Dredge-fill 



On many occasions governmental agencies 

 have asked us to miake bottom surveys of 

 areas proposed for dredge -fill development. 

 Our findings are used to estimate the value 

 of endangered biological resources. This value 

 must be weighed against anticipated benefits 

 of bayfill projects. To facilitate the collection 

 of quantitative field data, we designed several 

 pieces of equipment for use in estuaries 

 along the Florida west coast {fig. 9). 



The plug sampler is a box of stainless 

 steel .125 m. wide, .125 m. long, and 23 cm. 

 deep. Handles (1.2 cm. in diameter) and 

 screening (0.701 mm.^ mesh) are welded to 

 the top. 



In operation, the sampler is pushed into 

 the bottom, dug out with a shovel, and emptied 

 into a sieve box (0.701 mm.^ mesh) that is 

 supported on a screen-covered frame with 

 styrene plastic flotation. The sample is then 

 washed free of fine sediment and preserved. 

 Jars, preservative, thermometer, water 

 sample bottles, notebook, and other equip- 

 ment can be transported on the water in 

 a tub placed inside an inflated tire tube. 

 The sampler can also be used by divers for 

 surveys in deep water; one man operates 

 the sampler and shovel, and another transfers 



Table 4. — Number of bentiilc species and irdlviduals in 10 sainplee or 0.125 m.^ 

 from each of three subtidal beds of turtle grass in Sarafiota Bay, Fla. , 

 December 7, 1967J/ 



■^ Cnidarians, serpulld worms, ectoprocCs, 

 to turtle grass have not been Included. 



Figure 9. — Benthic sampling equipment: plug sampler and 

 shovel, sieve box, and styrene plastic frame to support 

 sieve box. 



each sample to the surface in a plastic bag. 

 We generally take 10 samples at random in 

 each habitat under investigation. 



Data from a benthic survey in three areas of 

 Sarasota Bay, Fla., were influential in a recent 

 decision to deny a dredge-fill permit requested 

 by the Arvida Corporation (table 4). In contro- 

 versies that involve estuarine conservation, in- 

 formation on the diversity and abundance of 

 bottom invertebrates is particularly useful be- 

 cause the infauna is a comparatively stable 

 element in the estuarine community. 



BIOGEOCHEMICAL ALTERATION AND 

 EFFECT PROJECT 



Charles M. Fuss, Jr. and John A. Kelly, Jr. 



The Biogeochemical Alteration and Effect 

 Project terminated on December 31, 1967. 

 Two studies were completed during its ex- 

 istence: a comparative study on the trans- 

 planting, survival, and growth of two sea 

 grasses under artificial conditions and a 

 field phase on the transplant survival of turtle 

 grass in areas where the bottom is disturbed. 

 Both studies have provided useful and previ- 

 ously unavailable information for evaluating the 

 feasibility of restoring sea grasses to areas 

 where dredges have removed them. 



Results show that turtle grass can be 

 transplanted, that it will survive in a dredged 

 finger-fill canal, and that the problem of 

 erosion in canals--a major one--canbe solved. 

 On the negative side, however, the number of 

 transplants made was small, only two finger- 

 fill canals in the same landfill were planted, 

 and 14 of 20 variations in planting failed--4 

 almost immediately. Six of the transplant 

 methods showed various degrees of success. 



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