salinity waters within western Florida Bay and adjacent estuarine waters, but not in 
brackish waters. No spotted seatrout larvae were collected in the Keys area. Ten 
sampling trips were made from March 1984 to September 1985. Larvae were collected 
in all months except November. All snapper larvae were found in the Atlantic Ocean, 
but juveniles were found both in Florida Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Gray snapper 
appeared to spawn near offshore reefs, during the summer, in the Atlantic Ocean and at 
least some entered the Bay as advanced larvae or juveniles. One of the most striking 
patterns of this survey was the dominance and ubiquitous distribution of gobiid larvae. 
1984 - 1985 
Sogard, S. M., G. V. N. Powell, and J. G. Holmquist (1989) Utilization by fishes of shallow, 
seagrass-covered banks in Florida Bay: 1. Species composition and spatial heterogeneity. 
Environ. Biol. Fishes . 24(l):53-65. 
Species composition and relative capture rates of water column fishes occurring on the 
shallow (<1 m), seagrass-covered mudbanks of Florida Bay were assessed using small- 
mesh gill nets. The fauna was largely temperate, with few tropical representatives, 
and was similar to the fish community of the adjacent basins. There was high 
variability in the catch across the Bay, reflecting heterogeneity in both the physical 
environment and various aspects of the seagrass canopy. The Gulf site, in the 
northwest section of the Bay, had the highest species richness and highest capture 
rates of individual species, relative to other sites. Higher densities of potential prey, 
greater available foraging area, and organically rich, fine sediments are probably 
influencial in the greater fish utilization of the bank. The greater exchange of western 
Florida Bay with open Atlantic or Gulf waters is proposed as a secondary factor 
influencing species richness; the probability of non-resident species occasionally 
appearing on western banks is greater than in isolated interior sections of the Bay. 
1984 - 1985 
Sogard, S. M., G. V. N. Powell, and J. G. Holmquist (1989) Utilization by fishes of shallow, 
seagrass-covered banks in Florida Bay: 2. Diel and tidal patterns. Environ. Biol. Fishes . 
24(2):81 -92. 
Diel and tidal patterns in the occurrence of water column fishes were examined on four 
shallow banks in Florida Bay, using continuous 72 h gillnet sets. Nets were set on the 
edge of a mudbank and remained in place 72 h. The fish were removed from the net 
every half hour. Banks were sampled during five series over a two-yr period (March, 
July and November, 1984; and March and July, 1985). Patterns in capture rates were 
presumed to indicate movement of fishes on and off the seagrass-covered banks. 
Species that were nocturnally active on the banks included Arius felis, Mugil gyrans, 
Opisthonema oglinum, Harengula jaguana, Elops saurus, Lutjanus griseus, and Bairdiella 
chrysoura. Diurnal species included Eucinostomus gula, Lagodon rhomboides, and Mugil 
cephalus. Strongylura notata and Mugil curema showed no consistent patterns. At the 
two sites with significant tidal fluctuation in water level, different activity patterns on 
the bank relative to tidal stage were evident for several species. At extreme low tides, 
water column fishes apparently left the banks to avoid stranding. Cycles of fish 
utilization of the bank habitat are proposed to be related to both availability of prey 
(diel patterns) and water level (tidal patterns). These cycles in turn influence activity 
patterns of predators foraging on these fishes. 
1984 - 1985 
Sogard, S. M., G. V. N. Powell, and J. G. Holmquist (1987) Epibenthic fish communities on 
Florida Bay banks: relations with physical parameters and seagrass cover. Mar. Ecol. Proa. 
Ser. . 40:25-39. 
289 
