aid in their decision-making. Although
          the concept of using resource data to manage the resources
    I    ~is not new, the reality of such databases is that they have
          been limited because of the technical and organizational
          complexities associated with implementation. With rapid
    I    ~advances in computer and software technology, the creation
          of comprehensive resource databases is now possible at the
          state and local level. The data requirements of the
          resource manager are often geographical in character and
          much of the resource software technology is addressing this
          requirement.

     I         ~~Geoqraphic Information Systems

               "Geographic information system" (GIS) is a generic
    I   ~term and may be defined as a computer system or network
          that has as its primary function the analysis and handling
          of geographic (spatial) data. A GIS, by hardware and
          software design, is able to accept large volumes of spatial
          data from a variety of sources and to manipulate, retrieve,
          analyze, and display the data efficiently according to
          user-defined specifications (Marble and Peuquet, 1983).
    I   ~Any database that is geographically referenced has the
          potential for GIS entry and, certainly, many aspects of
          Florida's coastal wetland resources meet this criterion.
          Some GIS software designs incorporate capabilities to
          access attribute (tabular non-spatial) data associated with
          a geographic location. An example of this would be the
          ability to access, on a computer terminal, a permit
    I    ~application or tax record based on the location of a parcel
          of property displayed graphically in a map form. GIS
    *     ~applications are numerous but a clear understanding of the

          *Biological Scientist, Florida Department of Natural
          Resources Bureau of Marine Research, 100 8th Avenue, SE,
          St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5095.

    U      ~various types of GIS data and database development are
           required for successful implementation.
     I          ~~~Two basic data structures are utilized in GIS systems:
           rastor and vector. GIS software packages, with many
           variations of these data structures, are becoming
           increasingly available within both the non-proprietary
           (tax-dollar developed) and commercial markets.

     3          ~~~A rastor-based GIS is one in which the geographic data
           are presented as discriminate cells of a predetermined
           geographic size (i.e., 1/4 acre, 1/3 acre, etc.) with each
           cell having one data value commensurate with the type or
           layer of data being displayed (Figure 1). The user
           actually sees the specific numerical values as colors or
           gray shades on a computer screen. This type of GIS
    I     ~database is an extension of digital image processing of
           aircraft and satellite scanners and, more recently, digital
           photographs and video imaging.
                A vector-based GIS utilizes a map display in which a
           series of x,y points are connected by lines and arcs and
           are presented on a map or computer screen as polygon
    I     ~outlines (Figure 2).  Vector-based GIS's generally are
           extensively modified Computer-Aided Design (CAD) packages
           and are logical extensions of non-computerized map
           drawings.

     * ~ ~~~ 2 22 22222 2
                          2 1 3 1 1   2          3      3
                 3 3 3 3 1 3 3 3
                 3 33 33 3 33                          L
                   LAND COVER, RASTOR           LAND COVER, VECTOR
       ~~~~~I         1= water                  ,W = water
                      2 = seagrass                 S = seagrass
                      3 =land                       L = land

                       Figure I                     Figure 2

                 These two basic types of data are often
            interchangeable, but they also are substantially different
            in many aspects of data manipulation, geographic accuracy,

            I                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2

    overlay capabilities, attribute handling, and data entry.
    In addition, some GIS's give the user all possible options
    and benefits of both the rastor and vector types of data.
    These aspects will not be presented in detail, but one must
    fully explore the ranges of GIS capabilities prior to a
    database development initiative.

       Marine Resource Geographic Information System

        A program has been initiated at the Florida Department
    of Natural Resources (FDNR), with funding through the
    Florida Department of Environmental Regulation and the NOAA
    office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, to develop
    a coastal wetland resources spatial database and
    incorporate these data into a computer-based information
    system. The initial phase of the FDNR program was to
    institute a Marine Resources Geographic Information System
    (MRGIS) and develop techniques in remote sensing and image
    analysis for mapping and monitoring marine wetlands in
    Florida's coastal zone. Haddad and Harris (1985a)
    concluded that the time constraints and enormous funding
    required for conventional photogrammetric mapping preclude
    standard approaches to mapping and monitoring a coastline
    of over 2,172 km.  Thematic Mapper (TM) data from Landsat
    satellite (1/4 acres spatial resolution) was evaluated and
    chosen as the primary database in the mapping procedure.
    The TM data are not effective in all mapping requirements
    and are supplemented with aerial photography where
    necessary (Haddad and Harris, 1985b). The success of the
    MRGIS now depends on (1) transformation of the raw LANDSAT
    TM data into a wetlands/land-use map and (2) the use of
    geographically referenced TM data as the coordinate
    reference system for overlays of ancillary geographic data.
    We emphasize that the wetlands mapping effort provides just
    one of many layers of data required for the MRGIS.

         Since TM data are in a rastor format, the MRGIS
    required a rastor-based GIS. ELAS, a non-proprietary
    software package developed by NASA Earth Resources
    Laboratory, was chosen as the primary tool for MRGIS
    development.  ELAS is a modular FORTRAN overlay package
    that is machine independent (Junkin et al. 1981). ELAS,
    as described by Marble and Peuquet (1983), may be
    categorized as a rastor-based GIS. The exceptional
    flexibility of the ELAS software package makes it a
    powerful image processing/GIS tool., The ability to
    manipulate and sort layered data is not based on a "user
    friendly approach"; thus, ELAS is not recommended for
    direct infusion into a management situation. Our choice
    for this software was based on the variety of remotely
    sensed data interfaces and image processing capabilities,
    crucial elements for successful implementation of the
    MRGIS. The data created on the MRGIS can be manipulated by
    the GIS capabilities of ELAS or is easily compatible with

     I                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3

           any rastor-based GIS on the market (see Data

     I          I4~~RGIS Data Overlays
                A major function of a GIS is to utilize compatible,
            multiple, co-referenced layers of geographic data (Figure
           3) to create a new file containing the results (pictorially
           and numerically) of a user generated query. The ability to
            enter ancillary data (such as bathymetry, sediment and soil
    I      ~~types, etc.) is the feature that gives the GIS such value
           as a tool in resource management. This approach has been
           applied to many different situations, such as forestry and
           fire control management (Root et al., 1986) and land use
           management (Nystrom et al., 1986). A comprehensive
           applications review of GIS technology is in Geographic
            Information Systems Workshop (1986). -The M4RGIS overlay
           database is being designed specifically to provide the
           Florida resource manager with the capability to assess and
           monitor submerged and emerged wetland environment. This is
            important for balanced and informed management of these
           sensitive lands for dependent fisheries, non-game wildlife,
    I      ~~and burgeoning population growth in the coastal zone.
                MRGIS data layers input for the Tampa Bay region of
           Florida include vegetation cover? waterbird nesting sites,
           sediment distribution, topography, open/closed shellfish
           areas, manatee sanctuaries, pertinent jurisdictional
           boundaries, water currents, and seasonal averages of
           salinity, temperture, and chlorophyll. Additional data
            layers can be added when necessary.
                A typical query of this system could be based on the
            following hypothetical scenario. An Aquatic Preserve
           manager in the Tampa Bay region has determined that the
           wading bird populations are declining because the parent
           birds are unable to feed their young adequately during
           nesting season. These birds only range three kilometers
           from the nesting site during the active nesting season and
            feed only in shallow, vegetated wetland areas with sandy
    I     ~~sediment.  in order to grant special protective status on
           these feeding habitats, the manager needs to know all the
           areas within the Aquatic Preserve that meet these
           conditions (see Figure 3).
           The results of such a GIS query are immediately available
            to the Aquatic Preserve manager (F~igure 4). This is just
             oeexample of the many queries that could be imposed on
           the data. The queries are generally based on simple
           mathematical logic and can utilize various types of
    I     ~~modelling (i.e., soil runoff coefficients, biological
           carrying capacities, etc.) to generate a final data set.

