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 nonnative fishes, providing unique access to specimens for these institutions.
Fifty-eight biologists from 10 organizations participated in a two-day Fish Slam event on May 4-5, 2023. The event took place in Manatee, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties where 32 freshwater sites were sampled for nonnative fishes. Sampling gear included electrofishing boats, backpack electrofishers, a barge electrofisher which is a small flat bottom barge used sample areas too shallow for boats to access, minnow traps, cast nets, seines, dipnets, and hook and line. Eighteen species of nonnative fishes were collected or observed. This is the fifteenth Fish Slam event since the program began in 2013.
Biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) checked a pond in Manatee County that had a previously established snakehead population that was eradicated after detection by FWC and partners (Nico et al. 2022). Two years post eradication, no snakeheads were detected in the waterbody or surrounding area.
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 nonnative fishes, providing unique access to specimens for these institutions. Representatives from the Florida Museum, Louisiana State University Museum of Science, and the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute participated in this Fish Slam. Nonnative fishes were tissue-sampled for DNA collections, and then preserved for future research. Data from these collections are available in publicly accessible databases, such as Florida Museum Specify Web Portal. Other fishes collected will be used as teaching specimens for students at Florida Southern College.
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Ctenopharyngodon idella | grass carp |
| Hoplosternum littorale | brown hoplo |
| Pterygoplichthys spp. | sailfin catfishes |
| Clarias batrachus | walking catfish |
| Belonesox belizanus | pike killfish |
| Xiphophorus hellerii | green swordtail |
| Xiphophorus maculatus | Southern platyfish |
| Monopterus javanensis | Asian swamp eel |
| Misgurnus anguillicaudatus | pond loach |
| Cichlasoma dimerus | chanchita |
| Hemichromis letourneuxi | African jewelfish |
| Herichthys cyanoguttatus | Rio Grande cichlid |
| Mayaheros urophthalmus | Mayan cichlid |
| Oreochromis sp. | tilapia |
| Pelmatolapia mariae | spotted tilapia |
| Rocio octofasciata | Jack Dempsey |
| Sarotherodon melanotheron | blackchin tilapia |
| Vieja melanura | redhead chichlid |
Native species, along with one nonnative species (grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella), that were caught during Fish Slam were returned to the wild alive per the requirements of our scientific collectors’ permit. All field observations of nonnative species were entered into the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database (http://nas.er.usgs.gov)
Participants of the Spring 2023 Fish Slam
Art Bernhardt (FWC), Jesse Blanchard (FIU), Destiny Beltran (FWC), Chelsea Bohaty (USACE), David Boyd (LSU), Duangsamorn Boyd (LSU), Mary Brown (USGS), Delaney Carey (FSC), Jamie Casteel (FWC), Kelly Chase (UF), Eric Coburn (FSC), Wes Daniel (USGS), Emily Dean (CNT), Brady Dickerson (FWC), Kirk Dunn (FWC), Allison Durland Donahou (FSC), Cedric Doolittle (USFWS), Jake Edwards (USACE), KristieRae Ellis (FWC), Katie Everett (UF), Skippy Fair (USACE), Jonathan Freedman (CNT), John Galvez (USFWS), Kelly Gestring (FWC), Alyse Gonzalez (FSC), Madeleine Hamlin (LSU), Tim Harris (USACE), Jeff Hill (UF), Brady Huber (FSC), Kirsten Humphries (FWC), Brian Hutchinson (FWC), Howard Jelks, Eric Johnson (FWC), Matt Kail, Molly Kennedy (FSC), Kaitlin Kovacs (USGS), Jon Lane (USACE), Rachel Liebman (FWC), Sam McPherson (FWC), Jen Moran (FWC), Cayla Morningstar (USGS), Matt Neilson (USGS), Dan Nelson (FWC), Kenneth Ostrand (USFWS), Rafet Ozturk (LSU), Paolo Pecora (FWC), Eddie Perri (USFWS), Ian Pfingsten (USGS), Eric Post (FWC-FWRI), Sierra Robertson (FSC), Rob Robins (FM), Sheila Rodriguez-Machado (LSU), Sierra Schaefer (FSC), Daniel Sinopoli (LSU), Madison Sinopoli (LSU), Andrew Strope (FSC), Nick Trippel (FWC), and Quenton Tuckett (UF)
Institutional acronyms: CNT – Cherokee Nation Technologies; FIU – Florida International University; FM – Florida Museum; FSC – Florida Southern College; FWC – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; FWRI – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute; LSU – Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science; 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 their time and efforts to make Fish Slam successful. Special thanks to Eric Johnson (FWC) for assistance with permits and Jeff Hill with the UF/IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Lab for providing a spectacular check-in location.
