RECOVER MAP 3.1.3.10 Development of Fish sampling protocols in Forested Wetlands in Southern Florida

Forested wetlands cover hundreds of thousands of hectares of southern Florida. The Big Cypress Swamp ecosystem covers a large area of interior southwestern Florida, and is comprised of several types of cypress habitats termed domes, strands, and dwarf cypress (Duever et al. 1986, Ewel 1990). The Big Cypress Region (BCR) is an important piece in the hydrological system of the Greater Everglades region, yet it has been poorly studied compared with the Everglades gramminoid wetlands. These forested wetlands formerly functioned as critical feeding and nesting sites for wading birds, whose populations have declined precipitously in coincidence with changes to the hydrology of the region. Anthropogenic changes have affected the natural hydrologic-variability of environmental conditions through the construction of canals and levees that can either act to drain or flood wetlands, which is hypothesized to have negatively affected the production and availability of fish prey for the birds. A major target of restoration is the reestablishment of the natural hydrological conditions in these wetlands. The BCR has been affected by all of these anthropogenic activities, yet the effects are unclear because of the lack of quantitative data. Anecdotal and some qualitative/quantitative evidence suggest that the standing stocks of aquatic animals and their population sizes have been negatively affected by altered hydrology.

Objectives:
(1) Continue to collect quantitative baseline data on fishes and macroinvertebrate communities in BCR cypress forests; (2) Conduct field-tests of both sampling gear and experimental design over an additional hydrologic year (FY08) to finalize modifications and provide proof-of-concept; (3) Begin a long-term aquatic fauna monitoring program for cypress forests (FY09) with the express intent of evaluating the impact of CERP activities on the BCR.