Fish Slam - Fall 2016 Completed
November 1 - 2, 2016 – Eight teams of fishery biologists from the US Geological Survey (USGS), US Fish and Wildlife Service - Peninsular Florida Fisheries Office and Welaka National Fish Hatchery (USFWS), the National Park Service (NPS), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida International University (FIU), and Zoo Miami sampled 20 sites for non-native fishes in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties in southeast Florida in this two-day event. A variety of collection gear was used, including electrofishing boats, backpack electrofishers, seines, fyke nets, minnow traps, hook and line, and dipnets.
November 1 - 2, 2016 – Eight teams of fishery biologists from the US Geological Survey (USGS), US Fish and Wildlife Service - Peninsular Florida Fisheries Office and Welaka National Fish Hatchery (USFWS), the National Park Service (NPS), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida International University (FIU), and Zoo Miami sampled 20 sites for non-native fishes in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties in southeast Florida in this two-day event. A variety of collection gear was used, including electrofishing boats, backpack electrofishers, seines, fyke nets, minnow traps, hook and line, and dipnets.
On day one, several crews worked in Palm Beach County searching for any new non-native fish species as well as monitoring the border canals around Loxahatchee NWR and surrounding waters for bullseye snakehead (Channa marulius) range expansion. No new locations of snakehead were discovered. However, an Asian swamp eel (Monopterus sp.) collection was recorded, a first for Palm Beach County.
On day two, boat and backpack electrofishing crews sampled border canals of Everglades National Park (ENP) for snakehead and other exotic species. No snakehead were collected. However, voucher specimens of banded cichlid (Heros severus), oscar (Astronotus ocellatus), and Asian swamp eel were collected for the Florida Museum of Natural History. A ground crew collected water samples from water control structures along the C-4 canal and the L-31N canal that border ENP for an environmental DNA (eDNA) project that could be used in the early detection of bullseye snakehead.
One ground crew sampled Pinecrest Gardens both days to continue eradication efforts of the bay snook (Petenia splendida). This effort built upon earlier work by FWC and the Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (ECISMA) to eradicate the threat of this large, predatory cichlid.
Boat electrofishing crews sampled the adjacent Snapper Creek canal system and found no evidence of bay snook escapees. However, the ground crew inside Pinecrest Gardens found very young juvenile bay snook, indicating reproduction had occurred. Water samples and tissue samples consisting of fin clips were taken for a future eDNA project to provide another level of detection in eradication efforts.
Twenty-one species of non-native fishes were collected or observed during the two-day Fall event. Twenty-five lots containing 93 voucher specimens were deposited at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
All native species, along with two non-native species (grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella, and butterfly peacock bass, Cichla ocellaris), were returned to the wild alive. All field observations of non-natives were entered into the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database (USGS 2016).
The participants of the November 2016 Fish Slam were Christine Beck (Florida International University), Jesse Blanchard (FIU), Ken Blick (USFWS), Mary Brown (USGS), Andre Daniels (USGS), John Galvez (USFWS), Kelly Gestring (FWC), Silvia Gutierre (University of West Florida), Kristen Humpfrey (Miccosukee Tribe), Andy Jackson (USFWS), Howard Jelks (USGS), Jeff Kline (NPS), Greg Kock (Zoo Miami), Bill Loftus (Cherokee Nation Technologies), Jessica Parks (Zoo Miami), Kristen Reaver (Cherokee Nation Technologies), Pam Schofield (USGS), Brooke Shamblin (NPS), Hannah Shuman (Zoo Miami), Murray Stanford (FWC), Joel Trexler (FIU), Vanessa Trujillo (FIU), Raul Urgelles (NPS), and Kevin Whelan (NPS).
Special thanks to Barron Moody, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, for assistance with permits for this sampling event.
REFERENCES
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). 2016. Nonindigenous aquatic species database. Gainesville, Florida. Available via http://nas.er.usgs.gov/. Accessed November 2016
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Fish Slam May 2023
Fish Chat and Slam December 2022
Southwest Florida Fish Slam – Spring 2022
Virtual Fish Slam - March 2021
Fish Chat and Slam November 2019
Treasure Coast and Central Florida Fish Slams - 2019
Fish Slam November 2018
Fish Slam - November 2017
Spring Fish Slam 2017 – Big Cypress
Florida Non-Native Fish Action Alliance
Fish Slam - Spring 2016
Impacts of Non-Native Fishes in the Florida Everglades
- Overview
November 1 - 2, 2016 – Eight teams of fishery biologists from the US Geological Survey (USGS), US Fish and Wildlife Service - Peninsular Florida Fisheries Office and Welaka National Fish Hatchery (USFWS), the National Park Service (NPS), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida International University (FIU), and Zoo Miami sampled 20 sites for non-native fishes in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties in southeast Florida in this two-day event. A variety of collection gear was used, including electrofishing boats, backpack electrofishers, seines, fyke nets, minnow traps, hook and line, and dipnets.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media DetailsSample sites for Fall Fish Slam 2016. 1, 2 C-51 canal, 3 Flying Cow Road canal, 4-7 border canal and ditches around Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), 8-10 Hillsboro and L-36 canals, 11 Sunset Lakes, 12 C-9 canal, 13 C-6 canal,14 L-31N canal, 15 Snapper Creek canal (west), 16-17 Pinecrest Gardens and Snapper Creek canal (east), 18 Black Creek canal, 19 East Everglades Detention Area, and 20 L-31W canal. November 1 - 2, 2016 – Eight teams of fishery biologists from the US Geological Survey (USGS), US Fish and Wildlife Service - Peninsular Florida Fisheries Office and Welaka National Fish Hatchery (USFWS), the National Park Service (NPS), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida International University (FIU), and Zoo Miami sampled 20 sites for non-native fishes in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties in southeast Florida in this two-day event. A variety of collection gear was used, including electrofishing boats, backpack electrofishers, seines, fyke nets, minnow traps, hook and line, and dipnets.
