ABSTRACT
The use of food web ecology studied within the context of the historical concept of the ecosystem has not been widely used in planning and management activities in coastal areas. In fact, during the past 30 to 40 years, the story of Florida’s aquatic resources has been dismal, with the debilitation or even loss of most of the the primary waterways and river-estuarine systems being the rule. The Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Florida Everglades-Florida Bay-Florida Keys/Coral reef system, the Miami River-Biscayne Bay area, the Indian River system, the St. Johns drainage system, Naples Bay, the Hillsborough River-Tampa Bay area, Sarasota Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, the Pensacola Bay system, and Perdido Bay are all damaged systems. The loss of productivity in areas such as the Chesapeake Bay system, the New York Bight and New Jersey coast, Penobscot Bay, the Delaware River system, and various other river-estuarine areas throughout the United States has followed a similar pattern. However, not all is lost and there are success stories of progressive planning and management programs that have protected valuable and productive coastal resources. One such case involves the saving of the Apalachicola River and Bay system in north Florida.
