What’s happening and what we can do
Florida is in the throws of a polar vortex, casting a chilly shadow over our entire peninsula. The prolonged dip in temperatures has caused issues with many tropical fish species such as snook and sparked concerns from anglers and fishery managers. A discussion with FWRI biologist and snook expert Alexis Trotter provided some understanding of the current situation, and gave guidance as to what anglers can do to help.
Alexis is no stranger to AAF, as she was a key component when we initially developed the Angler Action Program back in 2010. If you’ll recall, that is the last time Florida faced such an arctic blast, killing untold numbers of snook and other species of fish. That program received recognition around the country as a prototype for collecting angler data, and Alexis was a major contributor to the initial program design and set-up. It also ended up being the catalyst for our name changes, from the Snook Foundation to our current moniker the Angler Action Foundation (AAF).
Our chilly situation today is similar – it is dang cold in Florida! Alexis took some time away from her FWC Commission meeting prep work in Tally to share some insights with AAF.
“This is kind of an odd one,” She said. “We’ve already had some pretty strong cold fronts earlier this season, so we expected those in the range expansion areas to have taken shelter.” ‘Range expansion’ refers to the northern boundary of tropical fish species which creeps further and further north each year that we experience mild winter temperatures.
“In those areas, many snook and other fish have already retreated to springs, deeper waters and other warm water pockets. But this front presents different problems due to the extent of the cold – this is the first time since 2010 that the entire peninsula has experienced extreme cold.”
FWC – the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission – has a ‘cold kill’ hotline and website where we can report dead fish we see on the water, 1-800-636-0511. “Thus far [morning of Feb 3], there have not been very many reports, and those have mostly been tarpon on the east coast,” she shared. “Yesterday we got a bit of a warm-up, with a lot of sun and not much wind, but we expect that people will start to see more fish floating in the coming days.”
A quick web search after the conversation found that in SW Florida, there have been reports of mostly jacks (crevalle, primarily) dead on the beaches or floating.
Alexis expects more fish to float within the next few days because the effects of cold on tropical fish are not always immediate. “The first sign of distress for snook is usually a disruption of feeding behavior,” - they stop eating. “If conditions don’t improve, equilibrium issues follow.” These stages likely describes the state of most struggling but alive tropical fish around the state right now.
Reflecting back to a conversation with the great Ron Taylor in 2010, retired snook biologist, I know we aren’t out of the woods even if it warms up for good. (It won’t yet – another cool snap is coming later this week.) Ron told me that the cold damages the protective slime coating on most tropical fish, which can lead to infections and disease and can take weeks to heal (or kill the fish). To be sure, some fish will die from these kinds of secondary issues over the coming days and weeks.
Snook are not the only fish to be concerned about. Alexis noted that FWRI biologists are keeping a close eye on tarpon, jacks and goliath grouper, especially those tucked up into the backwaters and canals. While any report of cold distressed fish is important, information about these species is particularly helpful right now.
Concerned? If so, here’s what you can do to help.
First off, be thoughtful of what fish you are targeting over the coming days (and weeks). Like Alexis said, many affected fish won’t be hungry anyhow, but even if you find a warm pocket of happy and hungry snook, remember that they will be fighting off the effects of the cold for weeks, so a thoughtful release will be important. Pay closer attention than usual to protecting the slime coat by keeping the fish in the water, and if you must remove it briefly wet your hands, gloves, towel, or whatever will come into direct contact with the fish.
Like 2010, us recreational anglers can become the eyes of FWRI. For now, report kills on the hotline or website. Alexis had a very important point about how we report – if we standardize our process, it will help them immensely. “We all have an emotional response when we see a long line of dead fish drifting off to sea during tidal movement. And since snook are usually the first fish many people recognize [that lateral line IS conspicuous], we might get a report of ‘1,000 dead snook in my canal’ when there is actually only a few snook in the group.”
The recommendation in this situation is to estimate about a 50-foot stretch, be it a line of floating fish or littered shoreline or whatever, and actually count the number of snook, then jacks, tarpon and goliath, in that stretch. Report that number, and note that this is from about a 50-foot out of XX feet. So, something like “Cherry Creek by Fourth Ave in Valdez, Florida: 4 snook, 17 crevalle jacks, 1 goliath, and zero tarpon observed in about a 50-foot stretch of about a 300-yard line of dead fish.” (Don’t search Cherry Creek in Valdez, Florida – it is fictional, not a secret snook spot.)
Coincidentally, AAF is already working on an upgrade to our Angler Action Program. Within a few weeks, we will alert you to start reporting your catches at iangler.org, and a shiny new iAngler app will be along soon thereafter thanks to a partnership with The Nature Conservancy. Like 2010, angler reports of catch rates, sizes and general location of areas fished will help managers understand the depth of loss from this cold event, and that information will be useful for years to come.
One final note: In 2010, the extreme number of dead fish triggered an executive order allowing boaters to scoop up dead fish. This was done so we could help clean the waterways, not give people access to an easy snook sandwich. “Currently, it is still illegal to possess a snook that is out of season, not within the size slot, or captured in any way other than approved hook and line,” Alexis said. “Any change in that would again require an executive order and so far that has not happened.” So count the fish and report them, but leave them in the water.
Stay tuned, we’ll share information as it comes to us.