1963 - 1964 
Waldinger, F. J. (1968) Relationships of environmental parameters and catch of three 
species of the mojarra family (Gerridae), Eucinostomus gula, Eucinostomus argenteus, and 
Diapterus plumieri, collected in 1963 and 1964 in Buttonwood Canal, Everglades National 
Park, Florida. M. S. Thesis, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL. 68 pp. 
Highly significant relationships existed between temperature and salinity, between 
temperature and water height as recorded in the wells, between temperature and 
months, between salinity and water height, between salinity and months, and between 
water height and months in both 1963 and 1964. Catches of Eucinostomus gula appeared 
best related with ground water and surface runoff through the close association of 
catches with water height records in well P-38 and rainfall. Catches of Eucinostomus 
argenteus appeared best related to salinity and rainfall and greatest catches of this 
species are dependent upon the interactions and optimal occurrences of environmental 
parameters. Catches of Diapterus plumieri appeared best related with water height in 
well P-38, moon phase, and temperature. The analytical results for 1963 and 1964 
were similar for this species. The results of this study indicated that E. argenteus is 
the mojarra that favors waters of high salinities (marine environment) and D. plumieri 
favors a brackish to freshwater environment. The habitat for E. gula was not as 
apparent but this fish appeared to be able to extend its range throughout the 
environment indicating that it was an estuarine species. Increased efficiency in the 
results of this study may be possible through a logarithmic transformation of the catch 
data plus the elimination of certain environmental parameters which are highly 
interdependent. The design of a program oriented specifically to study the mojarras of 
this area was indicated by the analysis of this data. The program would be expanded to 
include investigation of catches with not only the environmental parameters used in this 
study but also the differences in catches due to lunar, tidal, and diel variations. 
Spawning and migration activities of these fishes should also be examined as well as 
size difference in tolerance to environmental conditions. This may be accomplished by 
extending sampling operations to include Florida Bay, the Whitewater - Coot Bay 
estuary, and the Shark River. 
1963 - 1965 
Yokel, B. J., E. S. Iversen, and C. P. Idyll (1969) Prediction of the success of commercial 
shrimp fishing on the Tortugas grounds based on enumeration of emigrants from the 
Everglades National Park estuary. FAQ Fish. Rep. . 3(57): 1027-89. 
Studies have been underway since 1962 on the juvenile stages of the pink shrimp 
(Penaeus duorarum Burkenroad) in the Everglades National Park estuary. The 
objectives of this study have been to increase knowledge of the biology and migration of 
the shrimp and to determine if a relationship exists between the relative abundance of 
emigrating juveniles and the catches of adults on the Tortugas commercial fishing 
grounds. From January 1963 through June 1965 the relative monthly abundance of 
juveniles was estimated from catches in Buttonwood Canal at Flamingo in Everglades 
National Park using a large 'channel net.' The entire canal was fished by this gear, 
which relied on tidal currents to collect samples. Subsequently experiments showed 
that 'wing nets' could reliably subsample the shrimp moving in the canal and all 
samples were thereafter taken with this gear. Catches of juveniles made near the times 
of the new and full moon are used as indices of monthly abundance. These show a 
positive correlation with the commercial landings of the smallest size shrimp. During 
periods of high abundance, when the average size of the emigrants is small (11 m 
carapace length or smaller) there is a delay of 2 to 2.5 months from the time they 
leave the estuary until they appear in the commercial catches. In periods of high 
abundance, when the shrimp are larger, the delay between the estuary and the 
commercial catch is reduced to one month. Growth rates suggest that the differences in 
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