Fifty-seven fish biologists from 12 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida.
Fifty-seven fish biologists from 12 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida on December 6-8, 2022. The one-day Fish Chat, held at the UF/IFAS Miami-Dade facility auditorium in Homestead, provides an opportunity for folks from different agencies and institutions to discuss ongoing and future projects. Topics presented included:
- Early detection rapid response update for nonnative marine fish
- Snakehead diet summary compared to largemouth and peacock bass
- African clawed frog control
- Revisiting risk assessment procedures
- Increases in spotfin spiny eel populations in Everglades National Park
- Updates to the state permitting process
- Impacts of Asian swamp eels on trophic dynamics in Everglades National Park (Pintar et al. 2023)
- Roles for fishery professionals in predicting how Everglades restoration will impact fish communities
- Preliminary results for fishing license holder’s opinions of nonnative fish.
The two-day Fish Slam event took place in Broward and Miami-Dade counties where 34 freshwater sites were sampled for nonnative fishes. Sampling gear included electrofishing boats, backpack electrofishers, minnow traps, cast nets, seines, dipnets, and hook and line. Twenty species of nonnative fishes were collected or observed. This is the fourteenth Fish Slam event since the program began in 2013.
Notable collections included spotfin spiny eels, Macrognathus siamensis, collected from a waterbody 42.6 km (26.5 mi) north of known established populations. To follow up on our previous eradication of the bay snook, Petenia splendida, from Pinecrest Gardens in south Miami (Schofield et al. 2019), we surveyed the location and confirmed there were no specimens in the gardens five years post-eradication. Native species such as mountain mullet, river goby, and bigmouth sleeper have recolonized the main pond of the garden.
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. Representatives from the Florida Museum and the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology participated in this Fish Slam. Nonnative fishes were tissue-sampled for DNA collections, and then preserved for future research. Data from these collections are available in publicly accessible databases, such as Florida Museum Specify Web Portal.
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Ctenopharyngodon idella | grass carp |
| Hoplosternum littorale | brown hoplo |
| Pterygoplichthys spp. | sailfin catfish |
| Clarias batrachus | walking catfish |
| Belonesox belizanus | pike killifish |
| Monopterus javanensis | Asian swamp eel |
| Macrognathus siamensis | spotfin spiny eel |
| Amphilophus citrinellus | Midas cichlid |
| Astronotus ocellatus | oscar |
| Cichla ocellaris | butterfly peacock bass |
| Cichlasoma bimaculatum | black acara |
| Mayaheros urophthalmus | Mayan cichlid |
| Hemichromis letourneuxi | African jewelfish |
| Heros severus | banded cichlid |
| Heterotilapia buettikoferi | hornet tilapia |
| Oreochromis sp. | tilapia |
| Parachromis managuensis | jaguar guapote |
| Pelmatolapia mariae | spotted tilapia |
| Trichromis salvini | yellowbelly cichlid |
| Channa aurolineata (formerly marulius) | goldline snakehead |
Native species, along with two nonnative species (grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella and butterfly peacock bass, Cichla ocellaris), that were caught during Fish Slam were returned to the wild alive per the requirements of our scientific collectors’ permit. All field observations of nonnative species were entered into the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database (http://nas.er.usgs.gov)
Participants of the November 2022 Fish Slam
