Cooperative Gulf of Mexico Estuarine Inventory and Study, Florida / J
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<-\^ C5 5.13 ; N^FS -3L'f NOAA TR NMFS CIRC-368 NOAA Technical Report NMFS CIRC-368 M,otc ^ °v U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration \ :r National Marine Fisheries Service Cooperative Gulf of Mexico Estuarine Inventory and Study, Florida: Phase I, Area Description J. KNEELAND McNULTY, WILLIAM N. LINDALL, JR., AND JAMES E. SYKES SEATTLE, WA November 1972 NOAA TECHNICAL REPORTS National Marine Fisheries Service, Circulars The major responsibilities of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are to monitor and assess the abundance and geographic distribution of fishery resources, to understand and predict fluctuations in the quan- tity and distribution of these resources, and to establish levels for optimum use of the resources. NMFS is also charged with the development and implementation of policies for managing national fishing grounds, develop- ment and enforcement of domestic fisheries regulations, surveillance of foreign fishing off United States coastal waters, and the development and enforcement of international fishery agreements and policies. NMFS also assists the fishi. g industry through marketing service and economic analysis programs, and mortgage insurance and vessel construction subsidies. It collects, analyses, and publishes statistics on various phases of the industry. The NOAA Technical Report NMFS CIRC series continues a series that has been in existence since 1941. The Circulars are technical publications of general interest intended to aid conservation and management. Publica- tions that review in considerable detail and at a high technical level certain broad areas of research appear in this series. Technical papers originating in economics studies and from management investigations appear in the Circular series. NOAA Technical Reports NMFS CIRC are available free in limited numbers to governmental agencies, both Federal and State. They are also available in exchange for other scientific and technical publications in the ma- rine sciences. Individual copies may be obtained (unless otherwise noted) from NOAA Publications Section, Rock- ville, Md. 20852. Recent Circulars are: 315. Synopsis of biological data on the chum salmon, 338. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Biological Lab- Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum) 1792. By Rich- oratory, Auke Bay, Alaska. By Bureau of Com- ard G. Bakkala. March 1970, iii + 89 pp., 15 mercial Fisheries. June 1970, 8 pp., 6 figs. figs., 51 tables. 339. Salmon research at Ice Harbor Dam. By Wesley 319. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Great Lakes J. Ebel. April 1970, 6 pp., 4 figs. Fishery Laboratory, Ann Arbor, Michigan. By Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. March 1970, 340. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Technological 8 pp., 7 figs. Laboratory, Gloucester, Massachusetts. By Bu- reau of Commercial Fisheries. June 1970, 8 pp., 8 figs. 330. EASTROPAC Atlas: Vols. 4, 2. Catalog No. 1 49.4:330/ (vol.) 11 vols. ($4.75 each). Avail- able from the Superintendent of Documents, 341. Report of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Washington, D.C. 20402. Biological Laboratory, Beaufort, N.C., for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1968. By the Lab- oratory staff. August 1970, iii 24 11 figs., 331. Guidelines for the processing of hot-smoked chub. + pp., 16 tables. By H. L. Seagran, J. T. Graikoski, and J. A. Emerson. January 1970, iv + 23 pp., 8 figs., 342. Report of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 2 tables. Biological Laboratory, St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, fiscal year 1969. By the Laboratory staff. 332. Pacific hake. (12 articles by 20 authors.) March August 1970, iii + 22 pp., 20 figs., 8 tables. 1970, iii + 152 pp., 72 figs., 47 tables. 343. Report of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 333. Recommended practices for vessel sanitation and Biological Laboratory, Galveston, Texas, fiscal fish handling. By Edgar W. Bowman and Alfred year 1969. By the Laboratory staff. August Larsen. March 1970, iv 27 6 figs. + pp., 1970, iii -f 39 pp., 28 figs., 9 tables. 335. Progress report of the Bureau of Commercial 344. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Tropical Atlan- Fisheries Center for Estuarine and Menhaden tic Biological Laboratory progress in research Research, Pesticide Field Station, Gulf Breeze, 1965-69, Miami, Florida. By Ann Weeks. Oc- Fla., fiscal year 1969. By the Laboratory staff. tober 1970, iv + 65 pp., 53 figs. August 1970, iii + 33 pp., 29 figs., 12 tables. 