Old Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, Tampa 

 Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, and Terra Ceia Bay. 

 Collectively, these areas have a shoreline of 341 

 km. and cover an area of 896 km.-, 90 percent 

 of which is less than 6.7 m. deep (Olson and 

 Morrill, 1955).= The principal tributaries of 

 Tampa Bay are the Hillsborough, Alafia, Mana- 

 tee, and Little Manatee Rivers. Their discharge 

 i.s largely influenced by rainfall (Dragovich 

 and May, 1962) and is subordinate to tidal 

 exchange in the circulation of Bay water 

 (Goodell and Gorsline, 1961). 



The climate of the Bay area is subtropical. 

 The mean monthly air temperature at Tampa, 

 Fla., averages 22.3° C. annually and varies 

 from 16.2° C. (January) to 27.8° C. (August) \ 

 The rainy season in the Tampa Bay area usu- 

 ally extends from June to October. Mean rain- 

 fall varies monthly from 3.7 cm. (November) 

 to 21.9 cm. (July) and totals 131.0 cm. an- 

 nually. 



= Olson, F. C. W.. and John B. Morrill, Jr. 195.5. Literature 

 survey of the Tampa Bay area. Armed Serv. Tech. Info. Agenov, 

 AD 81621 (Pt. 1) : 66 p.p. 



^ The rainfall and temperature data used in this section are 

 climatological normals (1931-60) compiled by the U.S. Depart- 

 ment of Commerce, Weather Bureau, and published in the 1964 

 Annual Summary of riimatological Data For Tampa, Fla. 



APPARATUS AND METHODS 

 FIELD PROCEDURES 



Plankton was sampled monthly in Tampa 

 Bay and adjacent waters of the Gulf of Mexico 

 from September 1961 through August 1962 

 (table 1). Surface samples were collected at 14 

 stations (fig. 1 and table 2) with a No. 000, 



Table 2, — Sampling tocalions in Tampa Hay and the adjacent 

 Gulf of Mexico, September 1961-Augusl 1962 



Station 



2. 

 3- 

 4. 



5. 

 6. 

 7. 

 8. 

 9. 

 10 

 11 

 12 

 13 

 14 



'/2-ni., nylon plankton net (mesh size 1.024 

 mm.). This net was selected primarily for the 

 collection of larval fishes and invertebrates. 

 Tows were made at 5.6 km. per hour (3 knots) 

 for 2 minutes and randomly with respect to 

 tidal stage. Vessel speed was determined before 

 sampling by clocking elapsed time over a 

 known distance. Net-towing rates were held 



210 



U.S. FISH AND WILIFE SERVICE 