           1                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4

                                     WADING BIRD NESTING SITES

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I
                                      VEGETATION COVER

                         I  �  I  I SEDIMENT TYPES
                      a     ~" I

    I              I ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                   II    I          DISTANCE FROM NESTING SITES

                                     AQUATIC PRESERVE BOUNDARY

                                  Figure 3

             Data Dissemination

             As the MRGIS database has been developed, demands to
        access that information have increased.  Most resource
        managers deal with either hand-drafted maps or computer
        produced vector-type maps from line plotters. Since rastor
        data cannot easily be conveyed in these forms, two primary
        approaches to data dissemination have been taken with the
        MRGIS.

       1. Rastor data are pictorial in character and are displayed
           in color on a computer screen. Each color has a
           specific meaning and the user can readily identify and
           visually extract the information subsets of an image.
           In the past, simple photographic techniques have been
           used in the past to present a hardcopy of the data, but
           this has proven expensive and impractical in many
           applications. An inkjet printer, which has the
           capability of reproducing 4,096 different colors in an
           image (photographic like output) format, has been
           interfaced to the MRGIS. Utilizing a combination of in-
           house and commercially available software, the ELAS data
           files can be reproduced on paper, at minimal cost, in
           any scale and in a variety of earth coordinate systems.
           Figure 4 is a black and white production from the inkjet

                               37ED00 139DB0 332000 334Dno

                                ................. .............. .. . .. ... ............. I.......... .. .

              3D5aDfD                               - -                                      ------f.

                                        ..........~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .jjj:)-=....  .   .... .......�

               _asn                                 'SS-                                     SSSSSSS-SS S.-SSSSSSS.--,S - -----.',-.-.Z,.  _

       I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..... .".......W1
                    3054DDU-   ~~~~~~~~...  ..............

                             *      *0          ,n>
                       30520UU~~~~~~~~~~~~~- .. ... .   Ss5~   ...So; ::-02U

                          iarlsl                    *_i                      Imjj~j - - sssssss s  ss s
                        3USDDUU- > -~~~~~~~~~~~~~.. .... ...
                             ;iir~~~~~~~~~........

                             ,~~~~~........................... .........

       I~~~~~~ WADING BIRD FEEDING AREA

                                    MANGROVE

                                    SEAGRASS NOT LOCATED IN WADING BIRD FEEDING AREA

                                  ......WATER

       I ~     ~      ~      :- UPLAND

    I         ~~Figure 4.  Inkjet printer output ih a-Universal Transverse Mercator
                               mapprojection (tick marks = 1000 in). This print repre-
                               sents the results of a management query on a multilayered
                          data set (see Figure 3).  A standard inkjet print would

                               be in color (256 shades) and more defined pictorally.  The
                               scale of the print is 1:67000. The scale of the data on
                               I  the MRGIS is 1:24000; thus, this print does not present
                               full resolution.
                                          ~~-:':IS:: :: ~~~ ;~~i,~�~~�,~,~~~;~,,,,., :.: ~~~.^ahj~~~i::....ii..`......ili~~i

                          I ~~'~~ j~i~i ~`��.:.I i~i:::::l~j~i:~:i�:�~�:�j�(~~~:~i~�~:~~: .,,,::,:,i�: r: _lij~fi~:;j~:,-ii':�~U i~i.............
                           I'::~:: ::~:             j-:-:�: iw . ............
                                :2~~1` -~:j~IJ~llii:~-~-~ ~j_~~-.  ......... .. ........................j
                                                                           ~' ".: ~i~ iiii~iai::i':'...............

                                                           Iloooo  130000          31YllIIO~~~~~~~~~........

                                  ozn r  BR  FEDN  AE

                                ............
                                  ..............AEDI  WDIG  IR   EEIN  AE
                                     --- ----------- . ......
                                         ........ ....... . ..... .

                    Figure 4.  Inkjet pr................  ....... .............. ...... .. .
                                ................................  m. . . . .   _-tw t  M.e
                                      sents  he reults  f a maagemet quey on  .........re
                                      data set (ee Figure  ).  A standrd ink............l
                                   be in color (256 shad.................... ............. .. ... - h
                                       scale of the print is 1:67000. The....................
                                         the MRGIS is 1:24000; thus, this print does......... .
                                     full resolution.~~~~~.................

          printer and represents the final data set created from a
           query based on Figure 3. Products from the inkjet
           printer for data dissemination have proven useful for
          many resource queries.

        2. Hardcopy products are applicable in many situations, but
          the real value of working with digital data in a GIS is
          the ability to manipulate and query the data in a real-
          time management decision-making process. The only
          method for rapid access is direct computer access.
          Real-time access to a mainframe computer housing the
          data is technically and economically impractical
          bbecause many resource managers are in field situations
           and graphic data volumes are so large. An alternative
           approach is to make the data available on microcomputers
          with their own GIS capabilities.

