Monthly Beach Sampling

Basic sampling scheme used by the Molluscan Fisheries lab at FWRI for sampling beaches in Pinellas County. Monthly samples collected at random intervals along a 300-meter transect line, laid parallel to the water line:

5 vertical profiles and temperature readings from 5 points along the 300-meter transect
15 sediment cores (upper beach, lower beach, and swash at the same distance along the 300-meter transect as the profiles)
5 areas (15 meters wide along the 300-meter transect) on the upper beach are searched for ghost crab burrows
30 fauna/biota samples at 5 cusp and 5 intercusp distances along the 300-meter transect (upper swash, mid-swash, lower swash)

Image Credit: FWC

FWC Facts:
White and brown shrimp depend on estuaries as nursery habitats, leaving when they reach 4-5 inches in length. This “shrimp run” occurs in late summer or early fall.

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