Interest in the potential usefulness of lobster trap escape gaps in the Florida spiny lobster fishery prompted an independent examination of their influence on capture and behavior of the spiny lobster, Panulirus argus. A trapping study was conducted off Southeastern Florida during 1984/1985 using control traps, and traps with escape gap openings of 51, 54, and 57 mm. The 51 mm escape gap caught significantly more legal lobsters than any other trap, while the 54 and 57 mm escape gap caught significantly fewer sublegal lobsters. Carapace lengths of lobsters increased as escape gap width increased. The impact of escape gaps on behavior of Panulirus argus was examined through field and laboratory observations. Lobsters with a carapace length of 75 mm or less were observed entering and exiting through a 51 mm escape gap. Legal lobsters (≥76 mm CL) were unable to escape from the trap. Dominance interaction or agonistic behavior were postulated to affect catch rates in escape gap traps. Direct observations indicate they do not appear to be a factor influencing catch rates of lobsters in traps with escape gaps. It is hypothesized that the escape gap acts as an auxiliary opening, enhancing the potential of capturing a sublegal lobster.

Stony corals of Pompano Ledge, First Reef, Broward County, Florida were sampled in situ using a new reef assessment method. The circular-radial method was used to assess the effectiveness of mooring buoys in reducing damage to reefs. Data will be part of a long-term monitoring study of·buoy impacts. The parameter of recent injury was used to provide preliminary information on buoy effectiveness. Results were as follows: approximately 6% of the study area was covered by stony corals, with an average of 3 colonies per square meter. Diversity based on abundance (H'n) was 1 .7, and diversity based on relative coverage (H'c) was 1.1. Evenness based on abundance (J'n) was nearly .8, and evenness based on relative coverage (J' c) was .5. Approximately 6% of all colonies surveyed were observed under the shelter of ledges or overhangs. An average of 2% of colonies were observed to be recently injured in the Winter, compared with 6% in the Summer. Twenty-nine species of scleractinian corals were observed, 26 of which were present in sample areas. Montastrea cavernosa dominated stony coral coverage, and Siderastrea spp. and M. cavernosa were the most abundant. Mooring buoys appear to be an effective management tool for minimizing damage to corals on Pompano Ledge. The percentage of corals that had been recently injured was lower in the buoyed site (p = .082) even though the buoyed site was more heavily visited by both boats and divers . Future studies will be able to further assess buoy impacts by noting any changes in coral population parameters. The buoys have only been in place two years, so it will be interesting to see if the coral communities of the two sites begin to diverge in the future .

The loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, is the most common sea turtle found nesting on Florida beaches. Burney and Mattison (1989) reported a trend towards increased loggerhead nesting in Broward County in 1989 during new and full moons. This trend was found at Hillsboro Beach in 1988 and in Broward County as a whole in 1989. These peaks in nesting activity were attributed to semilunar tidal cycles. In an effort to determine if semilunar tidal cycles do influence trends in daily loggerhead nesting density, daily loggerhead nests and total crawls (including nesting and non-nesting emergences) for the 1990 season (April 20- September 2) and for the peak of the 1990 season (May 30- July 27) were analyzed. Daily nest and total crawl counts were compared with variables based on moon phase, the nocturnal high tide time, and the rates of the incoming (flooding) and outgoing (ebbing) nocturnal high tides. There were 2,281 loggerhead nests and 4,206 total loggerhead crawls in Broward County during the entire season; there were 1,659 nests and 3,125 total crawls during the peak of the season (Burney and Mattison 1990). Comparisons were made using simple regression and correlation analyses, and indicated a trend towards increasing loggerhead emergences during the peak of the season when the nocturnal high tide was near 10 p.m.

In order to identify the natural profile conditions for the Delray Beach and Pompano Beach post-restoration project areas, pre-restoration and adjacent native beach profile data for southern Palm Beach County and northern Broward County has been analyzed. Southern Palm Beach County profiles were found to be consistent with previous equilibrium studies. Broward County profiles north and south of the Pompano Beach restoration project were found to be inconsistent with previous studies as well as southern Palm Beach County profiles. This results from the presence in Broward County of a natural shore-parallel coquina ridge formation within the nearshore zone. The profile of the unconsolidated sediments between the beach and the ridge were also analyzed. This region demonstrates a semblance of an equilibrium profile. With the above findings as a basis, analysis of the process of equilibrium profile reformation 1n the restoration and renourishment projects of Delray Beach and Pompano Beach was conducted. Following the initial project in Delray Beach in 1973, a profile of equilibrium which was consistent with the adjacent south Palm Beach County profile developed in seven years. The equilibrium profile reformation following the initial Pompano Beach restoration redeveloped within one year, inside the coquina ridge formation. This ridge was found to perch the native and renourished profiles of central Broward County and reduce the offshore transport of beach sediments.

