The William R. Mote Memorial Invitational
Snook Shindig '10
 SEPTEMBER 2010 UPDATE: The Snook Research Tournament portion of the Shindig has been CANCELLED due to the extension of the closed season for snook fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, Everglades Natiional Park and Monroe County (the Florida Keys). >The Teach-a-Kid-Fishing Clinic at Mote Aquaculture Research Park — which includes fishing for snook in a freshwater pond — will go forward. >Click here for more information and current snook fishing rules from Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Loss of habitat, increased fishing pressure and the occasional Florida freeze — like the most recent one in January 2010 — have played a role in the decline in snook numbers since the 1950s. Mote Marine Lab has been working on scientifically and environmentally sound methods to help restore depleted snook populations and raise their numbers in the wild since the 1990s. The Snook Shindig provides an opportunity for the community to learn more about fishing, fish conservation and effective fisheries-management, and to have an active role in William R. Mote's dream of being able to replenish snook populations. Scientists at Mote first released hatchery-reared snook into the wild in 1997 and have since tagged and released more than 52,000 fish in Sarasota-area waters. Mote and its research partner, Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, have the only snook stock enhancement research program in the world. To document how Mote-raised snook are contributing to the fishery, we created the William R. Mote Memorial Invitational Snook Shindig. (Click to download a printable PDF.) Now in its 12th year, this special research tournament and free kids fishing clinic provides important outreach to the community to help anglers learn about Mote fisheries research and fish conservation, while allowing scientists to gather additional evidence about hatchery snook contribution rates in the fishery and about snook population size and movements in Sarasota Bay. Snook caught during the tournament are checked for coded wire tags by Mote researchers. The tags help us determine the fish's location, date and size at release and allow us to see what happens over time — which makes for improved release techniques. The Snook Shindig has shown that stocked hatchery-reared snook are contributing to the fishery in Sarasota Bay. And changes that we've made to our snook release strategies (based in-part on tournament results) have improved survival of our stocked snook by as much as 200 percent. Snook Shindig '10
Snook Highlights In 2007 at Mote Aquaculture Research Park, Mote became the first research group to mature snook in a controlled environment and induce them to spawn in captivity — a full two months before the regular spawning season in the wild. Spawning snook in captivity is crucial for large-scale production of snook to help replenish wild stocks through a comprehensive stock enhancement program. Later in 2007, Mote and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released 3,000 snook into area waters. The release marked the first time that wild snook were held in captivity, matured to spawn, and their offspring raised and then released. To date, recaptured more than 1,600 of the 52,000 tagged and released hatchery-reared snook. The stocked snook, which were all identified with coded wire tags, tell us about the growth, survival, movement patterns and habitat use of snook that were raised and released by Mote and our partners. Hatchery-reared snook make up from 1 percent to 3 percent of the total local snook population. The largest recovered snook was 34 inches long and the oldest was age 8. These results mean that the snook released by Mote are surviving to spawning age and have the potential to help replenish wild stocks. Juvenile snook need a variety of different habitat types to grow through adulthood. The habitat juveniles live in has a strong influence on the later stages of their lives. These results point to the strong need to protect habitat in addition to having restocking programs and fishing regulations. Don't be the one that got away We're all about promoting sustainable fishing practices. Yes, it's an ambitious program and yes, we're on the hook for a lot. But you can help. Please donate today.  |
Mote Marine Laboratory has been a leader in marine research since it was founded in 1955. Today, we incorporate public outreach as a key part of our mission. Mote is an independent nonprofit organization and has seven centers for marine research, the public Mote Aquarium and an Education Division specializing in public programs for all ages.