          A pilot program to evaluate the potential of downloading
        MRGIS data to a microcomputer for use in a management
        setting has been completed. Figure 5 schematically depicts
        the maximum microcomputer GIS configuration. The
        peripherals in the configuration can be added or deleted,
        depending on user needs and budgets.  One major obstacle in

                                               GIS DATA
                                             TAPE CARTRIDGE
                    I  MONOCHROME MONITOR  TAP MAIL

           I~~~~~~
                                               VIA MAIL
                  GIS COLOR       30 Mb
               IIMAGE DISPLAY    ISK DRIVE

    U           ~~~~36" x 48"1I M  A        CRRIG
               TABLE DIGITIZE  IBMATCATRDEM

                     STANDARD
                     PRINTER
                                         ERDAS, INC.
                               INKJET     -GIS SOFTWARE
       ~~~~~~~~~~PINE QPIGITIZER SOFTWARE
                                           -INKJET PRINTER SOFTWARE

                                  Figure 5

        working with geographic data is the large data volume. A
        typical file exceeds 5 megabytes in storage space,
        precluding data transfer by floppy disk. Direct data

                                      7

    transfer to microcomputer by modem is currently not
    feasible due to expense and transfer times. Transfer
    through the mail on a medium was considered the most viable
    method.  Nine track tapes are a standard data transfer
    method for mainframe computers and can be used in the
    microcomputer environment, but they are expensive and not
    used universally.  Optical disks will eventually be the
    preferred method, but that technology has not advanced
    sufficiently. We are currently transferring data on 1/4
    inch tape cartridges. The tape cartridge industry is not
    standardized, so transfer can only be accomplished on
    compatible tape drives. The system we chose was an file-
    oriented tape back-up unit. It can store up to 60
    megabytes of data in separate files on standard tape
    cartridges. Data are transferred from the mainframe MRGIS
    via an RS232 serial interface to an IBM-AT. The data are
    reformatted during the transfer to conform to the GIS
    software used on the microcomputer. The data files are
    then transferred to the tape cartridges as DOS files and
    sent via mail to the field GIS.

        As part of the pilot project, two commercially
    available, rastor-based micro-GIS's were installed, one at
    the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council and the
    other at an FDNR Aquatic Preserve in Naples, Florida.  The
    ERDAS, Inc. GIS has a basic configuration that allows a
    color display of the data, various GIS manipulations, and
    data deletions and additions. Capabilities important to
    the basic system and available as separate additions are
    table digitizing and color inkjet printer hardcopy
    generation (see Figure 4).  A commercial system was chosen
    because the careful software planning and design provide
    simple menu-driven access to the data. This puts the GIS
    within the realm of potential use by the resource manager.

         The development of the MRGIS and the ability to
    transfer GIS data to microcomputers has been a technical
    success. Management utilization has not been fully
    assessed, but the initial results are encouraging. The
    East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC)
    used the micro-GIS to target wetlands requiring different
    levels of planning. Wetland cover for Brevard County,
    Florida, was developed on the MRGIS using LANDSAT TM data
    and downloaded to the ECFRPC.  ECFRPC then used U.S. census
    tract populations and regionally deVeloped population
    projections to create a data overlay of predicted changes
    in population densities throughout the county from the year
    1985 to 2000. These projections were then weighted by
    density and analyzed with the wetland data in order to
    target wetlands of high to low potential for impact by
    population growth.  This information can now be used in
    prioritizing wetland management in the growth management
    planning process. The FDNR micro-GIS in Naples, Florida,
    is being used to develop a comprehensive database on the
    Rookery Bay, Cape Romano, and Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic

                                 8

    Preserves.  This database will be an extension of the type
    of overlays being developed for Tampa Bay. Again, the
    wetlands resources were developed on the MRGIS using TM
    data and downloaded to the Aquatic Preserve GIS.
    Additional resource data are being entered using a table
    digitizer capability. The micro-GIS will be the primary
    management tool for these Aquatic Preserves.

       Conclusion: The Role of the MRGIS in Resource
       Management

       MRGIS rastor database development and data dissemination
    by hardcopy and, more importantly, to microcomputer, have
    proven to be the techological success of the GIS concept.
    This strategy for data dissemination will also provide
    rapid access of large volumes of geographic data to the
    resource manager. The MRGIS, combined with microcomputer
    field systems, offers a desktop, user-friendly approach,
    with a color map-oriented display. This system allows
    resource managers to effectively utilize the best available
    data in resource planning and decision-making.  We also
    plan to link geographically-oriented data with tabular data
    (such as fisheries statistics, boat licenses, and
    environmental permits) to provide state, regional, and
    local resource managers and planners with additional
    information regarding the use of natural resources.

         Even though the MRGIS has been successfully tested in
    small scale management situations, the GIS concept may not
    be accepted or incorporated-into management structure,
    primarily because upper level management lacks familiarity
    with GIS technology. Consequently, GIS development is not
    initiated at this level, but at the technical level, which
    often results in a minimal and inadequate commitment to
    develop a GIS.

         The success of the MRGIS is attributed to definitive
    goals, established in its development, that were to (1)
    develop a spatial inventory of marine fisheries habitat
    using remote sensing technques, (2) determine and monitor
    trends in habitat change, (3) integrate ancillary data from
    a variety of sources as GIS overlays for fisheries
    management queries, and (4) demonstrate the potential of an
    image processing rastor-based GIS for research, management,
    and education. These goals currently govern the role of
    the MRGIS in management of Florida's coastal resources, but
    an interest in applying GIS techniques to many aspects of
    resource management is growing.

         Literature Cited

    Haddad, K.D. and B.A. Harris. 1985a. Assessment and
       trends of Florida's marine fisheries habitat: an
       integration of aerial photography and thematic mapper
       imagery. pp. 130-189 in S.K. Mengel and D.B. Morrison

                                  9

       (eds.), Machine Processing of Remotely Sensed Data.
      West Lafayette, IN. Purdue University. 370 pp.

    Haddad, K.D. and B.A. Harris.  1985b.  Use of remote
       sensing to assess estuarine habitats. pp. 662-675 in
       O.T. Magoon, H. Converse, D. Minor, D. Clark, and L.T.
       Tobin (eds.), Coastal Zone '85, Proceedings of the
       Fourth Symposium on Coastal and Ocean Management, Vol.
       1, New York, American Society of Civil Engineers. 1294
      PP.

    Junkin, B., R. Pearson, R. Seyforth, M. Kalcic, and M.
       Graham. 1981. ELAS Earth Resources Laboratory
       Applications Software. NASA/NSTL Earth Resources
       Laboratory. Rep. No. 183. NSTL Station, MS.

    Marble, D.F. and D.F. Peuquet. 1983. Geographic
       information systems.  pp. 923-929 in D.S. Simorett
       (ed.), Manual of Remote Sensing, 2nd Ed., Vol. 1.  Falls
       Church, VA.  American Society of Photogramettry.

