Tidal exchange between the ponds and the bay is another design feature that
probably influenced fish community structure and abundances. Exchange in
the Cl
system is limited by the small size and shallowness of the creek that connects
it to
the bay, and by the connections between ponds. Connection between Ponds 1
and
2 and the bay were non-existent during March and April due to seasonal changes
in
tidal levels (Provost, 1973), precluding recruitment of larvae and juveniles.
This is
an important factor that should be considered in future project designs.
Estimates of Total Abundance of Snook, Red Drum, and Striped Mullet
Although juvenile snook abundance was estimated on 10/30/92, similar complete
sampling was not performed during the period (late winter) when juvenile
red drum
and striped mullet were using the ponds, total abundance of these species
can only
be estimated. During the monitoring period, 22 red drum, 196 striped mullet
and 14
snook were captured. Based on the ratio of 14 snook captured during the regular
sampling to 30 estimated in October, an approximated ratio of 2 can be applied
to
the totals for red drum and striped mullet. In this way the total abundance
of red
drum can be estimated at 44 and total abundance of striped mullet at 392.
These
admittedly very rough estimates were derived for the following analysis.
Project Valuation Estimations with Regard to Valuable Fishes
Total cost of the Cl project was over $200,000. Although it is very difficult
and
sometimes misleading to attempt to directly calculate values for natural
resources
(Bell, 1 989),the following analysis can put part of the project's value
into perspective.
First, a cost-benefit break-even point for an almost perpetual investment
such as is
the Cl project, an return on the investment. For example, if the $200,000
had been
invested for a very long term, a return rate of 1 0% (selected for ease of
calculations
in this illustration) might be reasonable and would yield an annual return
of 20,000.
It is against this potential return that the project's annual benefits should
be
compared.
The benefits of the restoration are numerous (including sociological, esthetic,
and
ecological benefits) and difficult to directly value. The many ecological
values would
be almost impossible to directly qualify. However, rough estimates can be
obtained
for valued species produced by the ponds. Looking only at the three most
important
species (snook, red drum and striped mullet), annual "returns"
were calculated as
follows: the numbers of each of these species produced annually in the restoration
site (estimates developed in the preceding section) were multiplied by estimated
values for individuals of each species to obtain annual values, which are
summed.


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