The participants of the November 2022 Fish Chat and Slam were: Lad Akins (Frost Museum), Elizabeth Anderson (FIU), Josh Bauer (USACE), Arthur Bernhardt (FWC), Dion Bert (Miccosukee), Jesse Blanchard (FIU), Ken Blick (USFWS), Chelsea Bohaty (USACE), Michael Borbolla (FIU), Tony Brady (USFWS), Mary Brown (USGS), Jorge Buening (USFWS), Wes Daniel (USGS), Andre Daniels (USGS), Emily Dean (CNSS), Cedric Doolittle (USFWS), Kevin Donmeyer (NPS), Jake Edwards (USACE), Katie Everett (UF), Skippy Fair (USACE), Zach Fratto (NPS), Jonathan Freedman (CNSS), John Galvez (USFWS), Aaron Gavin (Frost Museum), Kelly Gestring (FWC), Nick Gonzalez (Miccosukee), Zoey Hendrickson (UF), Jeff Hill (UF), Brian Hutchinson (FWC), Natalia Hidalgo (FIU), Steven Jackson (USFWS), Howard Jelks (USGS), Audrey Jordon (UF), Christian Julianni (Frost Museum), Jeff Kline (NPS), Jon Lane (USACE), Ian Markovich (USACE), Jordan Massie (FIU), Ashley McDonald (UF), Chad McKendrick (Frost Museum), Sam McPherson (FWC), Barron Moody (FWC), Cayla Morningstar (USGS), Matt Neilson (USGS), Dan Nelson (FWC), Alex Nunez (Frost Museum), Eddie Perri (USFWS), Jonathan Pinkas (Miccosukee), Kristen Reaver (USGS), Rob Robins (FM), Ned Rose (VIMS), Jeff Shelton (FWC), Randy Singer (UMMZ), Randy Singer Senior, Patricia Torres-Pineda (UMMZ), Nick Trippel (FWC), and Quenton Tuckett (UF)
Institutional acronyms: CNSS – Cherokee Nation System Solutions; FIU – Florida International University; FM – Florida Museum; FWC – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Miccosukee - Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, Fish and Wildlife Department; NPS – National Park Service; UF – University of Florida; UMMZ – University of Michigan Museum of Zoology; USACE – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; USFWS – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; USGS – U.S. Geological Survey; VIMS - Virginia Institute of Marine Science
We are grateful to our professional colleagues who volunteered their time and efforts to make Fish Slam successful. Special thanks to Barron Moody (FWC) for assistance with permits and the UF/IFAS Miami-Dade facility for hosting Fish Chat.
Click the photo below to view the Fish Slam slideshow.
Fish Slam May 2023
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
Fish Slam - Fall 2016
Fish Slam - Spring 2016
Fish Slam 2015
Fish Slam 2014
- Overview
Fifty-seven fish biologists from 12 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida.
Fifty-seven fish biologists from 12 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida on December 6-8, 2022. The one-day Fish Chat, held at the UF/IFAS Miami-Dade facility auditorium in Homestead, provides an opportunity for folks from different agencies and institutions to discuss ongoing and future projects. Topics presented included:
- Early detection rapid response update for nonnative marine fish
- Snakehead diet summary compared to largemouth and peacock bass
- African clawed frog control
- Revisiting risk assessment procedures
- Increases in spotfin spiny eel populations in Everglades National Park
- Updates to the state permitting process
- Impacts of Asian swamp eels on trophic dynamics in Everglades National Park (Pintar et al. 2023)
- Roles for fishery professionals in predicting how Everglades restoration will impact fish communities
- Preliminary results for fishing license holder’s opinions of nonnative fish.
The two-day Fish Slam event took place in Broward and Miami-Dade counties where 34 freshwater sites were sampled for nonnative fishes. Sampling gear included electrofishing boats, backpack electrofishers, minnow traps, cast nets, seines, dipnets, and hook and line. Twenty species of nonnative fishes were collected or observed. This is the fourteenth Fish Slam event since the program began in 2013.
Notable collections included spotfin spiny eels, Macrognathus siamensis, collected from a waterbody 42.6 km (26.5 mi) north of known established populations. To follow up on our previous eradication of the bay snook, Petenia splendida, from Pinecrest Gardens in south Miami (Schofield et al. 2019), we surveyed the location and confirmed there were no specimens in the gardens five years post-eradication. Native species such as mountain mullet, river goby, and bigmouth sleeper have recolonized the main pond of the garden.
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. Representatives from the Florida Museum and the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology participated in this Fish Slam. Nonnative fishes were tissue-sampled for DNA collections, and then preserved for future research. Data from these collections are available in publicly accessible databases, such as Florida Museum Specify Web Portal.
