spread, water column chemistry (seagrass), and faunal utilization. 
Monitoring will continue at experimental sites for a minimum of three 
years while site selection continues for future saltmarsh and seagrass 
plantings. 
Success is not guaranteed in restoring natural vegetation. 
Factors controlling planting success may be site specific and vary with 
planting stock sources and handling. Survival of planting units thus far 
have ranged from zero to 100%. Seagrass restoration is proving to be the 
most difficult to accomplish, as losses have been extensive and appear to 
be related to changes in water quality. Until basic water quality 
relationships with seagrass are understood and addressed, large scale 
restoration cannot be accomplished. Unfortunately, funds are more easily 
made available for replanting, and the needed basic research is often 
overlooked. 
The principal interest of this program is in restoration of the 
complex functions of marine fisheries habitat, which presumably begins 
with revegetation. Utilization of those habitats created by fisheries 
organisms, although costly to assess, will provide a perspective on the 
value of created vs. natural environs. Before large-scale restoration of 
the Tampa Bay area can begin, planting techniques, survival of plantings, 
and habitat contributions must be understood. This information is 
essential to the long-term management of our coastal resources and marine 
fisheries. The FDNR is being assisted in this work by the NMFS; Mote 
Marine Laboratory; Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Pasco Counties; 
Pinellas Marine Institute; Mangrove Systems, Inc.; and other contracted 
and volunteer organizations. The Tampa Bay region has provided the 
initiative and funding for this effort and demonstrates that difficult 
tasks may be accomplished by local, state, and federal interactions. For 
more information on restoration research, contact Alan Huff, FDNR Bureau 
of Marine Research, 100 8th Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. 
STOCK ENHANCEMENT 
Stock enhancement is another approach to fisheries restoration. 
The practice entails hatching, rearing, and releasing fish into the 
natural environment to augment or enhance target species populations. 
Stocking of freshwater fishes into lakes, reservoirs, and streams for a 
management tool and/or for a put-and-take fishery is common. Stocking of 
fingerling marine fish into estuaries is a relatively untried concept. 
Stock enhancement in Florida is currently in pilot stages without 
production hatcheries. The principal hatchery research participants are 
the University of Miami Experimental Fish Hatchery, Miami; Mote Marine 
Laboratory, Sarasota; Harbor Branch Foundation, Indrio; and FDNR Bureau 
of Marine Research, St. Petersburg. The state is constructing an 
experimental hatchery in Manatee County adjacent to Tampa Bay, on 
property provided by the Manatee Port Authority. This facility will be 
the center for research on hatching, rearing, and stocking of red drum, 
snook, and other species. 
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