recorded, and/or individuals with knowledge of such dieoffs have not come forward. There is 
evidence that the seagrass dieoffs and other adverse environmental effects, such as coral 
disease may be related to temperature extremes, especially if the affected biota is under 
stress due to high or low salinity. 
Also included in the time line in Appendix III are the dates of significant events and legislature 
related to or affecting Florida Bay. 
11.3. Information needs in Florida Bay 
There is insufficient or no information on several types of data necessary to adequately 
describe the current status of Florida Bay and any changes that may be the result of the 
increased fresh water flow into the area. Determination of baselines of these parameters is 
needed. The data needs include suspended particulates; pollutant levels; nutrient loadings; 
marine mammal population; and others. Also further search of historical records in the Florida 
Keys may supplement the anecdotal information collected by The Nature Conservancy. 
12. CONCLUSIONS 
Although the case cannot be proven since little data is available prior to the flow restrictions, 
the decreased freshwater flow into Florida Bay may be only one of the causes of the changes in 
the Florida Bay ecosystem. The ideal goal for the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem is 
to restore to predrainage conditions. The restored ecosystem should be resilient to chronic 
stresses and catastrophic events with as little human intervention as possible (Science 
Subgroup Report, 1993). 
The predrainage conditions of the Florida Bay ecosystem are not well characterized. 
Left alone, the Bay ecosystem will become a balanced system, probably different from the 
one present prior to man's influence in the region. 
An increase in freshwater flow in the ENP will shift the present ecosystem, resulting in 
dieoffs and shifts in species distribution until a balance is once again achieved. 
Global weather cycles may affect the Bay as changes in temperature and rainfall in the area 
or upstream will have an impact. These cycles may be longer than the time observations 
available. There may be a delay in ecosystem response to variations in solar fluctuations 
and global weather patterns. 
The effect of hurricanes to the South Florida ecosystem can be considerable yet the 
ecosystem recovers within a few years. These storms, however, may be part of the 
tropical ecosystem just as fires have been shown to be part of forest ecosystems. 
There is anecdotal evidence of seagrass dieoffs prior to the construction of the drainage 
canals. The cause of these dieoffs, however, may be different from those found at present. 
The construction of the railroad to Key West and the subsequent construction of the 
highway were the first changes to the water flow pattern between Florida Bay and the 
Florida Straits. Such flow cannot be reestablished. 
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