Nonnative fishes collected or observed during Fish Slam December 2022 Scientific Name Common Name Ctenopharyngodon idella grass carp Hoplosternum littorale brown hoplo Pterygoplichthys spp. sailfin catfish Clarias batrachus walking catfish Belonesox belizanus pike killifish Monopterus javanensis Asian swamp eel Macrognathus siamensis spotfin spiny eel Amphilophus citrinellus Midas cichlid Astronotus ocellatus oscar Cichla ocellaris butterfly peacock bass Cichlasoma bimaculatum black acara Mayaheros urophthalmus Mayan cichlid Hemichromis letourneuxi African jewelfish Heros severus banded cichlid Heterotilapia buettikoferi hornet tilapia Oreochromis sp. tilapia Parachromis managuensis jaguar guapote Pelmatolapia mariae spotted tilapia Trichromis salvini yellowbelly cichlid Channa aurolineata (formerly marulius) goldline snakehead Native species, along with two nonnative species (grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella and butterfly peacock bass, Cichla ocellaris), that were caught during Fish Slam were returned to the wild alive per the requirements of our scientific collectors’ permit. All field observations of nonnative species were entered into the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database (http://nas.er.usgs.gov)
Participants of the November 2022 Fish Slam
The participants of the November 2022 Fish Chat and Slam were: Lad Akins (Frost Museum), Elizabeth Anderson (FIU), Josh Bauer (USACE), Arthur Bernhardt (FWC), Dion Bert (Miccosukee), Jesse Blanchard (FIU), Ken Blick (USFWS), Chelsea Bohaty (USACE), Michael Borbolla (FIU), Tony Brady (USFWS), Mary Brown (USGS), Jorge Buening (USFWS), Wes Daniel (USGS), Andre Daniels (USGS), Emily Dean (CNSS), Cedric Doolittle (USFWS), Kevin Donmeyer (NPS), Jake Edwards (USACE), Katie Everett (UF), Skippy Fair (USACE), Zach Fratto (NPS), Jonathan Freedman (CNSS), John Galvez (USFWS), Aaron Gavin (Frost Museum), Kelly Gestring (FWC), Nick Gonzalez (Miccosukee), Zoey Hendrickson (UF), Jeff Hill (UF), Brian Hutchinson (FWC), Natalia Hidalgo (FIU), Steven Jackson (USFWS), Howard Jelks (USGS), Audrey Jordon (UF), Christian Julianni (Frost Museum), Jeff Kline (NPS), Jon Lane (USACE), Ian Markovich (USACE), Jordan Massie (FIU), Ashley McDonald (UF), Chad McKendrick (Frost Museum), Sam McPherson (FWC), Barron Moody (FWC), Cayla Morningstar (USGS), Matt Neilson (USGS), Dan Nelson (FWC), Alex Nunez (Frost Museum), Eddie Perri (USFWS), Jonathan Pinkas (Miccosukee), Kristen Reaver (USGS), Rob Robins (FM), Ned Rose (VIMS), Jeff Shelton (FWC), Randy Singer (UMMZ), Randy Singer Senior, Patricia Torres-Pineda (UMMZ), Nick Trippel (FWC), and Quenton Tuckett (UF)
Institutional acronyms: CNSS – Cherokee Nation System Solutions; FIU – Florida International University; FM – Florida Museum; FWC – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Miccosukee - Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, Fish and Wildlife Department; NPS – National Park Service; UF – University of Florida; UMMZ – University of Michigan Museum of Zoology; USACE – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; USFWS – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; USGS – U.S. Geological Survey; VIMS - Virginia Institute of Marine Science
We are grateful to our professional colleagues who volunteered their time and efforts to make Fish Slam successful. Special thanks to Barron Moody (FWC) for assistance with permits and the UF/IFAS Miami-Dade facility for hosting Fish Chat.
Click the photo below to view the Fish Slam slideshow.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Fifty-seven fish biologists from 12 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida on December 6-8, 2022. - Science
Fish 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.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.Fish Slam - Fall 2016
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...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.Fish Slam 2015
November 3, 2015 – Five teams of fishery biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the National Park Service (NPS), and Florida International University (FIU) sampled for non-native fishes in canals, ponds and ditches in and around the Plantation/Davie area of Broward County, FL.Fish Slam 2014
On November 20, 2014, eight teams of fishery biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), U.S. National Park Service (NPS), and Florida International University (FIU) gathered for a one-day sampling event to collect non-native fishes from canals, ponds and ditches in Miami-Dade County, FL. - Publications
- Partners