the estuarine and nearshore waters between Cape Romano and Cape Sable. An annotated 
list of fishes with environmental data where each species was collected is provided. 
Results show that nearly 32,000 finfishes representing 114 species were collected, 
quarterly, between May 1971 and February 1972. The most abundant species, in 
decreasing order of abundance, were the striped anchovy, Anchoa hepsetus ; bay 
anchovy, Anchoa mitchillr, silver jenny, Eucinostomus gula\ fantail mullet, Mugil 
trichodon ; and pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides. Of the six species of commercial 
invertebrates collected, pink shrimp, Penaeus duorarum, comprised nearly 91% of the 
total numbers of individuals taken (2,600). The number of organisms offshore 
increased with proximity to the shoreline. Generalized locations of isohalines for each 
quarter are also provided. 
1971 - 1973 
Grady, W. C. (1978) Sediments of Florida Bay near Islamorada, Florida. M. S. Thesis. West 
Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. 242 pp. 
It is the purpose of this study to examine the sediments of the Florida Bay region, and 
to relate them to modern sedimentary environments with the aim of forming analogies 
to ancient environments of carbonate deposition. The study area may be subdivided into 
regions on the basis of biota, hydrologic factors such as water depth or current 
velocity, sediment size and sediment constituents. Petrographic study of the 
constituents in the sand and gravel size fractions allowed sediment facies to be 
ascertained for each fraction based on constituent composition. These facies were 
closely tied to variations in size, sorting, and skewness of the sediments. Q-mode 
factor analysis was employed to determine the facies of the sand and gravel size 
fractions, and the entire sediment. Three facies of the entire sediment resulted: (1) 
sediments of the muddy regions of Florida Bay, (2) sediments of the back reef, and (3) 
lag deposit sediments of the bay. Sediments of the study area consist predominantly of 
peloids of unknown origin, mollusk fragments, Halimeda fragments, and foraminifera. 
Quartz, which is found in most Bay sediments, originates in the underlying Pleistocene 
bedrock. Nearly one half of the skeletal grains in the study area are micritized, though 
only slightly. Also, an inverse relationship was recognized between mud content of the 
sediment and the amount of micritization of the grains. The bedrock surface beneath the 
recent sediments is a karst surface superimposed on a drainage pattern topography. 
This surface has no single control on the location of sediment build-up since its flooding. 
Sediments retrieved from 27 cores on the mangrove islands and shoals of the study 
area reveal eleven different sediment types within these islands and shoals. Cross 
sections based on these cores show that each island has had a history independent of 
each other island, and that sea level rise has been more-or-less continuous for the last 
3300 yrs. Crane and East Keys, because of their proximity, developed into similar 
mangrove islands, but had vastly differing histories. Crane Key has always existed 
where it is now located since the initial flooding of the Bay. It first formed as a 
mangrove swamp, depositing peat, but as sea level rose, it developed into the 
mangrove island of today. East Key began as a sand shoal, which developed into a 
mangrove island. Cotton Key developed on the lake floor from sediments carried 
through Whale Harbor channel during storms. The portion of Shell Key studied initiated 
as sediments accumulating within a sinkhole. These sediments allowed the growth of 
mangroves, which have since formed the island. Shoal '78A* was initially a mud bank, 
but developed into a sand shoal midway through its history. The same appears to have 
happened to shoal '84'. Sampling took place from 1971 to 1973. 
1971 - 1973 
Ogden, J. C., W. B. Robertson, G. E. Davis and T. W. Schmidt. (1974) Pesticides, 
polychlorinated biphenyls and heavy metals in upper food chain levels, Everglades National 
Park and vicinity. NTIS Rep. No. Dl SFEP-74-16. 27 pp. 
200 
