Report of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Biological 

 Laboratory, St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, 

 Fiscal Year 1968 



ABSTRACT 



The major goals of the Laboratory are to explore the relatively unknown scope 

 of biological productivity in the coastal zone of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, to 

 measure the effect of changes in that zone, and to develop methods of increasing 

 estuarine fishery resources. The report describes current research on projects 

 in the Estuarine, Red-Tide, and Industrial Schoolfishes Programs. The projects 

 include studies of sediments and organisms in bay bottoms, plankton crops and 

 fishes residing in and transferring between estuaries and the Gulf of Mexico, 

 toxicity of the red-tide organism, and experimental rearing of pompano in an im- 

 pounded lagoon. A physical, hydrological, biological, and sedimentological inventory 

 of Florida estuaries is also in progress as part of a cooperative effort with the 

 National Oceanographic Data Center and the States of Alabama, Mississippi, and 

 Louisiana. 



REPORT OF THE LABORATORY DIRECTOR 



James E. Sykes 



MISSION OF LABORATORY 



Research activities of the Laboratory are 

 designed principally to explore the dynamics 

 of plants and animals in the estuarine zone 

 and the relation of these organisms to their 

 coastal environment. The physical and chemi- 

 cal organization of estuarine habitats is con- 

 stantly changing. Some of the changes are subtle 

 and barely detectable; for instance, the natural 

 deposition and resuspension of sediments from 

 inflowing streams. Other alterations produce 

 dramatic and easily measured effects, such as 

 those resulting from the diversion of waterways 

 and dredging and filling by man. The relation 

 of aquatic biota to the natural and altered 

 environment must be understood as we seek to 

 sustain coastal nurseries and insure that they 

 will continue into the future as producers of 

 the fishery resource. 



RESEARCH STATUS AND TRENDS 



From 1962 through 1967 most effort in the 

 Estuarine Program of the Laboratory was ap- 

 plied to the collection of data and investigation 

 of matters related to the biological effects of 

 dredging and filling and other disturbances in 

 estuaries. Biologists were called upon fre- 

 quently to appear at public hearings and court- 

 room proceedings to present their findings on 

 those effects. The fact that the researcher's 

 voice was heeded is evidenced by the number of 

 large, prime nurseries which continue to pro- 



duce fishes but which were originally scheduled 

 to be covered by landfill. Although each de- 

 velopmental proposal was considered sepa- 

 rately, some of the positive results have now 

 been converted into legislative protection for 

 entire estuarine zones by responsible States . 



The number of requests for us to supply 

 biological data concerning specific proposals 

 for engineering developments that would have 

 damaged estuaries were fewer in fiscal year 

 1968 than in previous years. We could, there- 

 fore, focus more effort on detailed ecological 

 analysis and upon intensifying progress on a 

 Gulf of Mexico estuarine inventory in coopera- 

 tion with Gulf States. This Federal-State en- 

 deavor is in a healthy condition and is now 

 producing results after the necessary period 

 of negotiation and planning. 



The Gulf Inventory is approximately 50 per- 

 cent completed. Biological and Hydrological 

 Phases were begun- -both to run simultan- 

 eously among cooperators until March 1969. 

 Area Description and Sedimentological Phases 

 are in progress but are not necessarily simul- 

 taneous with other parts of the study. An 

 oceanographer from the National Oceanogra- 

 phic Data Center was assigned to the Labora- 

 tory to help Inventory participants design data 

 formats and write instructions for ADP (auto- 

 matic data processing). Coding systems were 

 completed, and data coding is now in progress 

 on standard forms accepted by State coopera- 

 tors and BCF (Bureau of Commercial Fisher- 

 ies). 