On day one, several crews worked in Palm Beach County searching for any new non-native fish species as well as monitoring the border canals around Loxahatchee NWR and surrounding waters for bullseye snakehead (Channa marulius) range expansion. No new locations of snakehead were discovered. However, an Asian swamp eel (Monopterus sp.) collection was recorded, a first for Palm Beach County.
On day two, boat and backpack electrofishing crews sampled border canals of Everglades National Park (ENP) for snakehead and other exotic species. No snakehead were collected. However, voucher specimens of banded cichlid (Heros severus), oscar (Astronotus ocellatus), and Asian swamp eel were collected for the Florida Museum of Natural History. A ground crew collected water samples from water control structures along the C-4 canal and the L-31N canal that border ENP for an environmental DNA (eDNA) project that could be used in the early detection of bullseye snakehead.
One ground crew sampled Pinecrest Gardens both days to continue eradication efforts of the bay snook (Petenia splendida). This effort built upon earlier work by FWC and the Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (ECISMA) to eradicate the threat of this large, predatory cichlid.
Boat electrofishing crews sampled the adjacent Snapper Creek canal system and found no evidence of bay snook escapees. However, the ground crew inside Pinecrest Gardens found very young juvenile bay snook, indicating reproduction had occurred. Water samples and tissue samples consisting of fin clips were taken for a future eDNA project to provide another level of detection in eradication efforts.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media DetailsBoat electroshocking crew with bullseye snakehead (Channa marulius) Twenty-one species of non-native fishes were collected or observed during the two-day Fall event. Twenty-five lots containing 93 voucher specimens were deposited at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
All native species, along with two non-native species (grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella, and butterfly peacock bass, Cichla ocellaris), were returned to the wild alive. All field observations of non-natives were entered into the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database (USGS 2016).
The participants of the November 2016 Fish Slam were Christine Beck (Florida International University), Jesse Blanchard (FIU), Ken Blick (USFWS), Mary Brown (USGS), Andre Daniels (USGS), John Galvez (USFWS), Kelly Gestring (FWC), Silvia Gutierre (University of West Florida), Kristen Humpfrey (Miccosukee Tribe), Andy Jackson (USFWS), Howard Jelks (USGS), Jeff Kline (NPS), Greg Kock (Zoo Miami), Bill Loftus (Cherokee Nation Technologies), Jessica Parks (Zoo Miami), Kristen Reaver (Cherokee Nation Technologies), Pam Schofield (USGS), Brooke Shamblin (NPS), Hannah Shuman (Zoo Miami), Murray Stanford (FWC), Joel Trexler (FIU), Vanessa Trujillo (FIU), Raul Urgelles (NPS), and Kevin Whelan (NPS).
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media DetailsFish Slam - Fall 2016 - Non-native fish collected or observed. Special thanks to Barron Moody, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, for assistance with permits for this sampling event.
REFERENCES
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). 2016. Nonindigenous aquatic species database. Gainesville, Florida. Available via http://nas.er.usgs.gov/. Accessed November 2016
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 14Fish Slam May 2023
Fish Slam events link research institutions such as museums and universities with federal, state, and local government agencies that possess expertise and field equipment to collect nonnative fishes, providing unique access to specimens for these institutions.Fish Chat and Slam December 2022
Fifty-seven fish biologists from 12 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida.Southwest Florida Fish Slam – Spring 2022
Forty-two fish biologists from seven organizations participated in a two-day Spring Fish Slam event in southwest Florida. Fourteen species of non-native fishes were collected or observed.Virtual Fish Slam - March 2021
In March 2021, USGS researchers and partners conducted the first-ever Virtual Fish Slam. The bi-annual Fish Slam event helps monitor new introductions and document range expansion of known non-native freshwater fishes.Fish Chat and Slam November 2019
Fifty fish biologists from 15 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida on November 5-7, 2019.Treasure Coast and Central Florida Fish Slams - 2019
In March and June 2019, USGS researchers joined partners in Treasure Coast and Central Florida where they sampled freshwater bodies for non-native fishes. The bi-annual Fish Slam event helps monitor new introductions and document range expansion of known non-native fishes.Fish Slam November 2018
In November 2018, USGS researchers joined partners in South Florida where they sampled freshwater bodies for non-native fishes. The bi-annual Fish Slam event helps monitor new introductions and document range expansion of known non-native fishes.Fish Slam - November 2017
The Hunt For The Southernmost Snakehead. Thirty-one fishery biologists from eleven agencies participated in a two-day Fish Slam event. Thirty-five sites in Broward and Miami-Dade counties were sampled for non-native fishes.Spring Fish Slam 2017 – Big Cypress
22-23 March 2017 - Ten teams of fishery biologists sampled 28 sites amid unexpected wildfires in the Big Cypress National Preserve over the two day period. On the second day a reporter from the Miami Herald accompanied a ground crew team.Florida Non-Native Fish Action Alliance
The Florida Non-Native Fish Action Alliance brings together federal and state agencies, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations to address the need for documenting and managing the non-native fishes introduced to the state's waters.Fish Slam - Spring 2016
May 23, 2016 – Five teams of fishery biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the National Park Service (NPS), Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH), University of Florida (UF), and Florida International University (FIU) sampled 12 sites for non-native fishes in Broward and Miami-Dade counties in southeastern Florida.Impacts of Non-Native Fishes in the Florida Everglades
The Florida Everglades is the largest wetland ecosystem in the United States and supports a diverse flora and fauna, including many rare species. - News
- Partners