Shoal bass released by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee in May 2022 are having a significant impact on conservation efforts, according to researchers.
After Hurricane Michael nearly destroyed 90% of the shoal bass population in the Chipola River in 2018, the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management released 3,300 genetically pure shoal bass.
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According to a news release, these are hatchery-spawned fish from the Blackwater Fisheries Research and Development Center.
The goal of releasing these hatchlings is to supplement and enhance the species’ population, FWC said.
“The shoal bass population in the Chipola River has become a top priority of fisheries biologists within the northwest region of Florida since Hurricane Michael,” said Andy Strickland, FWRI fisheries biologist
Recent samples in September show the hatchlings have grown to 4 to 6 inches in length and that 65% of the current young fish in the river were from the fish released in the river earlier this year, according to the release.
The Chipola River is home to Florida’s only known reproducing population of shoal bass and FWC biologists said they anticipate stocking additional shoal bass in spring of 2023, with the goal of eventually replenishing the population to pre-Hurricane Michael levels.
“These cooperative management, hatchery and research actions for the conservation of this unique northwest Florida bass species exemplify how effective the FWC’s efforts can be to preserve a species of greatest conservation need,” said Christopher Paxton, DFFM Regional Fisheries Biologist and Administrator.
FWC said they will continue to monitor population levels through DNA analysis and determine whether additional stocking will be needed to contribute to the overall population deficit.
To learn more about FWC’s freshwater fisheries conservation work, click here.
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