    Nystrom, D.A., B.E. Wright, M. Prisloe, Jr., and L.G.
       Batten. 1986. USGS/Connecticut geographic information
       system project. pp. 210-219 in Geographic Information
       Systems, Vol. 3. Falls Church, VA. American Congress
       on Surveying and Mapping and American Society for
       Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

    Root, R.R., S.C.F. Stitt, M.O. Nyquist, G.S. Waggoner, and
       J.K. Agee. 1986. Vegetation and fire fuel models
       mapping of North Cascades National Park. pp. 78-85 in
       Geographic Information Systems, Vol. 3. Falls Church,
       VA. American Congress on Surveying and Mapping and
       American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

                                 10

            YOUR HELP IS NEEDED
      The tropical setting in Florida's reefs attracts
    millions of visitors annually. In order to
    minimize  human  damage  to the corals,
    everyone's cooperation is needed. The reefs are
    well marked on navigation charts; if you are
    not familiar with the area, refer to the charts.
      Every year careless boaters run aground,                                   .      -
    destroying coral colonies that are hundreds of or
    years old. Seen from the surface, reefs have a
    unique golden-brown color. If you see brown,                                                                    e .  . . ..
    you may be about to run aground. Be cautious
    when anchoring your boat. Do not deploy the
    anchor directly in coral. Usually there are san-
    dy areas close by; anchor in the sand. Many
    popular reefs off Key Largo and at Looe Key
    National Marine Sanctuary have special anchor
    buoys for mooring. In these areas, tie up to the
    buoys, rather than anchoring. Do not dispose
    of trash, bilge washings and other debris on or
    near the reefs!                                        Florida coral reefs, with whom we share the
      Fishermen should avoid shallow coral reefs        seas, are significant, unique natural resources.
    when trolling. Hooks can scar and injure the         Be a responsible visitor-insure the continued
    coral, leaving it vulnerable to infection by         vitality of Florida's coral reefs.
                                                  vitality of Florida's coral reefs.       -�
    microscopic  organisms  that can kill the
    animals. Lobster fishermen should avoid plac-       Florida Department of Natural Resources
    ing traps on reefs. Heavy traps break corals and     Bureau of Marine Research
    damage the bottom when the traps are pulled.         100 Eighth Avenue S.E.
      When diving or snorkeling, look-but do not        St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5095                                                        �
    touch! Do not grasp, stand or sit on living cor-
    al. You may damage the coral and hurt yourself
    in the process. All coral is protected. It is
    against the law to collect, harvest or sell coral
    in Florida and adjacent federal waters.              This publication was produced at a cost of
                                                  $2,745, or $.068 a copy, to distribute
                                                  information on Florida's coral reefs. Funds
                                                  provided  by  DER   office  of  Coastal
                                                   Management, through a grant from  the
                                                   U.S. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource
                                                  Management, NOAA, under the Coastal
                                                  Zone  Management   Act  of  1972,  as
                                                  amended.

      Florida is the only state in the continental                                                                 Coral reefs are specialized habitats that pro-
    United States to have extensive shallow coral                                              "                 vide shelter, food and  breeding sites for
    reef formations near its coasts. These reefs ex-                                                             numerous plants and animals. They form a
    tend from near Stuart on the Atlantic coast to                                                               breakwater for the adjacent coast, providing
    the Dry Tortugas, west of Key West, in the                                                                   natural storm protection. They are very impor-
    Gulf of Mexico. The most prolific reef develop-                                                              tant to southeast Florida's economy. Recrea-
    ment occurs seaward of the Florida Keys. The                                                                 tional and commercial fishing annually bring
    reefs here are spectacular and rival those of                                                                many millions of dollars to the state. The at-
    many Caribbean areas. Approximately 6,000                                                                    tractions of the coral reef communities con-
    coral reefs are found between Key Biscayne and                                                               tribute greatly to the total value of Florida's
    Dry Tortugas.                                                                                                fisheries.

                                                                                                                   Coral reef development occurs only in areas
              FLORIDA REEF FACTS                            Stony corals are the major reef architects.         with specific environmental characteristics: a
                                                          Polyps, the living portion of the coral, extract      solid structure for the base; warm and predic-
      Flo                                  rida's coral reefs came into existence 5,000              car-       table water temperatures; oceanic salinities;
                                                          calcium from seawater and combine it with car-
    to 7,000 years ago when sea levels rose follow-       bon  dioxide  to  construct  the  elaborate            clear, transparent waters low in phosphate and
    ing the Wisconsin Ice Age. Reef growth is slow;       limestone  skeletons  that  form  the  reef            nitrogen nutrients; and moderate wave action
    estimates range from one to sixteen feet every        backbone. Coral polyps are united into colo-           to disperse wastes and bring oxygen and
    1,000 years.                                          nies. An individual colony grows one-half to           plankton to the reef.
                                                          seven inches a year, depending on the species.
                                                          Corals start life as free-living larvae that later
                                                          settle on the sea floor and develop into massive,
                                                          sedentary limestone formations.

                                                            Though reef corals are classified as animals,
                                                          there is, in fact, a complex of microscopic
                                                          plants that lives within the animal tissues (a
                                                          symbiotic relationship). The animals benefit
                                                          from the energy that the plants provide through
                                                          photosynthesis. The plants are protected within
                                                          the coral tissues and gain nutrients from animal
                                                          wastes. These tiny plants are called zooxan-
                                                          thellae and are responsible for much of the col-
                                                          or seen in reef corals.

                                                                  River from Sebastian Inlet south to St. Lucie In-
                                                                  let. At the Ponce Inlet site a 100 percent loss of
                                                                  seagrasses was noted. This destruction was due
                                                                  primarily to dredge and fill activities for de-
                                                                 velopment and the Intracoastal Waterway. A 7
                                                                  mile stretch of estuary surrounding the Sebas-
                                                                  tian Inlet has experienced a 38 percent decline
                                                                  in seagrass habitat since 1951. Another study
                                                                  site just north of Fort Pierce Inlet was assessed
                                                                  for change in habitat over time. A 25 percent
                                                                  loss of seagrasses was documented in this area
                                                                  since 1958.

                                                                  The studies documenting fisheries habitat alter-
                                                                  ations in Florida, such as the seagrass losses
            Star-grass (Halophila englemanni)                    described earlier, are proving helpful to local
                                                                  and state officials. They are increasing public
                                                                  awareness about the problem of fisheries habi-:
                                                                  tat losses and are providing incentive to ad-
                                                                  dress this serious problem in Florida's coastal
                                                                  zone.                                                                                              V

                                                                  For more detailed information about Florida's
                                                                  Seagrasses, write to:
                      Johnson's Sea-grass  Paddle-grass               Florida Department of Natural Resources                                                         :'"
      (Halophila johnsonii)    (Halophila decipiens)                         Bureau of Marine Research
                                                                                     P.O. Box F
                                                                              St. Petersburg, FL 33731
    seagrasses was documented through compar-                                                                                                                           q
    ison of aerial photographs from 1944 to 1982.

