Datasets:
patrickbdevaney
/
mia9

Dataset card Data Studio Files
xet
 Community
1
text
stringlengths
0
6.44k
recent commercial fishery harvesting pink shrimp from
the bay for human consumption is expanding. The distribution of juvenile pink shrimp in Biscayne Bay has
been measured and modeled (Campos and Berkley
1986, Ault et al. 1999a, b). Spotted pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis Latreille) also is present in
Biscayne Bay but in very low number compared to F.
duorarum).
The blue crab resides in the south-central area of
Biscayne Bay and also supports a commercial fishery.
An average of 50,768 kilograms of blue crabs was
taken annually from Biscayne Bay from 1996 to 2000
(Murphy et al. 2001). Optimum blue crab egg hatching
occurs at salinity between 23 ppt and 28 ppt, and juveniles prefer a seagrass habitat with salinity between
2 and 21 ppt (Pattillo et al. 1997).
The eastern or American oyster is not currently harvested in south-central Biscayne Bay but is present
nearshore in small numbers where conditions are suitable. The species was apparently more abundant in the
past when surface water drained through a series of
small creeks into the bay (Meeder et al. 2001, 2002)
and provided a salinity regime more conducive to oyster growth and survival. Growth rates of oysters are
reported to be best at 14–28 ppt (Shumway 1996);
however, at the higher salinity range, mortality can
increase as a result of infection by Perkinsus marinus
(Mackin, Owen, and Collier), a parasite (Burreson and
Ragone-Calvo 1996, Soniat 1996, Chu and Volety
1997). The oyster is important ecologically for several
reasons. The accumulation of shells provides physical
habitat structure for a variety of other species, their
organic rich deposits are a food source for benthic
feeders, and they filter particulates from the water, improving water quality (Pattillo et al. 1997). Other estuarine species have some dependence on oyster reefs;
for example, 24 species were found associated with
oyster reefs in the Caloosahatchee Estuary (Volety et
al. 2003).
Estuarine Fish Communities
Several estuarine fish species known to have occurred in Biscayne Bay in the past (Smith 1896, Siebenaler 1953, Udey et al. 2002) contributed to the
bay’s commercial and recreational fisheries but appear
to be scarce or absent in the bay today. The opportunity for anglers has changed and, according to longtime residents, has diminished, possibly as a result of
the loss of the estuarine component of the fauna. The
estuarine fish community could make an important
contribution to the recreational fishing experience in
the bay if its abundance and diversity were restored.
An increase of the bay’s estuarine habitat would be
expected to lead to greater abundance and diversity of
estuarine fishes, including those desired by anglers.
An increase in the distribution and abundance of fish
in the fresh to brackish water wetlands adjacent to Biscayne Bay would be an indication of restored functionality of the coastal wetland-estuarine nearshore
habitat that is important to the bay’s diversity and productivity.
Freshwater fish communities that spread into oliEXHIBIT 7
860 WETLANDS, Volume 25, No. 4, 2005
gohaline (0–5 ppt salinity) environments seasonally
can reach high densities and provide abundant prey to
pisciverous estuarine fish, as well as to wading birds
(Lorenz 2000).
Fish and Bottlenose Dolphin Health
The health of fish communities and the health of a
resident bottlenose dolphin group are valuable attributes of the Biscayne Bay ecosystem. Externally visible abnormalities such as scale and skeletal deformities have been observed to occur in a number of Biscayne Bay fish (Browder et al. 1993) and are more
prevalent in fish sampled from human-impacted sites
(Gassman et al. 1994). This is consistent with Fournie
et al. (1996) for Gulf of Mexico estuaries and Sanders
et al. (1999) for Ohio rivers. The prevalence of abnormal fish is being used as part of a biological integrity index in a growing number of state and national
monitoring programs (Simon 1999).
Bottlenose dolphins in Biscayne Bay include permanent residents and nearshore migrants. National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Fisheries conducts a photo identification program in
Biscayne Bay that can potentially distinguish residents
from migrants. Through the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, the NOAA Fisheries Miami Laboratory
has been conducting health assessments of other bottlenose dolphin in the southeast to obttain baseline information on marine mammal contaminant levels, associated diseases and incidence, and impacts of human-related pollution on marine mammal populations.
The program conducts current and retrospective evaluation for the accumulation of toxicants in various tissues of bottlenose dolphins and other marine mammal
species in relation to their health, as reflected in histopathology, blood profiles, and other medical diagnostics (Sweeney 1992, Worthy 1992, Hansen and
Wells 1996, Reddy et al. 2001, Schwacke et al. 2002).
Biopsies of small amounts of subcutaneous blubber
can be taken from living animals for contaminant analysis during low-level monitoring activities. Health assessment profiles of dolphin populations for comparison to regularly monitored and assessed ‘‘reference’’
populations can be developed in this manner. The bottlenose dolphin and other marine mammals are protected species under the Federal Marine Mammals Protection Act of 1972. Opportunistic biopsy sampling of
the Biscayne Bay resident dolphin population began in
February 2000 as a pilot study by the NOAA Fisheries
Miami Laboratory.
Crocodile
The American crocodile is an endangered species
that is known to range throughout southern Biscayne
Bay. Historically, the range of the American crocodile
extended north to at least Miami Beach (Kushlan and
Mazzotti 1989). It nests primarily at the Florida Power
and Light Turkey Point Power Plant cooling canals
and Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Recent
studies indicate an increase in the number of nests occurring in the cooling canal area of the Turkey Point
Power Plant since the early 1980s, while nest numbers
at the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge have
remained relatively stable (Mazzotti et al. 2002). Nesting success at the Turkey Point Power Plant may be
responsible for an increase in the number of crocodile
sightings occurring north of the plant and may indicate
an expansion of the animal’s range. Crocodiles have
been sighted as far north as Key Biscayne and the
Miami River (M. Cherkiss, University of Florida, pers.
comm.). Although nest numbers have remained relatively stable at the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife
Refuge, the population in this area may be increasing,
based on an increase in the number of crocodile sightings throughout the Florida Keys and an increase in
the number of road kills occurring along U.S. 1 and
Card Sound Road over the past several years (S. Klett,
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge, pers.
comm.).
A habitat suitability model for crocodiles has been
developed based on salinity levels (Mazzotti and