Ichiye and Jones (1961) estimated 65-75% of the tidal 
volume flows through this pass. 
Except for the maintained ship channel in West Pass 
and seaward approach, the gulf shelf off St. Andrew Bay 
slopes gradually and smoothly from the shore seaward. 
At the outer limit of the survey area, the water depth 
averages 18-20 m. 
Extensive beds of submerged vegetation, primarily 
Thalassia and Diplanthera, are found in shallow waters 
of the bay system and in East Pass. Only small scattered 
beds are evident in West Pass and in coastal waters. 
Monthly average water temperatures of the bay range 
from 11.5°C in January to 28.8°C in July-August (Hop- 
kins 1964). Mean annual rainfall near Panama City was 
110 cm and the mean air temperature was 20.6°C for 
years 1924-46 (Tyndall Air Force Base, unpubl. 
manuscr.) 
PLANS AND PROCEDURES 
This study possibly represents the first attempt to 
derive estimates of all daytime recreational and com- 
mercial fishermen and boaters in an estuarine system 
and adjoining marine waters. Schemes of stratified ran- 
dom sampling and measures of average fishing time have 
been used successfully to estimate total effort in other 
studies (Ellis et al. 1958; Pinkas et al. 1967; Deuel 1973). 
Such schemes could not be used in this study for the fol- 
lowing reasons: 1) reliable estimates of total effort re- 
quire an intensive survey; 2) all types of fisheries, plat- 
forms, and methods of fishing were not known at the 
beginning of the survey; and 3) the peculiarities of each 
known fishery precluded randomization of the survey ef- 
fort within areas by fishery or other strata. 
To accomplish the stated objectives of this study, the 
survey was designed to obtain reliable estimates of the 
average daily instantaneous fishing effort and boating 
activity in the four major areas. To facilitate compari- 
son of that effort and activity, the four major areas were 
surveyed systematically on the same days within a fixed 
period. For logistic reasons, each major area was sub- 
divided into several subareas (Fig. 1). 
The plan was to survey the study area on a weekday 
and weekend-day each week of 1973. Since the surveys 
were done in small boats, fair weather days were usually 
selected; most were done in midweekdays and on Satur- 
days. Time of day, day of the week, starting point, and 
direction of travel were recognized as unmeasured 
sources of variation affecting the effort estimates. Of the 
104 scheduled surveys, 93 were completed and 11 were 
abandoned owing to adverse weather or motor failure. 
The effect was to reduce the number of surveys for com- 
puting daily average numbers. 
The estimated daily averages were computed from ac- 
tual counts of the observed effort and activity. Counted 
were: 1) fishermen and persons participating in each 
fishery by platform and method of fishing; 2) fishing 
boats that were used in each fishery; 3) occupants of 
transit boats; and 4) type of transit boat. The term 
fishermen refers to those individuals actively fishing or 
have fishing equipment in possession; persons refers to 
all individuals on a fishing platform including fishermen; 
occupants refers only to individuals on transit boats that 
may or may not include fishermen; and transit boats 
refers to those being launched, hauled, underway, an- 
chored, beached, or moored away from their home docks 
but not being used as a fishing platform when observed. 
Counts were made by the surveyors in single traverses 
of each subarea. In most subareas, the task was com- 
pleted in a few minutes; the coastal subareas and other 
heavily used subareas regularly required from 10 to 60 
min to complete. All counts regardless of the time of day 
or duration were assumed to be estimates of the “‘instan- 
taneous” numbers of persons in all subareas during the 
survey day—0800-1630 h. 
The four major areas were surveyed by three per- 
sons—one assigned to North and West Bays, one to East 
Bay, and one to St. Andrew Bay and adjacent coastal 
waters. Each surveyor was equipped with an outboard 
motorboat, a navigation chart of the area and subareas, 
7 X 50 binoculars, fishing effort survey logs, and a fishing 
effort survey guide. The guide contained a numberically 
coded list of fisheries, platforms, and methods of fishing 
that were known or suspected to exist in the study area. 
Corrections and additions to the list were made when 
revealed by the survey. This list is shown below as it ex- 
isted at the end of the survey. 
Fishery 
Fishfish—food, 
sport or bait 
Shrimp—food or Party boat 
Platform Method 
Private boat Rod and reel—still 
Commercial boat Rob and reel—cast 
Rob and reel—troll 
bait Charter boat Canepole or hand- 
Crab—foodor Bridge line 
bait Pier Cast net 
Oyster—food Dock Hands 
Scallop—food Jetty Tongs or rakes 
Shore Spear 
Seawall Seine 
Abutment Trotline 
Water—wade Trap 
Water—swim Trawl 
Gill net 
Dip net 
Dredge 
Scuba 
Snorkel 
On entering each assigned subarea, the surveyor 
logged the subarea number, time and code numbers of 
the fisheries, appropriate platforms, and methods of 
fishing. All fishermen and persons on stationary plat- 
forms were counted. In some subareas within major 
areas, boats were occasionally too numerous or widely 
dispersed to classify and to count all individuals on- 
board. Instead, a count of fishermen, persons, or occu- 
pants was made for a sample of boats in each fishery or 
activity and the average per boat expanded by the total 
number of boats in each classification. 
Fishermen and total number of persons on fishing 
