Fifty fish biologists from 15 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida on November 5-7, 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. The one-day Fish Chat, held in Miami, Florida, at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, provides an opportunity for participants from different agencies and institutions to engage in a discussion/dialogue about ongoing and future projects. Topics presented included catchability, biotic resistance, early detection and rapid response efforts, dietary niches, and updates on the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) database tools. The two-day Fish Slam event took place in nearby Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties where 32 freshwater sites were sampled for non-native fishes. Sampling gear included electrofishing boats, backpack electrofisher, minnow traps, cast nets, seines, dipnets, and hook and line. Twenty-five species of non-native fishes were collected or observed. This is the eleventh Fish Slam event since the program began in 2013. For general information on Fish Slam events, please see the webpage for the Florida Non-native Fish Action Alliance.
Significant collections include a juvenile clown knifefish, Chitala ornata, collected in Miami-Dade County, a new county record. This collection suggests the species has successfully reproduced and has expanded its range south from known populations. Redhead cichlid, Vieja melanura, were also collected south and west of known established populations during the slam event.
To follow up on our previous eradication of the bay snook, Petenia splendida, from Pinecrest Gardens in south Miami, we surveyed the location and confirmed there were no specimens in the gardens two years post-eradication.
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 non-native fishes, providing unique access to specimens for these institutions. This slam, representatives from the Florida Museum, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science participated. Non-native fishes were tissue-sampled for DNA collections, and then preserved for future research. Some specimens were frozen and later processed for skeletal collections.
Data from these collections are available in publicly-accessible databases, such as (https://www.vims.edu/research/facilities/fishcollection/ and http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/).
Native species, along with two non-native species (grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella and butterfly peacock bass, Cichla ocellaris), were returned to the wild alive per the requirements of our scientific collectors’ permit. All field observations of non-native species were entered into the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.
Participants of the November 2019 Fish Slam
The participants of the November 2019 Fish Chat and Slam were: Lad Akins (Frost Museum), Mark Barton (FIU), Josh Bauer (USACE), Kate Bemis (VIMS), Ken Blick (USFWS), Chelsea Bohaty (USACE), Tony Brady (USFWS), Mary Brown (USGS), Jorge Buening (USFWS), Shawn Clem (Audubon), Andy Dehart (Frost Museum), Cedric Doolittle (USFWS), Allison Durland Donahue (UF), Deb Epperson (USGS), Jessica Fair (USACE), Peter Flood (FIU), Jonathan Freedman (CNT), John Galvez (USFWS), Kelly Gestring (FWC), Sam Goss (Audubon), Lee Grove (FWC), Scott Heidler (Frost Museum), Jeff Hill (UF), Eric Hilton (VIMS), Howard Jelks (USGS), Brenna Kays (FIU), Jeff Kline (NPS), Jon Lane (USACE), Bill Loftus (CNT), Ian Markovich (USACE), Lee Martin (Audubon), Cayla Morningstar (CNT), Jon Moore (FAU), Ian Pfingsten (USGS), Justin Procopio (CNT), Zach Ransom (Frost Museum), Jacob Rasner (Frost Museum), Kristen Reaver (USGS), Rob Robins (FM), Guido Herrera Rodriguez (FIU), Sorilis Ruiz-Escobar (FM), Kahlil Russell (VIMS), Pam Schofield (USGS), Randy Singer (UMMZ), Gabe Somarriba (FM), Kyle Thayer (UF), Joel Trexler (FIU), Nick Trippel (FWC), Quenton Tuckett (UF), and Vanessa Trujillo (Deering Estate).
