Relationships of sport fisheries catches in Florida Bay to freshwater inflow from the Everglades

Principal components analysis was used to characterize inflow to Florida Bay from Shark River Slough and Taylor slough. Four components described > 71% of the variation in inflow. The components clearly separated summer-fall inflow from winter-spring inflow. Additionally the pattern of variation in inflow was more complex in Taylor Slough than in Shark River Slough. Regression analysis was used to relate individual species catch rates for gray snapper, spotted seatrout, red drum and common snook to the principal components of inflow. Highly significant (P less than or equal to .05) regression models were developed and verified for all species. Increased runoff in the winter led to decreased catches of snapper, seatrout and snook. Above average summer and fall runoff led to increased catches of red drum, seatrout, and snook but decreased catch of snapper. Management practices need to consider not only the volume of water but the timing of delivery to the estuary to ensure fishery yields in the future.