Juvenile Fish Research

Deploying an ichthyoplankton push net for the collection of larval fishes in Florida Bay.

Deploying a bottom sled for the collection of benthic and demersal late stage larvae and early juvenile fishes in Florida Bay.

Lobster Research

Don Behringer measuring the carapace length of a large adult spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) during a study investigating the effects of fishing on reproductive dynamics.

Double stacked concrete partition block which mimics natural crevices normally used as shelters by juvenile lobsters. These were used experimentally to evaluate the impact of artificial habitat on juvenile spiny lobster population structure.

In 1994, the Florida Keys Coral Reef Evaluation Monitoring Project (CREMP) was initiated to provide status and trends data needed to evaluate the success of future management actions in the Florida Keys. Forty sampling sites were selected within the FKNMS using a stratified random sampling procedure (USEPA E-map) and permanent station markers were installed. The following pictures are of researchers sampling of abundance and cover of corals.

The general objective of seagrass monitoring research in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) is to measure the status and trends of seagrass communities to evaluate progress toward protecting and restoring the living marine resources of the Sanctuary.

To reach these goals, four kinds of data are being collected in seagrass beds in the FKNMS:

• Distribution and abundance of seagrasses using rapid assessment Braun-Blanquet surveys
• Demographics of the seagrass communities using leaf-scar counting and population demographics techniques
• Seagrass productivity of the dominant species of seagrass in the FKNMS (Thalassia testudinum) using the leaf-mark and harvest method
• Seagrass nutrient availability using tissue concentration assays

[top]