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.
March 29-30, 2022 – Forty-two fish biologists from seven organizations participated in a two-day Fish Slam event in southwest Florida from Sarasota to Cape Coral. The Fish Slam participants sampled freshwater habitats for non-native fishes at 26 sites in March. Sampling gear included electrofishing boats, backpack electrofishers, and dipnets. Fourteen species of non-native fishes were collected or observed.
For general information on Fish Slam events, please see the webpage for the Florida Non-native Fish Action Alliance.
Fish Slam events started in 2012 and have since successfully documented range expansions of non-native fishes and fostered collaboration between professionals from multiple agencies/universities/non-profits (Schofield 2020). The most recent event had the greatest number of participants and largest fleet of electrofishing boats in Fish Slam history.
One koi, Cyprinus rubrofuscus, was collected in North Port. The species is collected occasionally throughout the state but was the first occurrence from this locality.
For the first time in Florida, a tire track eel, Mastacembelus favus, was collected live from the wild. After a review of museum collections, it is also likely that these are the first confirmed records collected from the wild in the United States. During Fish Slam, one team collected two specimens from a site in Cape Coral of tire track eel, which is native to southeast Asia. This family of fishes is common in the aquarium trade and valuable as a food fish in their native range. Follow up sampling was performed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Data from these collections are available in the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database. All field observations of non-native species were entered into the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Dorosoma cepedianum | gizzard shad |
| Ctenophyngodon idella | grass carp |
| Cyprinus rubrofuscus | koi |
| Chitala ornata | clown knifefish |
| Pterygoplichthys spp. | sailfin catfish |
| Clarias batrachus | walking catfish |
| Monopterus javanensis | Asian swamp eel |
| Mastacembelus favus | tire track eel |
| Astronotus ocellatus | oscar |
| Cichla ocellaris | butterfly peacock cichlid |
| Mayaheros urophthalmus | Mayan cichlid |
| Hemichromis letourneuxi | African jewelfish |
| Oreochromis spp. | tilapia |
| Pelmatolapia mariae | spotted tilapia |
Native species were returned to the wild alive. Select specimens were preserved and cataloged at the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute’s Florida Biodiversity Collection Museum. The Mastacembelus favus specimen was cataloged at the Florida Museum (UF 248349).
The participants of the 2022 Fish Slam were: Chris Anderson (FWC), Josh Bauer (USACE), Arthur Bernhardt (FWC), Jesse Blanchard (FIU), Chelsea Bohaty (USACE), Mary Brown (USGS), Chelsea Buescher (FWC), Matthew Bunting (UF), Wes Daniel (USGS), Cedric Doolittle (USFWS), Kirk Dunn (FWC), Jake Edwards (USACE), Deb Epperson (USGS), Katie Everett (UF), Steven Fortney (FIU), John Galvez (USFWS), Kelly Gestring (FWC), Zoey Hendrickson (UF/USGS), Brian Hutchinson (FWC), Howard Jelks (USGS), Eric Johnson (FWC), Jon Lane (USACE), Ashley McDonald (UF/USGS), Sara Menendez (FWC), Jen Moran (FWC), Cayla Morningstar (USGS), Matt Neilson (USGS), Dan Nelson (FWC), Jason O’Connor (FWC), Bob O’Horo (FWC), Eddie Perri (USFWS), Eric Post (FWC), Doug Richard (FWC), Pam Schofield (USGS), Adrian Stanfill (FWC), Matt Stevens (FWC), Davis Todd (FWC), Nick Trippel (FWC), Quenton Tuckett (UF), Cindy Williams (USFWS).
Institutional acronyms: FIU – Florida International University; FWC – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; UF – University of Florida; USACE – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; USFWS – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; USGS – U.S. Geological Survey
We are grateful to our professional colleagues who volunteered to make Fish Slam successful and fun. Special thanks to Barron Moody, Eric Johnson, and Adam Brown (FWC) for assistance with permits for these sampling events and Larry Page and Rob Robins (Florida Museum) for expert identification of new species.
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 - Fall 2016
Fish Slam - Spring 2016
Fish Slam 2015
Fish Slam 2014
- Overview
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.
