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Fish Health in the St. Lucie Estuarine SystemPoster presented May 1999, at the South Florida Restoration Science Forum
Poster presented by: Patti Sime, SFWMD
Photos by Michael Kandrashoff For decades, fish with lesions, ulcers, hemorrhages, fin erosion, skeletal or fin deformities, scale disorientation, or other problems have been observed in the St. Lucie Estuarine System. A growing literature supports the concept that the percent of fish exhibiting externally visible abnormalities such as these is indicative of water quality and the ecological health of the water in which they live.
Florida Marine Research Institute Study
Samplers: Florida Independent Fisheries Monitoring Group Start Date: March, 1998 Sampling Period: March-June Gear: Haul seines Design: Stratified random sampling Locations: Indian River Lagoon, St. Lucie Estuary, N. & S. Fork Total caught: 8,645 Total species: 82 Percent total abnormal: 2.3% Number of abnormal species: 22
(Click on maps for full-sized version.)
NOAA Fisheries Study
Samplers: Michael and Walter Kandrashoff Start date: November, 1996 Sampling period: Throughout the year, multiple years Gear: Hook and line Design: Fixed sites Locations: Mainly St. Lucie Inlet and nearshore reef, also St. Lucie River Total caught: Yr-1: 7,544, Yr-2: 4,501 Total species: Yr-1: 51, Yr-2: 49 Percent with lesions, ulcers, hemor., or fin erosion: Yr-1: 6.7%, Yr-2: 8.9% Species with lesions, ulcers, hemor., or fin erosion: Yr-1: 28, Yr-2: 29
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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal Geology This page is: http://sofia.usgs.gov/sfrsf/rooms/coastal/stlucie/fish/index.html Comments and suggestions? Contact: Heather Henkel - Webmaster Last updated: 11 June, 2003 @ 10:47 AM (KP) |