with over 70% of gulf recreational fish- 

 eries of the region being estuarine 

 dependent. 



The value of the estuarine regions to 

 important commercial fisheries is even 

 riore striking. The Gulf of Mexico is the 

 leading region of the United States in 

 terms of both landings (35% of the U.S. 

 total catch) and value {11% of U.S. total 

 fishery value), according to Lindall and 

 SaloiT^an (1977), who also determined that 

 about 90% of the total Gulf of Mexico and 

 south Atlantic fishery catch is estuarine 

 dependent. 



The pink shrimp fishery, largest in 

 the State of Florida, is centered around 

 the Tortugas grounds where 75% of the 

 shrimp caught in Florida waters ^ltq taken. 

 Kutkuhn (1966) estimated the annual con- 

 tribution of the Tortugas grounds to be 

 10?^ of the total gulf shrimp fishery, 

 which in 1979 was worth $378 million 

 (Thompson 1931). The vast seagrass and 

 mangrove regions of south Florida are the 

 nursery ground for this vitally important 

 com.mercial fishery. 



In the United States, 98% of the com- 

 Kiercial catch of spiny lobsters cone from 

 habitats associated with the Florida Keys 

 (Williams and Prochaska 1977; Prochaska 

 and Cato 1980). In terms of ex-vessel 

 value, the spiny lobster fishery is second 

 only to the pink shrimp in the State of 

 Florida (Prochaska 1976). Labisky et al . 

 (ISCO) reported that the high in lobster 

 landings, 11.4 million lb, was reached in 

 1572, and the maximum ex-vessel value of 

 $13.4 million recorded in 1974. These 

 figures include lobsters taken by Florida 

 fishermen from international waters which 

 encompass the Cahamian fishing grounds. 

 Since 1975 the Bahamian fishing grounds 

 have been closed to foreign fishing, plac- 

 ing qreater pressure on domestic stocks 

 (Labisky et al . 1^80). 



There is an increasing need for more 

 precise information to first understand 

 and then to manage these resources intel- 

 ligently. Although south Florida has 

 been late in developing compared with 

 most other regions of the United states, 

 the pressures atq. becoming overwhelming. 

 The fishery pressure on the two leading 



cominercial species--pink shrimp and 

 lobster--al ready intense, will inevitably 

 increase. The Bahamian waters, formerly 

 open to U.S. lobstermen, are now closed 

 putting more pressure on the already 

 depleted stocks. In the past about 12% 

 of the shrimp landed on the Florida gulf 

 coast was caught in I'exican waters. Re- 

 cently the Mexican government announced 

 that the enabling treaty would not be 

 renewed. These actions will put increas- 

 ing pressure on domestic stocks. As this 

 is happening, development in the region is 

 dramatically escalating. In the eyes of 

 many, the main limitations to further 

 development in the Florida Keys were fresh 

 water availability and deteriorating 

 access highways. All of the bridges in the 

 Keys are now being rebuilt and a referen- 

 dum was recently passed to construct a 

 36-inch watsr pipeline to replace the old 

 Navy line. The price of building lots 

 took a 30% to 50% jump the day after the 

 water referendum passed and in many areas 

 had doubled 6 months after the passage. 



It is depressing to read, "Today the 

 mackerel and kingfish are so depleted that 

 they have almost ceased to be an issue 

 with the professional fisherman," or "The 

 luscious crawfish, howevei^, is now in a 

 crucial stage in its career. Largely gone 

 from its more accessible haunts, it has 

 been preserved so far on the reef.... Eco- 

 nomic pressure and growing demand however, 

 have developed more intensive and success- 

 ful methods of catching them, and though a 

 closed season has been put on them, in the 

 open months uncalculahle thousands are 

 shipped to market and they are rapidly 

 disappearing." Today we find little sur- 

 prise in these statements, having come to 

 expect this sort of natural decline with 

 increasing development. What is surprising 

 is that this statement is taken from a 

 chapter entitled, "Botany and Fishing; 

 1885-6," froin the story of the founder of 

 Coconut Grove, Ralph M. Monroe (Munroe and 

 Gilpin 1930). 



Today we see south Florida as a tan- 

 talizing portion of the lush tropics, 

 tucked away on the far southeast coast 

 of the United States. It is not insignif- 

 icant in size, and its natural produc- 

 tivity is enormous. Although the waters 

 still abound with fish and shellfish, in 



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