March 29-30, 2022 – Forty-two fish biologists from seven organizations participated in a two-day Fish Slam event in southwest Florida from Sarasota to Cape Coral. The Fish Slam participants sampled freshwater habitats for non-native fishes at 26 sites in March. Sampling gear included electrofishing boats, backpack electrofishers, and dipnets. Fourteen species of non-native fishes were collected or observed.
For general information on Fish Slam events, please see the webpage for the Florida Non-native Fish Action Alliance.
Fish Slam events started in 2012 and have since successfully documented range expansions of non-native fishes and fostered collaboration between professionals from multiple agencies/universities/non-profits (Schofield 2020). The most recent event had the greatest number of participants and largest fleet of electrofishing boats in Fish Slam history.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Fish Slam sample locations in southwest Florida One koi, Cyprinus rubrofuscus, was collected in North Port. The species is collected occasionally throughout the state but was the first occurrence from this locality.
For the first time in Florida, a tire track eel, Mastacembelus favus, was collected live from the wild. After a review of museum collections, it is also likely that these are the first confirmed records collected from the wild in the United States. During Fish Slam, one team collected two specimens from a site in Cape Coral of tire track eel, which is native to southeast Asia. This family of fishes is common in the aquarium trade and valuable as a food fish in their native range. Follow up sampling was performed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Data from these collections are available in the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database. All field observations of non-native species were entered into the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.
Non-native fishes collected or observed during Fish Slam 2022 Scientific Name Common Name Dorosoma cepedianum gizzard shad Ctenophyngodon idella grass carp Cyprinus rubrofuscus koi Chitala ornata clown knifefish Pterygoplichthys spp. sailfin catfish Clarias batrachus walking catfish Monopterus javanensis Asian swamp eel Mastacembelus favus tire track eel Astronotus ocellatus oscar Cichla ocellaris butterfly peacock cichlid Mayaheros urophthalmus Mayan cichlid Hemichromis letourneuxi African jewelfish Oreochromis spp. tilapia Pelmatolapia mariae spotted tilapia Native species were returned to the wild alive. Select specimens were preserved and cataloged at the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute’s Florida Biodiversity Collection Museum. The Mastacembelus favus specimen was cataloged at the Florida Museum (UF 248349).
The participants of the 2022 Fish Slam were: Chris Anderson (FWC), Josh Bauer (USACE), Arthur Bernhardt (FWC), Jesse Blanchard (FIU), Chelsea Bohaty (USACE), Mary Brown (USGS), Chelsea Buescher (FWC), Matthew Bunting (UF), Wes Daniel (USGS), Cedric Doolittle (USFWS), Kirk Dunn (FWC), Jake Edwards (USACE), Deb Epperson (USGS), Katie Everett (UF), Steven Fortney (FIU), John Galvez (USFWS), Kelly Gestring (FWC), Zoey Hendrickson (UF/USGS), Brian Hutchinson (FWC), Howard Jelks (USGS), Eric Johnson (FWC), Jon Lane (USACE), Ashley McDonald (UF/USGS), Sara Menendez (FWC), Jen Moran (FWC), Cayla Morningstar (USGS), Matt Neilson (USGS), Dan Nelson (FWC), Jason O’Connor (FWC), Bob O’Horo (FWC), Eddie Perri (USFWS), Eric Post (FWC), Doug Richard (FWC), Pam Schofield (USGS), Adrian Stanfill (FWC), Matt Stevens (FWC), Davis Todd (FWC), Nick Trippel (FWC), Quenton Tuckett (UF), Cindy Williams (USFWS).
Institutional acronyms: FIU – Florida International University; FWC – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; UF – University of Florida; USACE – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; USFWS – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; USGS – U.S. Geological Survey
We are grateful to our professional colleagues who volunteered to make Fish Slam successful and fun. Special thanks to Barron Moody, Eric Johnson, and Adam Brown (FWC) for assistance with permits for these sampling events and Larry Page and Rob Robins (Florida Museum) for expert identification of new species.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Photo gallery for Southwest Florida Fish Slam – Spring 202. Forty-two fish biologists from seven organizations participated in the two-day Fish slam event in southwest Florida from Sarasota to Cape Coral. - Science
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 - 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