Effects of beach remourishment on the benthic macrofauna and the fishes of the nearshore zone at Sebastian Inlet State Recreation Area

Approximately 100,000 cubic yards of sand was transported to the ocean beach to renourish the eroded beach front during the period December 1985 through May 1986. The ocean beach at Sebastian Inlet SRA was previously studied in a project examining the benthic macrofauna and the fishes of the nearshore zone during 1981-1982 (Allenbaugh, 1984; Peters, 1984; Nelson, unpublished). In view of the existing data, the US Army Corps of Engineers provided funding to study the effects of the beach renourishment activities at Sebastian Inlet SRA on the benthic macrofauna and the fishes of the nearshore zone. This is the report on the results of this study.