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of oysters in historical ranges is a key target that should drive the MFL process.
FWS is charged with ensuring compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act
(ESA), and as such, he is working on developing a “Programmatic Biological Opinion” that
will identify all federally-listed endangered and threatened species that could be affected by
CERP projects. He indicates that additional analysis in this regard will need to be done as
individual CERP projects are designed and permitted. He suggests that there are several
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federally-listed aquatic organisms that should be given specific attention during MFL rule
development, due to the additional protection afforded to them under the ESA. Species that
came immediately to mind, include crocodiles, manatees, smalltooth sawfish, and Johnson’s
seagrass, but suggests that consideration should be given to other federally listed species that
are known to occur within the project area (e.g., indigo snakes, panther, bald eagle).
Mr. Pitts identified that, in addition to oysters, there is an existing target of attempting
to restore the historical transition zone from Everglade-type shallow freshwater sheet flow
though an Eleocharis and graminoid marsh to mangroves and Ruppia/Halodule grass beds to
the more hypersaline Thalassia beds and offshore reefs. He suggests that any MFL rule
adopted include a strategy to re-evaluate flows, levels and water quality as additional
research is completed and as CERP projects come on line. He provided copies of several
documents that he thinks will be helpful, including Hill and Cichra (UF paper on Effects of
water levels on Fish Populations), Reservations of Water for the Environment, Effects of
freshwater canal discharges on fish assemblages, and S. Fl Ecological Report.
U.S. Geological Survey
Interviewee: Dr. Guillermo Diaz. Interviewee: G. Braun. Interview date: October 10,
2003.
Dr. Diaz was interviewed based on his many years of working with pink shrimp in
Biscayne Bay. He currently works for U.S.G.S., but his job responsibilities are not related to
anything that would be helpful in the Biscayne Bay MFL project. Although he is not familiar
with the MFL program, after discussion of its objectives and goals, he advised that, in his
opinion, pink shrimp would not be a good indicator species for MFLs in Biscayne Bay. He
bases this decision both on the species’ wide salinity tolerances and nearly constant
recruitment from the Dry Tortugas area. Although he encountered other species of shrimp in
his work, he really doesn’t know of their salinity tolerances or life cycles, nor does he know
of anyone who is studying them. His only suggestion for another individual species that
might be a good indicator is oysters, but doesn’t know of any oysters currently in Biscayne
Bay. Regarding suggestions for other individuals who might be helpful in this regard, he
suggested J. Browder and J. Serafy, both of whom are already on our contact list.
U.S. Geological Survey (Continued)
Interviewee: Dr. Michael Robblee. Interviewer: G. Braun. Interview date: October 21,
2003.
Dr. Robblee is currently working with J. Browder on a fisheries study in southern
Biscayne Bay, centered near Mowery canal. Because his sampling technique is a 1-m throw
net, he’s getting different varieties of fish than J. Browder’s trawl sampling, even when they
sample in similar areas. He rarely gets seatrout or snook, and although there may be some
species of fish that are more commonly found in the lower-salinity nearshore areas, he
suspects their presence is more likely the result of habitat conditions than the salinity regime
itself. When I mentioned the goldspotted killifish (potential indicator sp. that had been
suggested by C. Faunce), he confirmed that he has gotten them fairly routinely (17 specimens
in + 30 samples) primarily in his lower-salinity (i.e., 15-20 ppt) sample sites.
Although fishes are his primary focus, he does suggest that our target should be to
establish and/or maintain a salinity regime that is conducive to maintaining Halodule wrightii
beds in the westerly areas of the bay.
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U.S. Geological Survey (Continued)
Interviewee: Lynn Wingard. Interviewer: G. Braun. Interview date: October 10, 2003.
Ms. Wingard is a mollusk expert who has worked extensively with Scott Ishman
regarding paleo-ecological investigations of sediment cores in Florida Bay and, to a lesser
extent, in Biscayne Bay. She is familiar with the MFL process in general. She is working on
a several-year project analyzing historical and current populations of mollusks in S. Florida,
and by the project’s conclusion, she may be able to identify species that would be good
indicators for estuarine conditions in Biscayne Bay. At this time, however, her research
indicates that most mollusks have broad tolerance ranges for salinity. Many species (e.g.,
scorched mussel (Brachidontes exustis) seem to do fine in salinities ranging from 10 ppt to
60 ppt. One species that does have oligohaline requirements is a member of the genus
Polymesota, but she has yet to find one alive in Biscayne Bay. Her report is to be completed
during July 2004. The project teams recommends that WMD receive and review this report
once it becomes available, to see if there is any additional information that would be helpful.
ACADEMIA
Florida International University
Interviewee: Joseph Boyer, Ph.D., Southeast Environmental Research Center, FIU.
Interviewer: G. Braun. Interview date: Sep. 24, 2003.
Dr. Boyer is not really knowledgeable or familiar with MFL rule or process. His
primary focus is water quality, and he has published several reports (some funded by
SFWMD) regarding his water quality work in Southern Biscayne Bay. He has documented
various water quality parameters, and suggests that it will be exceedingly challenging and
expensive, if not impossible, to distinguish adverse ecological impacts that occur as a result
of salinity changes alone, as his research has led him to believe that SAV communities are
equally affected by other (i.e., non-salinity) water quality parameters. He suggests that
subsurface flows have considerable effects on nearshore water quality, and must be
considered during development of the MFL for Biscayne Bay. His “Total Ammonia
Concentrations…along W shoreline of BB..” paper, that he and J. Meeder authored,
identifies the results of water quality analyses, and relates SAV presence and distribution to
salinity.
He believes that the current degraded ecological condition should not be the baseline
for preventing significant harm, and that there is the need to establish a healthy estuarine
system that includes seasonal variations as the target, and which recognize that the MFLs
might have seasonal disparity.
Florida International University (Continued)
Interviewee: Dr. James Fourqueran. Interviewer: R. Lewis. Interview date: October 29,
2003.
Dr. Fourqueran indicated that he is “More or less familiar with the MFL process”.
Based on discussions with G. Braun, I was aware that Danielle Mir-Gonzalez was working
on detailed seagrass maps of the distribution by species of seagrasses in relationship to
groundwater discharges into Biscayne Bay as submerged discharges (boils, springs in the
Bay). Although some detailed maps have been prepared, she is not yet finished with her
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degree work and her committee including Fourqueran, Boyer and Meeder (chair and most
directly responsible for data distribution) is reluctant to release the information until her
degree work is finished, however it was suggested that the FIU website
(www.fiu.org/~seagrass) might have some seagrass data may be helpful.
Dr. Fourqueran suggested that correspondence be directed to Dr. Meeder inquiring about the