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Habitat Functions and Effects of Restoration Plans on Florida Bay’s Fisheries
ISSUE: Proposed Everglades National Park restoration plans, which include restoring historic freshwater flows, could have a significant influence on the growth, recruitment and survivorship of fishes in Florida Bay.
APPROACH : The general goal of this research is to examine patterns of growth in juvenile gray snapper and develop a bioenergetic model of growth that is a function of temperature, salinity and fish size. One aspect of determining the effect of restoration plans on Florida Bay’s fisheries resources is to understand the possible effects on growth rates. Growth is a vital biological rate, closely linked with survival and production, as well as an indicator of habitat quality.
Juvenile gray snapper were collected throughout Florida Bay in the late-1990’s using small trawls. These fish were aged using daily increments on their otoliths. Growth rates then were calculated based on fish length and age. These measured growth rates will be used to verify the estimated growth rates from the bioenergetic model.
The parameters for the bioenergetic model were determined through laboratory experiments with juvenile gray snapper. A first set of experiments determined consumption and growth rates under varying temperature and salinity (Wuenschel et al. 2004. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 312: 333-347). A second set of experiments determined metabolic rate, also under varying temperature and salinity. Gray snapper age-length data is currently being coupled with the bioenergetic model to determine if patterns in growth can be explained by environmental processes. Once this validation work is completed, the model can be used to estimate the effect of Florida Bay restoration on juvenile gray snapper growth and production.
OUTCOME : Information on the effect of restoration plans on fish growth rate will provide scientists and managers alike, with a forecast of the effect of proposed alterations on fisheries resources.