Fishery Resource Habitat Use Modeling in Florida Bay: Development and Application to Everglades Restoration Implementation (Phase 1)

Ault, Jerald; Smith, Steven; Perry, William

A report outlining the effects of the Everglades restoration projects on marine fishery resources and coastal estuarine habitats. The goal of this project is to develop methodology for assessing potential effects of Everglades restoration projects (i.e., CERP projects) on marine fishery resources under the responsibility of the National Park Service. Those water management projects that will affect coastal estuarine habitats include the Modified Waters Delivery Project, the C-111 Project, the C-111 Spreader Canal Project, and the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project by altering the quantity, timing, and distribution of fresh water to Florida and Biscayne bays. The principal objectives of project Phase 1 were to: (1) develop GIS maps of important fish habitat features in Florida Bay, to permit mapping anticipated changes in these features due to Everglades restoration activities; (2) develop methods for analyzing and modeling fish habitat use utilizing synoptic fishery-independent survey data; (3) develop a methodology for applying fish habitat use models for evaluating spatial effects of salinity changes in Florida Bay; and ( 4) develop a prototype decision support tool to facilitate evaluation of forecasted hydrological (salinity) conditions on habitats in Florida Bay. Work was carried out by two collaborating teams of investigators, the Everglades National Park (ENP) team headed by Dr. William Perry, and the University of Miami-Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (UM-RSMAS) team headed by Drs. Jerald Ault and Steven Smith.