Public recreation on beaches is somewhat limited by the shortage of 

 public access and, in heavily populated areas, beach space (Ketchum 1972). 

 The farther beaches are from people of low income, the less likely they are to 

 go there for recreation. Pollution, especially oil spills, sometimes limits 

 beach use and restricts fishing. 



Major natural resources identified with recreation are aquatic life, 

 plant communities, topography, and geological formations. Some of the inter- 

 related socioeconomic aspects are mining, soils, climate, history, housing, 

 industry, and institutions. Some of the most enjoyable aspects of recreation 

 are watching ocean vessels, feeling sea breezes, watching a sunset, viewing 

 dolphins, porpoises, or whales, or watching the waves break in the surf zone. 



Climate and geographical information for Southwest Florida is provided in 

 Table R/T 7 in the Data Appendix. The total land area of Southwest Florida is 

 8,574 mi 2. Hillsborough and Monroe Counties together comprise about 25% of 

 the land area. Average annual rainfall ranges from 38 inches in Monroe County 

 to 57 inches in Sarasota County. The average summer temperatures range from 

 80''F in Sarasota County to 83°F in Monroe County and the average winter tem- 

 peratures range from 60°F in Pasco County to a high of 70°F in Monroe County. 

 Figure 1 shows mean annual rainfall and temperature for the Southwest Florida 

 region. 



The marine mammal fauna of the Gulf of Mexico are discussed in a publica- 

 tion by the State University System of Florida (1973). The marine mammal 

 fauna of the Gulf of Mexico consists almost entirely of whales, dolphins, 

 porpoises, seals, sea lions, and manatees. Manatees are probably the most 

 important species in shallow coastal waters, but they are threatened by power 

 boats. The humpback whale and the sperm whale sometimes are seen in the gulf 

 waters off Southwest Florida. 



Some of the more important birds include horned grebe, common loon, white 

 pelican, brown pelican, cormorant, Louisiana heron, great white heron, great 

 blue heron, common and snowy egret, wood stork, bald eagle, osprey, seaside 

 sparrow, roseate spoonbill, and various plovers, sandpipers, terns, and ducks. 



According to a report on the Gulf of Mexico fishery, the most popular 

 coastal fish are spotted seatrout, red drum, tarpon, Spanish mackerel, pom- 

 pano, mangrove snapper, snook, and bluefish. The most common shellfish are 

 blue crab, spiny lobster, scallops, clams, stone crab, and oysters. Offshore 

 favorites are marl in, swordfish, sailfish, albacore, bonito, tuna, wahoo, 

 dolphin, barracuda, cobia, and king mackerel. The sport fishery supports a 

 sizeable bait shrimp and bait fish industry consisting largely of shrimp and 

 small fish. 



According to the Florida Audubon Society, in 1978 there were 598 rare and 

 endangered plant and animal species in South Florida. The list of species 

 includes 70 species of reptiles and amphibians, 16 species of fish, and 107 

 species of plants. Monroe County has the greatest share of rare and endan- 

 gered species. 



The barrier islands near Southwest Florida are most important for recrea- 

 tion and residential development. The percentage of land area already 

 developed as residential areas is 85% for Clearwater Beach Island, 83% for 



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