Aquatic Resource Conservation Planning in Florida

Theodore Hoehn
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Office of Environmental Services 620 S. Meridian Street Tallahassee, FL 32301-1600; (850)488-6661; hoehnt@gfc.state.fl.us

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) began a project, four years ago, to comprehensively access the status of aquatic biodiversity throughout the state. The first phase, completed in 1998, was an assessment of watersheds containing rare and imperiled fish species. Fish collection records were obtained to determine the Florida distribution of the selected species. River reaches and their surrounding watersheds that contained rare or imperiled fish species were identified. Watersheds were ranked based upon the number and relative rarity of the species present. Water quality and upland land use were analyzed to determine potential threats to the identified watersheds and river reaches. Watersheds identified as threatened were targeted for potential restoration, water quality improvements, or additional surveys.

The current phase of the project involves assessing riverine and lake systems for all fish and mussel species. The Nature Conservancy's Aquatic Habitat Classification System is being tested in Florida systems. One step in the classification system involves the identification of ecological and ecoregional drainage units. Species habitat affinities are being developed for modeling purposes. Once the habitat characterization is complete, species potential will be predicted, compared with known occurrences, and aquatic conservation priorities can be established.