As part of a series of studies on south Florida fishes, we are researching age and growth patterns and populations dynamics of selected common large-bodied fishes inhabiting south Florida canals. Target species include introduced spotted tilapia (Tilapia mariae), and four native fishes, Florida gar (Lepisosteus platyrhincus), yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis), warmouth (Chaenobryttus gulosus), and spotted sunfish (Lepomis punctatus). Study sites include 4-kilometer long reaches in three major south Florida waterways: Canal L-31W, Tamiami Canal (C-4), and Snake Creek Canal (C-9). Quarterly visits in January, April, July, and October 2000, and January 2001 involved intensive quantitative sampling with a shocker boat of different 1-kilometer reaches at each of the 3 study sites. Supplemental samples between quarters were made in canals L-31W and C-9. These data will provide a characterization for populations and communities in canal habitats, as well as, among various hydrological conditions and different levels of anthropogenic activity. In a collaborative effort, addition research is focusing on small-bodied fishes inhabiting south Florida marshes. Resulting demographical information is important for predicting resilience of fishes under alternative management scenarios, in particular, hydrological patterns. The data also are intended for input into the ecological model Across Trophic Level System Simulation (ATLSS). (Session P-32, Monday, July 9, Penn Stater, Deans Hall)

(This abstract was presented at the July 2001 Annual meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.)

Back to Project Homepage