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Restoring Florida’s Shoal Bass Population: Post-Hurricane Michael



Shoal Bass (Micropterus cataractae) are one of Florida’s native black bass and are listed as a species of greatest conservation need by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The Chipola River is a tributary of the Apalachicola River and home to the only naturally reproducing population of shoal bass known to exist in the state of Florida. Due to being habitat specialists, shoal bass tend to have low population density in rivers where suitable habitat is limited. In 2018, Hurricane Michael depleted more than 90% of the shoal bass population in the Chipola River. As a direct management action following the hurricane, the FWC passed an Executive Order that suspended harvest and possession of shoal bass, that EO was later adopted into rule and remains in place today. FWC freshwater fisheries biologists and managers have successfully released over 11,000 hatchery-raised shoal bass fingerlings into the Chipola River. This effort marks the first time genetically pure shoal bass have been successfully raised in an FWC fish hatchery. The goal of raising and releasing these fish is to enhance the wild population of shoal bass to help maintain the population’s genetic purity and aid in the long-term conservation of this unique species of Florida black bass.
Learn More: https://myfwc.com/research/about/archive/shoal-bass/

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