Institutional acronyms: CNT – Cherokee Nation Technologies; FAU- Florida Atlantic University; FIU – Florida International University; FM – Florida Museum; FWC – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; 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 Kelly Gestring (FWC) who served as field coordinator, Barron Moody (FWC) for assistance with permits, and the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science for hosting Fish Chat.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Florida Non-Native Fish Action Alliance
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 fish biologists from 15 organizations participated in a three-day Fish Chat and Slam event in South Florida on November 5-7, 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. The one-day Fish Chat, held in Miami, Florida, at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, provides an opportunity for participants from different agencies and institutions to engage in a discussion/dialogue about ongoing and future projects. Topics presented included catchability, biotic resistance, early detection and rapid response efforts, dietary niches, and updates on the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) database tools. The two-day Fish Slam event took place in nearby Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties where 32 freshwater sites were sampled for non-native fishes. Sampling gear included electrofishing boats, backpack electrofisher, minnow traps, cast nets, seines, dipnets, and hook and line. Twenty-five species of non-native fishes were collected or observed. This is the eleventh Fish Slam event since the program began in 2013. For general information on Fish Slam events, please see the webpage for the Florida Non-native Fish Action Alliance.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Cayla Morningstar (USGS) with a clown knifefish, Chitala ornata Significant collections include a juvenile clown knifefish, Chitala ornata, collected in Miami-Dade County, a new county record. This collection suggests the species has successfully reproduced and has expanded its range south from known populations. Redhead cichlid, Vieja melanura, were also collected south and west of known established populations during the slam event.
To follow up on our previous eradication of the bay snook, Petenia splendida, from Pinecrest Gardens in south Miami, we surveyed the location and confirmed there were no specimens in the gardens two years post-eradication.
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 non-native fishes, providing unique access to specimens for these institutions. This slam, representatives from the Florida Museum, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science participated. Non-native fishes were tissue-sampled for DNA collections, and then preserved for future research. Some specimens were frozen and later processed for skeletal collections.
Data from these collections are available in publicly-accessible databases, such as (https://www.vims.edu/research/facilities/fishcollection/ and http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/).
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Non-native fishes collected or observed during Fish Slam November 2019 Native species, along with two non-native species (grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella and butterfly peacock bass, Cichla ocellaris), were returned to the wild alive per the requirements of our scientific collectors’ permit. All field observations of non-native species were entered into the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.
Participants of the November 2019 Fish Slam
The participants of the November 2019 Fish Chat and Slam were: Lad Akins (Frost Museum), Mark Barton (FIU), Josh Bauer (USACE), Kate Bemis (VIMS), Ken Blick (USFWS), Chelsea Bohaty (USACE), Tony Brady (USFWS), Mary Brown (USGS), Jorge Buening (USFWS), Shawn Clem (Audubon), Andy Dehart (Frost Museum), Cedric Doolittle (USFWS), Allison Durland Donahue (UF), Deb Epperson (USGS), Jessica Fair (USACE), Peter Flood (FIU), Jonathan Freedman (CNT), John Galvez (USFWS), Kelly Gestring (FWC), Sam Goss (Audubon), Lee Grove (FWC), Scott Heidler (Frost Museum), Jeff Hill (UF), Eric Hilton (VIMS), Howard Jelks (USGS), Brenna Kays (FIU), Jeff Kline (NPS), Jon Lane (USACE), Bill Loftus (CNT), Ian Markovich (USACE), Lee Martin (Audubon), Cayla Morningstar (CNT), Jon Moore (FAU), Ian Pfingsten (USGS), Justin Procopio (CNT), Zach Ransom (Frost Museum), Jacob Rasner (Frost Museum), Kristen Reaver (USGS), Rob Robins (FM), Guido Herrera Rodriguez (FIU), Sorilis Ruiz-Escobar (FM), Kahlil Russell (VIMS), Pam Schofield (USGS), Randy Singer (UMMZ), Gabe Somarriba (FM), Kyle Thayer (UF), Joel Trexler (FIU), Nick Trippel (FWC), Quenton Tuckett (UF), and Vanessa Trujillo (Deering Estate).
Institutional acronyms: CNT – Cherokee Nation Technologies; FAU- Florida Atlantic University; FIU – Florida International University; FM – Florida Museum; FWC – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; 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 Kelly Gestring (FWC) who served as field coordinator, Barron Moody (FWC) for assistance with permits, and the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science for hosting Fish Chat.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
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.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. - News
- Partners