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Snook
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The common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, is one of Florida's most
popular inshore game fish because of its spectacular fighting ability and
merit as table fare. Anglers call the common snook many names, but the
two most common are robalo and linesider. The word "snook" comes from
the Dutch word "snoek," meaning pike. The majority of anglers pronounce
the name as "snook" (like took), but in parts of south Florida, it is
pronounced "snuke" (like fluke). Common snook are a euryhaline
diadromous, estuarine-dependent species occurring in the tropics and
subtropics of the western Atlantic Ocean. Snook are limited in distribution
by theseasonal occurrence of the 15 °C seawater isotherm. Partial genetic
isolation occurs betweenFlorida’s Atlantic and gulf coast stocks (Tringali
and Bert 1996). Snook are protandrichermaphrodites: some males
develop into females when between 1 and 7 years of age. Femalessmaller
than about 500 mm fork length are uncommon. Snook growth rates are
highly variable.Females are generally larger than males of the same age.
Atlantic coast fish grow more quicklyand to a larger size than do fish on
the gulf coast (Table 1; Taylor et al. 2000). Maximum age is just over 20
years. Spawning occurs every 1 to 3 days from April through October
within passesin estuarine and nearshore waters (Taylor et al. 1998). Early-
juvenile snook occupy moderatelysloping banks found under overhanging
vegetation within estuarine waters (Peters et al. 1998).As juveniles grow
they occur in a wide range of estuarine habitats
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Tarpon
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The tarpon was one of the first saltwater species to be declared a game
fish.Tarpon grow slowly and usually don't reach maturity until they are six
or seven years old and about 4 feet (1.2 m) long.
Females may shed up to 12 million eggs, which hatch at sea. The eggs
turn into eel-likelarvae that drift inshore, where they shrink to half their size
and start to look like tarpon before beginning to grow again.
Tarpon flesh is edible, though usually eaten only in developing countries,
where the scales are used to make souvenirs for tourists.
The most sought-after inshore, big-game fish, the tarpon puts up a
stubborn and spectacular fight, often leaping up to 10 feet out of the
water. It's difficult to hook because of its hard, bony mouth. Anglers still
fish with live mullet, pinfish, crabs and shrimp, or cast or troll with spoons,
plugs and other artificial lures. Best fishing is at night, when tarpon
feed.The tarpon is found in warm-temperate, tropical and subtropical
waters of the Atlantic Ocean, both inshore and offshore, and has
introduced itself to the Pacific side of the Panama Canal. Because of its
ability to gulp air directly into its air bladder by "rolling" at the surface, the
tarpon is able to enter brackish and fresh waters that are stagnant and
virtually without oxygen. Such areas are relatively free of predators,
offering a safe refuge for the young.
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Redfish
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Red drum have also been called redfish, spottail, red bass,
and channel bass.
The life span of a red drum can exceed 40 years.
Red drum inhabit inshore and offshore waters along the
Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Key West and
throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
The majority of the red drum life cycle is spent in nearshore
waters and estuaries.
Since estuaries are such vital nursery grounds for red drum,
we must realize that deterioration of water quality or loss of
suitable habitat can have drastic effects on the number of
young fish that survive into adulthood.
Since red drum are not normally long distance travelers, they
don't stray far from the areas in which they were born.
In Florida waters, red drum can reach lengths up to 45 inches
and weights up to 51 pounds.
Red drum begin spawning in the fall when daylight hours
decrease and water temperature begins to cool.
Commercial harvesting of red drum is prohibited throughout
the gulf coast states with the exception of Mississippi, which
has a very limited inshore fishery.
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Goliath
Grouper
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Groupers, members of one of the largest families of fishes
found in Florida waters, run the gamut of sizes and shapes,
from the diminutive graysby weighing several pounds to the
mammoth goliath grouper that can top the scales at 600
pounds or more.
Generally in the everglades you can encounter gag grouper,
black grouper, and Goliath Grouper
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Sharks
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BULL SHARK
Carcharhinus leucas
Habitat
Common apex predator that inhabits estuarine, nearshore
and offshore waters of both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of
Florida. Commonly enters estuarine waters and is one of the
few shark species that may inhabit freshwater, sometimes
venturing hundreds of miles inland via coastal river systems.
Feeding
Versatile and opportunistic feeder. Stomach contents have
included a variety of bony fishes and invertebrate species,
sharks, rays, dolphins, sea turtles, and sea birds.
Reproduction
Gives birth to live young. Litters contain 1–13 pups. Size at
birth about 2.4 feet. Utilizes shallow bays and coastal lagoons
as nursery areas.
Size/Age
Maximum size about 11 feet. Matures at approximately 14–
18 years of age (about 6.5 feet) and is estimated to live 24+
years.
Human factors
Constitutes only a small portion of the commercial shark
fishery. Hardy species; does well in captivity. One of the more
dangerous shark species, accounting for the third highest
number of attacks on humans.
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Spotted
Sea
Trout
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Spotted seatrout range throughout Florida’s bays and coastal
waters. Studies indicate that spotted seatrout from various
areas of Florida are more genetically isolated from one
another as their geographic separation increases (Ramsey
and Wakeman 1987, Gold et al. 1999). Results from a re-
analysis of spotted seatrout genetic structure in Florida show
the presence of five genetic spotted seatrout stocks (Wilson
et al. 2002). These stocks and their boundaries are: 1) a
northeast stock located from approximately northern Volusia
county to the Atlantic state border (and possibly beyond) 2) a
southeast stock located from approximately southern Martin
county north to Volusia county 3) a Biscayne Bay vicinity stock
4) several Florida Bay/ Keys stocks, in which a complex of
populations subdivisions apparently exists, and 5) a gulf
coast stock fromFlorida Bay through the Florida panhandle.
Each area may have specific, localized groups of fish
that do not intermix regularly with other groups, thus they are
affected only by local fishing pressure. Gold and Richardson
(1998b) suggested that, based on their genetic analyses of
spotted seatrout populations in the Gulf of Mexico, it
appeared that female fidelity to their natal estuaries
played an important role in maintaining subpopulations.
Growth is sex- and area-specific. Males grow more slowly than
females, and spotted seatrout in the Indian River Lagoon, and
Apalachicola Bay grow more quickly than do those in
southwest Florida (Table 1; Murphy and Taylor 1994).
Maximum ages reached in Florida are 9 years for males and
8 years for females. Spotted seatrout first spawn between 0
and 2 years old and 11.8–15.7 inches total length (TL).
Spawning occurs within estuaries and in nearshore waters
during spring, summer, and fall.
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