346. Sportsman's guide to handling, smoking, and pre- 336. The northern fur seal. By Ralph C. Baker, Ford serving Great Lakes coho salmon. By Shearon Wilke, and C. Howard Baltzo. April 1970, iii + Dudley, J. T. Graikoski, H. L. Seagran, and Paul 19 pp., 13 figs. M. Earl. September 1970, iii + 28 pp., 15 figs. 337. Program of Division of Economic Research, 347. Synopsis of biological data on Pacific ocean perch, Bureau of Commerecial Fisheries, fiscal year Sebastodes alutus. By Richard L. Major and 1969. By Division of Economic Research. April Herbert H. Shippen. December 1970, iii + 38 1970, iii + 29 pp., 12 figs., 7 tables. pp., 31 figs., 11 tables. Continued on inside back cover. ^0 WMOS^ U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Peter G. Peterson, Secretary NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION Robert M. White, Administrator NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE r ^ENT Of Philip M. Roedel, Director NOAA Technical Report NMFS CIRC-368 Cooperative Gulf of Mexico Estuarine Inventory and Study, Florida: Phase I, Area Description J, KNEELAND McNULTY, WILLIAM N. LINDALL, JR., AND JAMES E. SYKES SEATTLE, WA November 1972 o Q. Q Q For sale by ihc Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price #1.25 The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) does not approve, rec- ommend or endorse any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned in this publication. No reference shall be made to NMFS, or to this publication furnished by NMFS, in any advertising or sales pro- motion which would indicate or imply that NMFS approves, recommends or endorses any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned herein, or which has as its purpose an intent to cause directly or indirectly the advertised product to be used or purchased because of this NMFS publication. CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 The coast 2 Dimensions 3 Mangroves 48 Tidal marshes 48 Submerged vegetation 48 Measurement of vegetated areas 51 Geology 52 Stream discharge 54 Water temperature 55 Salinity 82 Oysters and clams 83 Artificial fishing reefs 87 Population 88 Economic development 91 Pollution 93 Dredging 116 Summary 117 Acknowledgments 121 Literature cited 121 Figures No. Page 1.—The major coastal types of the west coast of Florida 3 2.—Index map 5 3.—Map of Florida Bay 6-7 4.—Map of Ten Thousand Islands 8-9 5.—Map of Gullivan Bay to Imperial River 10-11 6. —Map of Estero Bay and Western Caloosahatchee River 12-13 7. —Map of Caloosahatchee River 14-15 8.—Map of Peace River Estuary 16 9.—Map of Northern Pine Island Sound 17 10.—Map of Charlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay 18-19 11.—Map of Sarasota Bay and Manatee River 20-21 12. —Map of Tampa and Boca Ciega Bays 22-23 13.—Map of Hillsborough and Old Tampa Bays 24-25 14.—Map of St. Joseph Sound to Weekiwachee River 26-27 15.—Map of Chassahowitzka and Crystal Bays 28-29 16.—Map of Suwannee Sound and Waccasassa Bay 30-31 17.—Map of Deadman Bay and Fenholloway River 32-33 18.—Map of Apalachee Bay 34-35 19.—Map of St. George Sound and Eastern Apalachicola Bay 36-37 20.—Map of Western Apalachicola and St. Joseph Bays 38-39 21.—Map of St. Andrew Bay 40-41 22.—Map of Eastern Choctawhatchee Bay 42-43 (Continued on next page) iii . ( Figures—continued) No. Page 23.—Map of Western Choctawhatchee and East Bays 44-45 24.—Map of Escambia, Pensacola, and Perdido Bays 46-47 25. —Diagrammatic cross section of a mangrove swamp, a barrier island of the north coast, and a transect from tidal channels to flatwoods on the north coast 49 26.—Schematic drawings of the zonation of sea grasses in shallow water in Boca Ciega Bay and Tampa Bay and salinity preferences and tolerances of sea grasses 50 27.—The percentage of mangrove swamp, tidal marsh, submerged vegetation and unvege- tated bottom 52 28.—Geologic cross section through Florida 53 29. —The principal geologic structures of Florida 53 30.—The age of geologic formations 53 31.—Topographic divisions 54 32.—Principal aquifers 54 33.—Mean discharge of the principal gaged streams of the Florida west coast 55 34.—Monthly range and mean of water temperature at four locations 83 35.—Mean salinity and salinity range in estuaries from Florida Bay to Homosassa Bay ... 84 36.—Mean salinity and salinity range in estuaries from Crystal Bay to Cedar Keys 85 37. salinity in —Mean salinity and range estuaries from Ochlockonee Bay to Pensacola Bay . 86 38.—The distribution of population on the west coast of Florida, 1960 88 39.—The gain and loss of population on the west coast of Florida from 1950 to 1960 88 40.—The major products of industry 92 41. —The major west coast species landed in the commercial fisheries in 1967 by coastal segment 94 42.—Landings of the most valuable west coast species in the commercial fisheries in 1967 by coastal segment 95 43. —The flow of pollutants into estuarine areas by coastal segment 110 44.—The distribution of major sources of pollution and areas that are closed to shellfishing . Ill 45.—The distribution of Class II waters—those suitable for shellfish harvesting 116 46.—The relation between the human population in communities bordering estuaries and the filled area, the number of pollution sources, and the area closed to shellfishing in the eight segments of coast 120 Tables 1. Surface area at mean high water, volume at mean high water, and maximum di- urnal tidal range of estuarine study areas, west coast of Florida 4 2.