    Florida Department of Natural Resources, Bu-
    reau of Marine Research scientists are studying  ;
    changes in Florida's coastal fisheries habitats.                                                                           :                                                                                                                     A.
    By analyzing aerial photographs from the 1940's
    and 1950's and satellite imagery and aerial
    photographs from the 1980's, the scientists are                    This public document was promulgated
    able to evaluate habitat change.                                   with state and federal funds at a cost of
                                                                      $9480.31, or $.05 per copy, to provide
    Several sites on the east Florida coast have                       information about the coastal zone.
    been analyzed, among them are Ponce Inlet,
    just south of Daytona Beach, and the Indian                    Artwork by Mark D. Moffler                    6/85

    What Are Seagrasses?                                                                                                                                                                      Seagrass Losses in Florida

    Seagrasses are flowering plants that live under-                                                                                                                .                         Seagrasses are a valuable part of Florida's ma-
    water. Like land plants, seagrasses produce                                                                                                                                               rine environment but they are disappearing at
    oxygen. The depth at which seagrasses are                                                                                                                                                 an alarming rate. Dredge and fill projects and
    found is limited by water clarity because they                              .~                                                                                                            degraded water quality, as well as other activi-
    require light. Although  seagrasses occur                                                                                                                                                 ties, are responsible for their precipitous
    throughout the coastal areas of the state, they                       "d                           /                                                                                      decline.
    are most abundant from Tarpon Springs north-
    ward to Apalachee Bay. Seagrasses occur in  \ /                                                                                                                                           Along the southwest Florida coast there are
    protected bays and lagoons and also in places                                                                                                                                             two major bay systems with similar physical
    along the continental shelf in the Gulf of                                                                                                                                                features but dramatically different histories.
    Mexico.                                                                                                                                                                                   Tampa Bay has experienced the stresses of a
                                                                                                                                                                                       developed, urbanized bay system. Charlotte
                                                                Widgeon-grass                                                                                                              Harbor, on the other hand, is one of the most
                                                                (Ruppia maritima)                                                                                                          natural estuaries remaining in Florida. During
                                                                                                                                                                                       the past 100 years, Tampa Bay has experienced
    Florida's estimated 502,000 acres of seagrasses
    are important natural resources that perform                                                                                                                      Turtle-grass           an 81 percent decline in seagrass acreage. A 29
    many significant functions: 1) they help main-                                                                                                          (T ,# / (Thalassia testudinum)   percent decrease in area of Charlotte Harbor
    tain water clarity by trapping fine sediments
                                                                                                                            widgeon-grass, grows in both fresh and salt-
    and particles with their leaves, 2) they can sta-                                                                           water and is widely distributed throughout
    bilize the bottom with their roots and rhizomes                                                                             Florida's estuaries.
    in much the same way that land grasses retard
    soil erosion, 3) they provide habitat for many
                                                                                                                            Shoal-grass, Halodule wrightii, is an early col-
    fishes, crustaceans, and shellfish, 4) seagrassesShoal-grass, Halodule wrightii, is an early col
                                                                                                                            onizer of disturbed areas and usually grows in                                              /
    and the organisms that grow on them are food
                                                                                                                            water too shallow for other species.
    for many marine animals, and most importantly,
    5) they are nursery areas for much of Florida's
    recreationally and commercially important ma-                                                                               Turtle-grass, Thalassia testudinum, the most
    rine life.                                                                                                                  common  of the Florida seagrasses, character-
                                                                                                                            istically has deeper root structures than any of
                                                                                                                            the other seagrasses.
                                                                          Shoal-grass (Halodule wrightii)
                                                                                                                            Manatee-grass, Syringodium filiforme, is easily
    Seagrass leaves provide excellent protection for                                                                            recognizable because its leaves are cylindrical.
    young marine animals from larger open-water                   Florida's  Seagrasses
    predators. Some animals, such as manatees, eat                                                                              The other three are species of Halophila: star-
    seagrass blades. Other animals derive nutrition              Although approximately 52 species of marine                    grass, Halophila engelmannii; paddle grass,
    from eating algae and small animals that col-                 seagrasses exist worldwide, only seven species                Halophila decipiens; and Johnson's seagrass,
    onize seagrass leaves. These colonizing organ-                are found in Florida waters. Four of these are                Halophila johnsonii. These small, fragile sea-
    isms provide an additional link in the marine                wide spread in Florida and extend beyond its                   grasses are sparsely distributed in Florida and
    food chain.                                                   borders. Ruppia maritima, commonly called                     only limited information about them exists.                          Manatee-grass (Syringodium filiforme)

    to evaluate habitat changes by analyzing aerial             Indian River is the longest saltwater lagoon in                                                o
                                                                                                                                     PB~~~~~ a~,                 t,              :

    photographs from the 1940's and 1950's, and                 Florida. There are just under 8,000 acres of            -                                           , , ~

    the 1980's. Frequently the changes illustrate               acres are available as fisheries habitat because          .  .
    losatlieiaeyadara  poogrpyfro                               mangroves acri  teaguyie. Thrugh only1,90
    loss of mangrove acreage. Through researching               of mosquito impoundments. Consequently, 76                       y :   ', ,;, ,/4 ,~!~':
    the history of study sites, these losses are often          percent of the existing mangrove areas are not
    attributed to human activities.                             productive to fisheries. A total of 86 percent of
      Tampa Bay, located on the southwest Florida               the mangrove areas have been lost to fisheries                        :
    coast, has experienced considerable change. It              since the 1940's.
    is one of the ten largest ports in the nation.                State and local regulations have been enacted        ,
    Over the past 100 years, Tampa Bay has lost                 to protect Florida's mangrove forests. Man-
    over 44 percent of its coastal wetlands acreage;            groves cannot be removed, pruned or dis-
    this includes both mangroves and salt marshes.              turbed on either state or private land without a
      The next major bay system south of Tampa Bay              permit from the Florida Department of Envi-
    is Charlotte Harbor. Unlike Tampa Bay, Char-                ronmental Regulation. Local laws vary, so be                                                                                          )
    lotte Harbor is one of the least urbanized estu-            sure to check with officials in your area before
    arine areas in Florida. However, there has been             taking any action.
    some mangrove destruction here also. Punta                    Mangroves are one of Florida's true natives and
    Gorda waterfront development accounts for 59                are part of our state heritage. It is up to us to
    percent of the total loss. An increase in man-              ensure a place in Florida's future for one of our
    grove acreage was noted in parts of the Har-                most valuable coastal resources...mangroves.
    bor. This is due to changes in the system. As
    tidal flats were colonized by mangroves, tidal              For more detailed information about Florida's
    flat acreage decreased and mangrove acreage                 Mangroves, write to:
    increased. Spoil islands, created as by-products                Florida Department of Natural Resources
    of dredging, also provide suitable habitat for                         Bureau of Marine Research
    mangroves.                                                                     PO. Box F
      A changing system was also observed on the                            St. Petersburg, FL 33731
    southeast Florida coast in Lake Worth, near
    West Palm Beach. Lake Worth naturally evolved
    from a saltwater lagoon to a freshwater lake.                                                                                                             ,                            \
    Human changes modified the lake back to an
    estuarine lagoon. Lake Worth has experienced                                                                      .!                   '
    an 87 percent decrease of its mangrove acreage
    over the past forty years. Mangroves appear to
    be replaced by Australian pines and urban-
    ization. The remaining 276 acres of mangroves                   This public document was promulgated
    occur in very small scattered areas and are now                 with 'state and federal funds at a cost of
    protected by strict regulations.                                $9480.31, or $.05 per copy, to provide
                                                                 information about the coastal zone.
      Another study site included the Indian River ;..,                                                                                                                                                                                     :
    from St. Lucie Inlet north to Satellite Beach.              Cover Photo by Wendy Wilson                  6/85
                                 Another study ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~*', sieiclddte:ninRie  noraina:u.h  coasta l zone