Estimating the extent of environmental crime in Florida, or in the three counties of Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach, is difficult with the present system of record-keeping. Nevertheless, arrest, citation, and warning records from the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission document a rise in the number of environmental violations occurring throughout the state from 1988 through 1992. Arrest records from the state law enforcement agency, FDLE, indicate 1,936 environmental crimes arrests were made throughout Florida during 1993, including 618 in Dade, 103 in Broward, and 79 in Palm Beach. A four-year incident total combining the records ofFDLE and the Game Commission reveals 7,894 documented cases of environmental violations. These data indicate environmental crime is a serious problem. The three above counties have designated professionals to respond to and investigate environmental crimes; however, none were able to estimate environmental crime within their respective jurisdictions, better than the available, and relatively poor, FGFWFC and FDLE data. Data provided by the State Attorney's Offices in the three local counties indicate varying levels of environmental criminal activity, although little historical information is available and records are just now beginning to be collected and saved for future trend analysis. The philosophy and approach taken by an agency in handling environmental crime helps to explain the FDLE, FGFWFC, and three State Attorney's Offices' data. A county reporting fewer arrests does not necessarily have less crime or more poorly trained officers. In Palm Beach County, fewer arrests may be the result of a proactive approach toward educating the offender and preventing violation recurrences. A lack of communication among the various counties was identified as one area to be improved on. Although attempts have been made to facilitate networking between and among the counties, and between the agencies involved in environmental issues, separate agendas still prevail and hamper the overall effectiveness of efforts to handle environmental crime. The true extent of environmental crime across the state and within the three local counties remains unknown. The results of this study, although an underestimation, indicate levels of environmental criminal activity which should raise concerns. It must also be realized that the cumulative effects of such violations pose a great threat to the welfare of the environment. In the case of environmental crime, the whole may be a great deal more than the sum of its parts.

The population dynamics, life histories, and patterns of emergence in an assemblage of inshore cumaceans (Crustacea, Peracarida) in Dania, Florida (the boat basin at Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center) were investigated over the course of 13 months. Three sampling methodologies were employed. Replicate box sampling (bimonthly, Mar 91-Mar 92) determined seasonal variations in population composition and density. Surface plankton net tows (monthly, Dec 90-Feb 92) determined seasonal recruitment and spawning cycles. Demersal emergence net sampling (twice - June and July 91) examined the time structure of emergence of cumaceans into the plankton.

The circadian feeding rhythm of juvenile Florida pompano, Trachinotus carolinus, to demand feeders, was electronically recorded. The fish were maintained under artificial light-dark conditions (LD 15:9) and given continuous access to food via demand bars. A distinct circadian feeding rhythm was displayed. Food demands occurred almost exclusively (99.0%) during the light phase. Feeding activity was highest early in the light period and progressively lessened as the day progressed. The fish made significantly more food demands during the two-hour period of maximum demand (0600 - 0800 hrs, 21.5 ± 5.2% of the total daily food demands) than during the period of minimum demand (1800 - 2000 hrs, 6.8 ± 2.1 %) (P The maximum and minimum food demand periods were then used to test the effects of meal feeding time on food consumption and growth performance in juvenile T. carolinus. The fish were fed by hand, at either 0600-0800 hrs or 1800-2000 hrs, for five weeks. The fish received a ration of 1% bw/30 min, during the two hour period. At the end of the study, the fish fed in the morning, the preferred feeding time, had significantly lower body weight and shorter body length than the fish fed in the evening (P0.05, One-way ANOVA). Results of this study indicate that the use of feeding schedules that take advantage of circadian rhythms may be a viable technique to enhance growth performance of T. carolinus on a commercial scale.

