Comparison Of Geophysically Defined Hard Bottom And Visually Detected Live Bottom In The Charlotte Harbor Area Of The Southwest Florida Continental Shelf

Live-bottom surveys utilizing underwater television and still cameras and a biological dredge were conducted in several OCS oil and gas lease blocks in the Charlotte Harbor Area off the west coast of Florida to determine the type and extent of live bottom. The data were compared with previously collected geophysical data to determine the effectiveness of geophysical remote sensing techniques in detecting potential hard-bottom and live-bottom areas. Live-bottom biota was observed within geophysically mapped hard-bottom areas, however, live-bottom organisms were also observed in areas delineated as soft bottom from the geophysical data. Many geophysically defined hard-bottom areas were devoid of live-bottom biota. A distinct biological assemblage was identified that was dominated by sponges, in terms of diversity, biomass, and abundance.