How do we ensure the delivery of the right amount of fresh water - at the right time and of good quality - to sustain and enhance coastal waters?

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The various habitat types in coastal systems form the life support system for nearshore fishery resources, other coastal wildlife and also for many offshore resources. The major habitat types include mangrove shoreline, seagrass beds, coral reefs, oyster bars, and beaches. These serve as breeding, nursery, refuge, and foraging areas for South Florida's wealth of coastal resources. These include recreational species (tarpon, snook, red drum, permit, grouper, spotted seatrout, gray snapper, bonefish, spiny lobster); commercial species (pink shrimp, spiny lobster, stone crab, blue crab, American oyster, yellowtail snapper); and protected species (jewfish, manatee, sea turtles, bottlenose dolphin, American crocodile, queen conch). In fact, most of the commercial and recreational species important to the South Florida economy are estuarine dependent at some stage of their life.

Changes in freshwater flow planned for the restoration will cause changes in the salinity regimes of these habitats and will thus affect the species that live there. Amelioration of the present wide annual swings in salinity and increased freshwater inflow during the dry season to lower salinity will greatly benefit the estuaries. The salinity requirements of several of these species (seatrout, pink shrimp, spiny lobster) are being used as performance measures for the restoration.

Coral Reef Photo: S. Bolden, NOAA

Beach/Surf Photo: C. Goodyear, NOAA

Oyster Bar Photo: SFWMD

Science Management The key to the freshwater needs of these habitats is to determine the salinity requirements of resident species.

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