Atlantic Ocean through tidal passes in the Florida Keys. The Gulf Subenvironment has 
near-normal marine salinity, but its position in a wind and current 'shadow' causes its 
waters to be more stagnant than those in the Atlantic Subenvironment. The fauna of 
Florida Bay is dominantly molluscan, principally gastropods and bivalves which are 
represented by approximately 100 genera and 140 recognized species. A few ’index 
species* and several 'consistently common species' define four molluscan suites whose 
distributions appear to be controlled by the environmental influences characterizing the 
four subenvironments. Molluscan debris comprises 58 to 95% of the sediment particles 
greater than 1/8 mm. It is believed that the disintegration process is almost entirely 
organic and effected by crabs, boring sponges, perforating algae, holothurians, worms, 
and Thalassia roots. Thin-shelled bivalves tend to break down more rapidly than thick 
shelled bivalves and gastropods. 
1954 0 
Galtsoff, P. (Coordinator) (1954) Gulf of Mexico: Its origin, waters and marine life. Fish. 
Bull. . 55(89): 1 -604. 
[DATE OF SAMPLING UNKNOWN OR NOT APPLICABLE.] This citation is a detailed 
description of the Gulf of Mexico. The chapter topics are: history, geology, marine 
meteorology, physical and chemical oceanography, plant and animals communities, and 
pollution. Florida Bay is briefly discussed in several chapters. 
1954 - 1955 
Kilby, J. D. and D. K. Caldwell (1955) A list of fishes from the southern tip of the Florida 
peninsula. Quail J. F la. Acad, Sci., 18:195-206. 
This paper describes fish collections conducted in 1954 and 1955 at sites with the 
Everglades National Park, Whitewater Bay and Florida Bay. The Florida Bay stations 
were at the end of Snake Bight canal and at Flamingo. Short descriptions of each 
collection site and species found are included in the paper. 
1954 - 1957 
Finucane, J. H., and A. Dragovich (1959) Counts of red tide organisms, Gymnodinium 
breve, and associated oceanographic data from Florida West coast, 1954-1957. Spec. Sci. 
Rep. Fish. No. 289. Fish & Wildlife Service, Washington, DC. 202-95. 
This report presents original data giving enumerations of the red tide organism, 
Gymnodinium breve, and associated chemical and hydrographic data for the period from 
February 1954 to July 1957. Methods for collecting and analyzing samples are 
described. The citation contains counts of G. breve, data on salinity, pH, Cu, inorganic 
phosphorus, total phosphate, nitrate-nitrite, carbohydrates, and protein equivalents. 
These data were collected as part of a study on the distribution and incidence of G. 
breve and related ecological conditions. 
1954 - 1957 
Finucane, J. H. (1964) Distribution and seasonal occurrence of Gymnodinum breve on the 
west coast of Florida 1954-57. Spec. Sci. Rep. Fish. No. 487. US Fish, and Wildlife Service, 
Washington, DC. 14 pp. 
The distribution and seasonal occurrence of Gymnodinium breve, the Florida red-tide 
organism, was recorded for a 4-yr period in estuarine and neritic waters along the 
Florida west coast. G. breve was found throughout the year in the area from Tarpon 
Springs south to the Florida Everglades. Blooms of this dinoflagellate occurred mainly 
from September through December in 1954 and 1957. Essentially, both 1955 and 1956 
were not red-tide years. The observed salinities, temperatures, and distribution of G. 
breve are presented during both bloom and non-bloom periods. 
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