OCEANOGRAPHIC OBSERVATIONS IN WEST COAST FLORIDA WATERS 



1949-52 



The swarming of a poisonous plankter, which results in extensive 

 destruction of fish, has been known to occur periodically off the west coast af 

 Florida since 1844. This fish-killing plague, known popularly as "red tide" be- 

 cause of the simultaneous appearance of large patches and streaks of water of 

 various degrees of discoloration, resulted m much speculation as to its cause. 

 Most theories advanced, as pointed out by Galtsoff (1948), were not supported 

 by evidence . It was not until 1948 that the cause of the red tide was positively 

 identified as the intense blooming or overgrowth of the dinoflagellate, Gym no- 

 dinium brevis Davis . 



In 1948 following destrucJive outbreaks in 1946 and 1947, the U. S. Fish 

 and Wildlife Service set up an investigation based at Sarasota, Florida, for the 

 purpose of determining factors responsible for the intense blooming of G. brevis. 

 The goal of this investigation was to develop methods for prediction and control of 

 red tide outbreaks . This work is now being continued by the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service at Galveston, Texas, and Fort Myers, Florida, and by the Florida State 

 Board of Conservation through the University of Miami Marine Laboratory and 

 the Department of Engineering of the University of Florida. 



The .riginal program included the collection of chemical, meteorological, 

 and hydrographic information at approximately monthly intervals at various river, 

 coastal, and offshore stations (figs . 1 and 2) . 



Presented in tables 1 through XXVII are data collected between 1949 and 

 1952, which includes phosphorus data already presented by Graham, et al (1954). 

 These data will be used for comparison with more recent findings and are pre- 

 sented here for use by scientists engaged in red-tide research. 



CRUISE PATTERNS 



The initial cruise pattern, which consisted of two river and six Gulf 

 stations, was followed from 1949 to 1950 when a modified pattern was established 

 which consisted of six Gulf stations . This pattern was followed until this particular 

 oceanographic phase of the investigation was terminated in 1952. 