    What  Are  Mangroves?                                                                                                    green, and have two distinguishing glands at
                                                                                                                           the base of the leaf blade where the stem
      Mangroves are one of Florida's true natives.                                                                           starts.
    They thrive in salty environments because they                                                                             All three of these species utilize a remarkable
    are able to obtain freshwater from saltwater.                                                                            method of propagation. Seeds sprout while still
    Some secrete excess salt through their leaves,                                                                           on the trees and drop into the soft bottom
    others block absorption of salt at their roots.                                                                          around the base of the trees or are transported
      Florida's estimated 469,000 acres of mangrove                                                                          by currents and tides to other suitable loca-
    forests contribute to the overall health of the                                                                          tions.
                                  state's southern coastal zone. This ecosystem                                              ~~~~~~~~~~Florida's mangroves are tropical species, there-
    traps and cycles various organic materials,                                                                              fore they are sensitive to extreme temperature
    chemical elements, and important nutrients.                                                                              fluctuations as well as subfreezing tempera-
    Mangrove roots act not only as physical traps                                                                            tures. Research indicates that salinity, water
    but provide attachment surfaces for various                                                                              temperature, tidal fluctuations, and soil also af-
    marine organisms. Many of these attached or-                                                                             fect their growth and distribution. Mangroves                                    12-1
    gaismsrn  filter an rpwater clethrough nuret.their bodies and,                                                           are Gufcommon ancosas far Caenorth Cnvrlas Cedar onKey teon Atatcthe_

      The relationship between mangroves and their                                                                           coast. Black mangroves can occur farther north
    associated marine life cannot be overem-                                                                                 in Florida than the other two species. Fre-
    phasized. Mangroves provide protected nur-                                                                               quently, all three species grow intermixed.                                     _
    sery areas for fishes, crustaceans, and shellfish.                     __                                                  People living along the south Florida coasts              Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans)
    They also provide food for a multitude of marine                              _benefit many ways from mangroves. Mangrove
    species such as snook, snapper, tarpon, jack,                                                                            forests protect uplands from storm winds,                   waves, and floods. The amount of protection
    sheepshead, red drum, oyster, and shrimp.                                                                                                                                            afforded by mangroves depends upon the
    Florida's important recreational and commercial              Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle)                            White Mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa)                      width of the forest. A very narrow fringe of
    fisheries will drastically decline without healthy           groves the title, "walking trees." The red man-                                                                          mangroves offers limited protection while a
    mangrove forests.                                            grove in particular appears to be standing or                                                                           wide fringe can considerably reduce wave and
      Many animals find shelter either in the roots or           walking on the surface of the water.                                                                                    flood damage to landward areas by enabling
    branches of mangroves. Mangrove branches                       The black mangrove, Avicennia germinans,                                                                              overflowing water to be absorbed into the ex-
    are rookeries, or nesting areas, for beautiful               usually occupies slightly higher elevations up-                                                                          panse of forest. Mangroves can help prevent
    coastal birds such as brown pelicans and rose-               land from the red mangrove. The black man-                                                                              erosion by stablizing shorelines with their spe-
    ate spoonbills.                                              grove can be identified by numerous finger-like                                                                         cialized root systems. Mangroves also filter
    Florida's  Magoe projections, called pneurnatophores, that pro-                                                                                                                      water, maintaining water quality and clarity.
                               angroves                        ~~~~~~trude from the soil around the tree's trunk.                                                                        Mangrove  Losses  In  Florida
      Worldwide, more than 50 species of mangroves                 The white mangrove, Laguncularia racemosa,
    exist. Of the three species found in Florida, the            usually occupies the highest elevations farther                                                                           It is true that mangroves can be naturally dlam-
    red mangrove, Rhizophora mangle, is probably                 upland than either the red or black mangroves.                                                                           aged and destroyed, but there is no doubt that
    the most well-known. It typically grows along                Unlike its red or black counterparts, the white                                                                          human impact has been most severe. Florida
    the water's edge. The red mangrove is easily                 mangrove has no visible aerial root systems.                                                                             Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of
    identified by its tangled, reddish roots called              The easiest way to identify the white mangrove                                                                           Marine Research scientists are studying changes in
    "prop-roots." These roots have earned man-                   is by its leaves. They are elliptical, light yellow-        Artwork courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service             Florida's coastal habitats. The scientists are able

    In Palm Beach County, a 51 percent decrease in               tablished clear guidelines for defining wetland
    salt marsh acreage occurred in Lake Worth be-                 areas that come under state jurisdiction. AllFL                                                                                                                 RD
    tween 1944 and 1982 due to major land de-                     dredging and filling activities in state waters re-                                  FOl                                                                          hIw"
    velopments. A network of canals draining low-                 quire permits unless specifically exempted. Local                                                         a
    lying uplands diverted the natural flow of                    laws vary so be sure to check with officials in                                 NW-=A RH E
    freshwater away from salt marsh areas.                        your area before taking any action.

                                                                 Salt marshes are a part of our State heritage. It is
                                                                 up to us to ensure them a place in Florida's
    In southwest Florida, both salt marshes and                  future - your future.
    mangroves occur along the Tampa Bay shore.
    Since 1940, Tampa Bay has been one of the fast-
    est growing metropolitan areas in Florida. Con-
    siderable environmental damage has occurred in
    Tampa Bay along with this growth. Four major                  For more information about Florida's Salt               ~               ~
    types of dredging have impacted Tampa Bay dur-                Marshes, write to:
    ing the last 100 years: channel deepening, main-                  Florida Department of Natural Resources
    tenance dredging, shell dredging, and dredging                           Bureau of Marine Research
    for land fill construction. Ship channel dredging                P.O. Box F
    and port construction have brought Tampa Bay                              St. Petersburg, FL 33731                                                                -
    the economic benefits of being one of the
    largest ports in the nation. Tampa Bay has lost
    more than 40 percent of its original mangrove
    and salt marsh acreage over this time.                                                                                                                                         __

    The elimination and alteration of Florida salt
    marshes have a negative effect on fishery re-
    sources. Estuaries provide nursery areas for at-
    least 70 percent of Florida's important rec                                                                                                                                                         - j
    reational and commercial fishes, shellfish, and                  This public document was promulgated                                                               If
    crustaceans. Many of Florida's marine fisherieswihsaendferludstacotf
    wil  etlieandmydsaperwtou.osa                                     $9480.31, or $.05 per copy, to provide                                  ~~W
                    wetlands.                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~information about the coastal zone.