Fish Chat and Slam December 2022
Southwest Florida Fish Slam – Spring 2022
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
Fish Slam - Fall 2016
Fish Slam - Spring 2016
Fish Slam 2015
Fish Slam 2014
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 nonnative fishes, providing unique access to specimens for these institutions.
Fifty-eight biologists from 10 organizations participated in a two-day Fish Slam event on May 4-5, 2023. The event took place in Manatee, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties where 32 freshwater sites were sampled for nonnative fishes. Sampling gear included electrofishing boats, backpack electrofishers, a barge electrofisher which is a small flat bottom barge used sample areas too shallow for boats to access, minnow traps, cast nets, seines, dipnets, and hook and line. Eighteen species of nonnative fishes were collected or observed. This is the fifteenth Fish Slam event since the program began in 2013.
Biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) checked a pond in Manatee County that had a previously established snakehead population that was eradicated after detection by FWC and partners (Nico et al. 2022). Two years post eradication, no snakeheads were detected in the waterbody or surrounding area.
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 nonnative fishes, providing unique access to specimens for these institutions. Representatives from the Florida Museum, Louisiana State University Museum of Science, and the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute participated in this Fish Slam. Nonnative fishes were tissue-sampled for DNA collections, and then preserved for future research. Data from these collections are available in publicly accessible databases, such as Florida Museum Specify Web Portal. Other fishes collected will be used as teaching specimens for students at Florida Southern College.
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Ctenopharyngodon idella | grass carp |
| Hoplosternum littorale | brown hoplo |
| Pterygoplichthys spp. | sailfin catfishes |
| Clarias batrachus | walking catfish |
| Belonesox belizanus | pike killfish |
| Xiphophorus hellerii | green swordtail |
| Xiphophorus maculatus | Southern platyfish |
| Monopterus javanensis | Asian swamp eel |
| Misgurnus anguillicaudatus | pond loach |
| Cichlasoma dimerus | chanchita |
| Hemichromis letourneuxi | African jewelfish |
| Herichthys cyanoguttatus | Rio Grande cichlid |
| Mayaheros urophthalmus | Mayan cichlid |
| Oreochromis sp. | tilapia |
| Pelmatolapia mariae | spotted tilapia |
| Rocio octofasciata | Jack Dempsey |
| Sarotherodon melanotheron | blackchin tilapia |
| Vieja melanura | redhead chichlid |
Native species, along with one nonnative species (grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella), that were caught during Fish Slam were returned to the wild alive per the requirements of our scientific collectors’ permit. All field observations of nonnative species were entered into the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database (http://nas.er.usgs.gov)
Participants of the Spring 2023 Fish Slam
Art Bernhardt (FWC), Jesse Blanchard (FIU), Destiny Beltran (FWC), Chelsea Bohaty (USACE), David Boyd (LSU), Duangsamorn Boyd (LSU), Mary Brown (USGS), Delaney Carey (FSC), Jamie Casteel (FWC), Kelly Chase (UF), Eric Coburn (FSC), Wes Daniel (USGS), Emily Dean (CNT), Brady Dickerson (FWC), Kirk Dunn (FWC), Allison Durland Donahou (FSC), Cedric Doolittle (USFWS), Jake Edwards (USACE), KristieRae Ellis (FWC), Katie Everett (UF), Skippy Fair (USACE), Jonathan Freedman (CNT), John Galvez (USFWS), Kelly Gestring (FWC), Alyse Gonzalez (FSC), Madeleine Hamlin (LSU), Tim Harris (USACE), Jeff Hill (UF), Brady Huber (FSC), Kirsten Humphries (FWC), Brian Hutchinson (FWC), Howard Jelks, Eric Johnson (FWC), Matt Kail, Molly Kennedy (FSC), Kaitlin Kovacs (USGS), Jon Lane (USACE), Rachel Liebman (FWC), Sam McPherson (FWC), Jen Moran (FWC), Cayla Morningstar (USGS), Matt Neilson (USGS), Dan Nelson (FWC), Kenneth Ostrand (USFWS), Rafet Ozturk (LSU), Paolo Pecora (FWC), Eddie Perri (USFWS), Ian Pfingsten (USGS), Eric Post (FWC-FWRI), Sierra Robertson (FSC), Rob Robins (FM), Sheila Rodriguez-Machado (LSU), Sierra Schaefer (FSC), Daniel Sinopoli (LSU), Madison Sinopoli (LSU), Andrew Strope (FSC), Nick Trippel (FWC), and Quenton Tuckett (UF)
Institutional acronyms: CNT – Cherokee Nation Technologies; FIU – Florida International University; FM – Florida Museum; FSC – Florida Southern College; FWC – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; FWRI – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute; LSU – Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science; 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 their time and efforts to make Fish Slam successful. Special thanks to Eric Johnson (FWC) for assistance with permits and Jeff Hill with the UF/IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Lab for providing a spectacular check-in location.