The town of Davie, Florida, converted a defunct wastewater treatment plant into an aquaculture facility. A feasibility study was conducted of the facility and it was determined that tilapia would be best suited for growout at the facility. Oreochromis aureus and a hybrid of Oreochromis niloticus are the two fish currently being grown at the aquaculture facility. A review of fish culture suggests that a filtration system that influences water quality will be needed to grow healthy fish. Furthermore, harvesting will prove to be very difficult in the deep tanks, and a most practical methodology for harvesting must be devised. Two filters were built-one from PVC pipe, nylon cord, and plastic biobarrels, and the other from a PVC frame and wetland plants. Water was run through the filters for 10 days prior to taking water samples. Water samples were then collected, frozen, and transported to the lab for analysis. The water samples were analyzed for ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate concentrations. The results indicate that the filter made of the biobarrels caused a significant increase in nitrate concentrations in the water. The results also indicate that the biobarrel filter was significantly more effective than the hydroponics filter in influencing water quality. There was no significant difference in ammonia or phosphate levels between the two filters. Three separate harvesting nets were compared. One net was built of hog wire, the second net was made of a stretchable nylon mesh, and the third was made of a nonstretchable nylon mesh. There was no significant difference in the three nets used for harvesting, and, according to the catch per unit effort, it was determined that the nets were ineffective as harvesters. However, the nets did prove to be capable of crowding fish of a desired weight in such a way that facilitated catching the fish with a cast net. Two different sized cast nets were analyzed to determine their effectiveness in sampling. Each net was cast into the same depth of water 30 times and the catches per unit effort were compared. This was repeated for twelve depths. It was found that catch size was significantly different for the two nets and that catch per cast increased with decreasing depth until shallow water (<5 >ft) prevented proper net closure. However, there was no significant difference in determining the number of fish per unit volume when comparing the catches of each net. Finally, a comparison was made between two species (Oreochromis aureus and Oreochromis niloticus hybrids) to determine which species was more suited for growth at the Aquaculture Center. Random samples of various sizes for each species were taken simultaneously for a period of time. This information was used to calculate and compare the growth rates of the two species. It was determined that, although the growth rate of blue tilapia was greater than that of hybrid tilapia, hybrid tilapia had a higher overall production rate, possibly because it could tolerate higher stocking densities. These results helped answer several questions about culture methods, and modifications to the facility, based on these results, were ultimately made.

The Caribbean coral Porites astreoides Lamarck maintains a polymorphism expressed as two different color morphotypes (green and brown). Earlier work has documented the varying abundance of the green and brown populations, with the green morphotype typically more common than the brown in shallower areas of the reef. Prior investigations have also indicated that the green morphotype contains more mycosporine-like amino acids (MAA) (UV-absorbing compounds) and sheds sediment less efficiently than the brown morphotype. Through the use of reciprocal transplants, this investigation focuses on the detection of other differences between the morphotypes, particularly the effects of depth on growth rate (expressed as calcium carbonate accretion). Green (collected from 3 m) and brown (collected from 12 m) colonies were cored, Alizarin Red-S stained and placed on PVC arrays at 3.5 and 11 m at Delta Shoal in the Florida Keys. Each array held 32 cores, providing 16 experimental and 16 control cores for each treatment. After 9 months of treatment, there were no significant differences in buoyant weight between morphotypes on the shallow array, but the brown morphotype grew significantly more than the green on the deep array (two-way ANOVA, p < 0.0001). Linear extension data showed both within- and between-array differences, although the controls of each morphotype accreted skeletal mass at the same rate (two-way ANOVA, P < 0.0001). These results suggest that the transplanted brown morph is not photoinhibited at shallow depths despite lower anticipated MAA concentrations, and the green morph experiences growth attenuation when transplanted to a deeper area of the reef. These results fail to explain the depth distribution of the two morphs, where the green is substantially more abundant than the browns at shallow depths. PhotoaccIimation was also monitored through chlorophyll α and c2 concentrations, zooxanthellae density, and colony height:diameter ratios; skeletal density bands were measured for brown and green morphotypes at the same depth. Height:diameter indices for these morphotypes indicate that the green individuals may be forming colonies with flatter profiles than the brown morphotypes. This study provides additional insight regarding the phenotypic plasticity of P. astreoides and other scleractinians that express polymorphisms.

The goal of this research was to examine faunal abundance and diversity within created littoral shelf mitigation areas of varying age and vegetative composition. This research was conducted from May 1999 to November 1999 within the mitigation areas of the City of Weston, Broward County, Florida. Three types of littoral shelves within Weston were chosen for this study. The first two shelves sampled displayed similar vegetative composition, single community mosaic dominated by spikerush (Eleocharis cellulosa), but varied in age (one year old vs. five years old). The third shelf was composed of a different vegetative community, spatterdock (Nuphar luteum), than the first two shelves but was of similar age to the second shelf (five years old). Three major faunal groups, birds, fish, and macro-invertebrates, were studied using random, stratified sampling with replicates within each shelf type. Statistical analyses were performed on the resulting data set to test two null hypotheses: 1) faunal abundance and diversity do not vary between shelves of varying age; and 2) faunal abundance and diversity do not vary between shelves of varying vegetative composition. The results from this research revealed that faunal abundance and diversity did not vary with shelf age. However, this research revealed that the five year old shelf containing a spatterdock monoculture displayed greater faunal abundance (for all wildlife groups) and greater diversity (for both wetland dependant and non-wetland dependant bird species) when compared to the five year old shelf containing a single community mosaic dominated by spikerush.