disruption is questionable" (Callahan, 1980). Dolan also felt that 

 beach biota, such as the mole crab, Emerita , would be largely 

 destroyed by beach replenishment. 



Only a few studies on the effects of offshore dredging for beach 

 restoration have been conducted in Florida. Studies of the west coast 

 include Holland, Chambers, and Blackraan (1973), who reported that the 

 creation of a borrow area off Lido Key resulted in at least a temporary 

 increase in fishes along the beach and near the borrow area; and 

 Saloman (1974), whose study of a 3-year-old offshore borrow area near 

 Treasure Island revealed a decrease in the diversity and abundance of 

 benthic invertebrates within the pit compared to the adjacent, 

 relatively undisturbed bottom. However, a recent report by SalosTian, 

 Naughton, and Taylor (1981) on the effects of beach nourishment on 

 benthic fauna at Panama City, Florida, concluded that postnourishment 

 recovery in the borrow pit was virtually complete after 1 year. On 

 the east coast of Florida a study of a borrow area located off Duval 

 County also showed complete recovery of the fauna within 1 year of 

 dredging (Applied Biology, Inc., 1979). Courtenay, et al . (1974) 

 surveyed the fishes and nearshore reef communities following beach 

 restoration in Broward County. Although no adverse effects were 

 observed from Pompano Beach to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, substantial 

 physical damage to the reefs, probably due to careless handling of 

 dredging equipment, occurred at Hallandale. Courtenay, Hartig, and 

 Loisel (1980) resurveyed the area described in the 1974 report, 

 primarily with reference to fish populations. They reported the 

 disappearance of the dusky jawfish, Opistognathus whi-tehursti , and 

 attributed it to the incursion of beach-fill materials on the first 

 reef, which reduced the bottom relief and grain size of the substrate. 

 Marsh, et al . (1980) studied the benthic communities and nearby reefs 

 adjacent to the same beach and found no apparent deleterious effects of 

 the 1971 restoration project. 



Since beach restoration is expected to increase in the future, 

 more information is needed on the long-terra environmental effects of 

 such operations. This study provides an evaluation of benthic 

 communities within a borrow area created off Hillsboro Beach (Broward 

 County), Florida, in 1972. These communities were sampled quarterly for 

 1 year (1977-78) and compared with communities from nearby, compara- 

 tively undisturbed areas. 



II. STUDY AREA 



The inshore topography off northern Broward County consists of two 

 or three sandy flats interrupted by linear outcrops (reefs) of 

 Pleistocene limestone (Fig. 1). These linear outcrops, or reefs, 

 support a wide variety of invertebrates and fishes. 