    State regulations have been enacted to protect
    Florida's salt marsh systems. Specifically, the
    Warren B. Henderson Wetlands Act of 1984 es-                  Cover Photo by Jean Smith                     6/85

                                                                                                                                                                 -        ~~~or trap, some of these pollutants, reducing the

    Salt marshes are coastal wetlands rich in                                                                                                 I                \pollutant load entering estuaries. Salt marshes
    marine life. They are sometimes called tidal                                                                                                                      Lalso prevent sediments from washing offshore,
    marshes because they occur in the zone be-                                                      oft craigmr adonwihsl ase
    tween low and high tides. Salt marsh plants                                                                                                                                          can grow.
    cannot grow where waves are strong but they
    thrive along low-energy coasts. They also occur                                                                            \4
    in areas called "estuaries," where freshwater                                                                                'iI!
    from the land mixes with sea water.                       soj~~                                                                                                                     Salt  Marsh  Losses  in  Florida
                                                                                                                                              ~~ ~~!~'\  I ~~S alt marsh systems are dynamic, constantly

    A distinctive feature of salt marshes is the                                        /                    j\%;i~changing. Society, however, emphasizes stabil-
                                                                                                                                                                           ityand beenrmainen.Ad orfled ihsult, salt oarse
    color - the plants are various shades of gray,                                           hav bee ityaaned permanledc.A  wit rsilt, sand marse
    brown, and green. Salt marshes are composed                                      IIrefuse to an elevation at which they can no

    ofnalvarety ofblacknts:l  rushesu  us   edgesan-
                                              of a variety of plants: rushes, sedges, and  Ii~~~~~~~~~~~~t                                                                            longer survive. It isonge estimatedtis thatateinhaFloridaidaaa
    grasses. Florida's dominant salt marsh species                                                                                                                                       lat6,0   ceo      ecno   surn

    ianus), the grayish rush ocurring along higher                             ,,                        ItAflacites
    marsh areas; saltmeadow cord grass (Spartina fl ciiis
    patens), growing in areas that are periodically             (0T6m Cross 1985
    inundated; smooth cord grass (Spartina alter-                                                                                                                                        The Florida Department of Natural Resources,
    niflora), found in the lowest areas that areBueuoMaieRsrcistdynchgs
       motfrequently inundated; and sawgrass (Cla-              the plants themselves, and on smaller organ-                 main form of coastal vegetation. The coastalBueuoMaieRsrcistdynchgs
    dium lamaicense), which is actually a fresh-                isms that also dwell in the marsh system. As                 area known as "Big Bend" has the greatest salt    i n valoria's coastal hbitt Scientisng aeranpoo
    water plant that sometimes grows along the                  salt marsh plants die and decompose they                     marsh acreage in Florida, extending from Apa-         e     valatephags byth  comarting thera photo-95san
    upper edges of salt marshes. All are tolerant of            create organic detritus, another food source for             lachicola Bay to Cedar Key. South of Cedar Key        graphs. ofthe coangst inere  the freque150s ndl
    the salt in sea spray.                                       many marsh dwellers. Tidal waters move up                   salt marshes begin to be replaced by man-                   10s.how changs ofbfsherved hbtoofeqetly
                                                            into the marsh and then retreat, distributing               groves as the predominant intertidlal plants. On so oso ihre aias
                                                            detritus throughout the estuary. Algae are also             the Atlantic coast, salt marshes occur from Day-

    Salt marshes are important for many reasons.                                                                      aimotnfodsucinalmrhe.oaBahnrhwd.Salt marsh loss has occurred in Florida's five
    Hidden within the tangle of salt marsh plants                                                                                                                                        northeast counties which contain 11 percent of
    are animals in various stages of life. Animals             FHorida's  Salt Marshes                                                                                                   the State's total salt marsh acreage. The pri-
    can hide from predators in marsh vegetation                                                                              Despite their value, salt marshes are too often             mary loss in Nassau County occurred because
     because the shallow brackish area physically                Salt marshes form along the margins of many                  considered to be worthless. Salt marshes pro-               of dredging for the Intracoastal Waterway. Du-
     excludes larger fish. Many of Florida's popular             north Florida estuaries. Gulf coast salt marshes             vide nursery areas for fishes, shellfish, and               val County has been impacted even more se-
     marine fisheries species spend the early part of            occur along low energy shorelines, at the                    crustaceans. These plants have extensive root              verely by human activity. Extending 3.5 miles
     their lives protected in salt marshes.                      mouth of rivers, and in bays, bayous, and                    systems which enable them to withstand brief                on either side of St. John's Inlet and 10 miles
                                                             sounds. The Panhandle region west of Apa-                   storm surges, buffering the impact on upland                up the St. John's River, analysis indicated a 36
                                                             lachicola Bay consists mainly of estuaries with             areas. Salt marshes also act as filters. Tidal              percent loss of marsh habitat. The loss is pri-
     Young fish often have a varied diet, foraging               few salt marshes. However, from Apalachicola                 creeks meander through the marshes transport-               marily due to dredge and fill of marsh habitat
     for food in the muds of the marsh bottom, on                Bay south to Tampa Bay, salt marshes are the                 ing valuable nutrients as well as pollutants from     .     since 1943.

                                                               they are one of our greatest natural resources.
                                                               This resource, however, can be destroyed. The
                                                               coast's appeal is very evident; 78 percent of
                                                               Florida's estimated 11 million residents live in
                                                               ethe coastal zone. Dredge and fill operations for  .
                 apalacflicara Ba~                               waterfront homesites and seawall construction
                                                               destroy mangrove shoreline and underwater 4

                                           fish , s         h rimpgrassbeds. Though these activities may tem-
                                         -                     ~~~~~~porarily enhance real estate value, ultimately                                                                              'M
                                                               they may decrease long-term value as the natu-
                                       <h~ll~ft  'j-'I Worth   ral amenities disappear, the water becomes
                                               ,rr                                                                                             ~tC. foul, and wildlife leaves. These activities often.
                                                               eliminate habitat and feeding areas for young
                                                               fish, shrimp, and crabs. Without estuaries many
                                           .~.'~i     .        ... important fisheries will disappear.

                                                               Estuaries are special. Help protect them.                                   :;'
    Some Major Florida Estuaries

                                                               For more information about Florida's Estuaries,
                                                               write to:
    Florida's coast is available from LANDSAT sat-                     Florida Department of Natural Resources
    ellite and other satellite information sources.                           Bureau of Marine Research
    The scientists are also noting trends in habitat                                  P.O. Box F
    change by analyzing aerial photographs from                                St. Petersburg, FL 33731
    the 1940's, 1950's, and 1980's. Results of the
    habitat trend analyses have shown substantial                                                         I                                                                                                                     -1 4
    losses of fisheries habitat throughout Florida.                                                                                                                                                                        :
    One study area on the east coast included the
    Indian River from Sebastian Inlet south to the
    St. Lucie Inlet. Over a forty year period, an 86
    percent decline in the availability of mangrove
    habitat to fisheries was documented in addition
    to a 30 percent loss of seagrass acreage. Tampa
    Bay, in southwest Florida, has experienced an                     This public document was promulgated
                                                                   This public document was promulgated
    81 percent loss of seagrasses and a 44 percent                    with state and federal funds at a cost of
    loss of mangrove and salt marsh acreage over a                    $9480.31, or $.05 per copy, to provide
    100 year period.                                                                                                                              ~i
                    ~~~~~~100 year period.   ~information about the coastal zone.

