| News Release! |
| Hatchery Raised Snook are Released: |
| Mote Marine Laboratory is a non-profit research facility located on City Island of Sarasota, Florida. There, the Stock Enhancement and Aquaculture programs have entered the 4th year of stocking snook into local waters. Since the first releases in 1997, biologists have tagged and released more than 38,000 snook. The releases have been designed to quickly and scientifically approach several key issues such as the optimal season to release snook, the optimal size to release, the optimal habitat to release, and the impacts (such as genetics, health, and ecosystem carrying capacity) of stocking hatchery fish on the wild stocks. Eventually, once these issues are worked out, stock enhancement can occur with maximum efficiency, and careful sensitivity to the ecosystem in which these fish are stocked and can be effectively used in conjunction with the traditional fishery management practices such as harvest limits, closed seasons, sanctuaries, and gear restrictions. |
| Funded for more than a decade by the currently known Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, snook aquaculture research surged forward in 1994 when Dr. William R. Mote began providing direct support to the research effort. For two years, Dr. Mote provided matching funds for snook research at the Stock Enhancement Research Facility in Port Manatee. In 1996, he initiated the current stock enhancement work at Mote Marine Laboratory by providing start up funds for the Mote Aquaculture program. |
| The snook released range in size from 4 to 8 inches. These fish are tagged with a coded wire tag (micro tag) in the left cheek and a red elastomer in either the head area (behind the eyes, in the nose skin, or under the jaw) or in the tail fin. Based on these tags biologists can determine the effectiveness of certain release strategies over others. In recent samples, legal sized hatchery fish have been captured. These fish have reached a size of 26 inches and had been in the wild for over three years. With these exciting results, Mote biologists are anticipating very promising results from this project in the years to come. |
| For additional information on the Mote Marine Laboratory Stock Enhancement Program visit the Center for Fisheries Enhancement at our home page http://www.mote.org |