    Estuarine habitat loss is a serious problem in
    Florida's coastal zone. It is difficult to put a
    price tag on estuaries, but without question                  Cover Artwork by Coe Kitten                   6/85
                                                                                                                                                                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                                                                                                                                        I~~~~~~~~~~~s

                                                                                                    What~-.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AreEstaressaa                                        lands. Plants use these nutrients, along with
    What Are Estuaries?
                                                                                        tasks;               BAR RIER -; L.>;>                                                           the sun's energy, carbon dioxide, and water to
    Estuaries are special. They occur in areas where               MAINLAND                                      BARRIER ISLAND                                                             manufacture food. Among the most important
                                                                                ~freshwater meets and mixes with salty ocean  -age.   God   He   X 9 t~kgE  \plant forms that contribute to estuaries are
    waters. The term estuaries, according to gen-                                                                                                  OCEAN                                    microscopic algae called phytoplankton. Other
                                                                                                               ~:.'~B~~~~~~~~~~~~  ....                                                la~p. lant forms include marsh grasses, mangroves,
    eral usage, refers to protected, nearshore wa-                                           SMlant forms include marsh grasses,  mangroves,
    ters such as bays and lagoons.                                                           TRAWLEseagrasses, and maroalgae. When these larger
                                                                                                                           TRAWLER:; ~~~~~~~~~~~ -~                                  ~plants die, they are broken down into detritus
    Survival of plants and animals in estuaries re-                                                                                                                                         and are colonized by microbes (bacteria, fungi,
                                                                ;:'-       %: ::i;" ' iv~ixV   ESTUARY                                                                                                                           a
    quires special adaptations. Estuaries are dynam-                       'E. D n  de.
                                                                                                                         ....... :-:'~J~;~ ?'~i~   ' ~'. ~i'\ LARVAE detritus becomes smaller and smaller and the
    ic systems where waters are alternately salty   .ct,;   i
    and fresh. The  ebb  and flow of tides may sleave               4~c~             .!a;  l00                000t                         EGGGS                                            nutrients and small particles become food for
    and fresh. The ebb and flow of tides may leave                                                                                                      TRAWLER                             t-
                                                                                                                                                   RA ,~--_/:~,-~  1~   __. /   : ~    '""�"thousands of organisms. Larger animals feed
    some plants and animals, such as seagrasses                                . AXC. :OSTLARVAE_~                                                      TRAWLE
                                                                       some plantsadanim, suchSTLARVAE                                                                                  directly on these tiny particles or on smaller
    and oysters, temporarily high and dry. Shallow                                                                                                                                          animals that fed on detritus.
                                                                                                                                                                                    animals that fed on detritus.
    estuarine water temperatures can range from
    freezing to more than 100� F during the course                  Ai ESTUARY                                                                                                                                                    flows and
                                                                f a                   yea.-                                AU                                                            As long as nutrient-rich freshwater flows and
    of a year.
                                                                                                                                                                                    tides interact without human interference, our
                                                                Estuarine organsms are naturally adapted(B  T  estuaries will remain productive. Snook, trout,
    Estuarine organisms are naturally adapted to                                                                                                                                            mullet, jack, grouper, redfish, silver perch, spot,
    withstand these ranges in salinity, tides, and                      .-  e,
                                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~temperatures. They must, however, have a bayl-   ~ ~ 9 0                                                    E           catfish, sheepshead, spiny lobster, shrimp,
    temperatures. They must, however, have a bal-
    anced flow of fresh and saltwater. This balance                                                        SEAGRAS                                                                          crabs, oysters, and clams are examples of the
                             can be upset if 1) there is too much freshwater,                             MEADOW                                                                           diverse marine animals dependent  upon
    can be upset if 1) there is too much freshwater,                    --.healthy estuaries. Estuaries also provide breed-
                                                                               as when ca-u                                                                                              healthy estuaries. Estuaries also provide breed-
    as wthe free flow of tides; or if 2) there is too little                                                               --~                                                        < >   w-i>~^ <ing and nesting areas, or rookeries, for many
    fre    e flow of tides; or if 2) the diversion or damming of a                                   coastal birds, including several endangered
                                                                                     frswtr si hivrinoamnLfaMARSHMANGR VE-                                                              species such as brown pelicans. Estuaries' role
    river. Estuarine-dependent marine life may die                                                                                          LIFE CYCLE  OF PINK SHRIMP
    if the precarious balance of fresh and saltwater
    is not maintained.                                                                                                                                                                      phasized.
                                                               rents. The shallow waters, salt marshes, sea-               tide. If successful in reaching the estuary after
                                                               grasses, and mangrove roots provide excellent               this hazardous journey from the sea, the young                 Florida's  Estuaries
    Why   Are  Estuaries  Special?                               hiding places from larger, open-water pred-                  shrimp find seagrasses and algae to conceal
                                                              ators. Some species grow in estuaries for a                 them from predators. Because many larger                       Florida is undergoing tremendous growth and
    "The cradle of the ocean" is a most appropri-                short time; others remain there for life.                    animals cannot survive in the lower salinity of               development pressure which' is impacting
    ate title for estuaries. More than 70 percent of                                                                          the estuary, the young have the added pro-                    marine fisheries habitat components important
    Florida's recreationally and commercially im-                Shrimp, for example, spawn offshore. The                     tection of a "salt barrier." Once the shrimp ap-              in maintaining viable commercial and rec-
    portant fishes, crustaceans, and shellfish spend             larvae then move toward inshore waters,                      proach maturity, they leave the estuary for the               reational fisheries. Florida Department of Natu-
    part of their lives in estuaries, usually when               changing form by molting as they progress                    sea to spawn, and the cycle begins anew.                      ral Resources, Bureau of Marine Research
    they are young. Many fishes and crustaceans                  through various stages of development. As                                                                                  scientists are locating and calculating the acre-
    migrate offshore to spawn or breed. The eggs                 young shrimp, they burrow into the sea floor                 Estuaries are among the most productive eco-                  age of existing estuarine habitat components
    develop into larvae (immature forms) that are                at the mouth of the estuary as the tide ebbs,                systems in nature. Rivers and streams drain                   such as salt marshes, mangroves, and sea-
    transported into estuaries by tides and cur-                 then ride into the estuary on the incoming                   into estuaries, bringing in nutrients from up-                grasses. Information used to map and monitor