WEBVTT 00:03.136 --> 00:04.037 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% Florida. 00:04.137 --> 00:07.674 align:left position:17.5%,start line:89% size:72.5% It s an angler s paradise. 00:07.774 --> 00:11.211 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Florida likes to think that we are the sport fish capital of the world. 00:11.311 --> 00:18.351 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% The value of recreational fisheries in Florida overall is around $12 billion a year. 00:18.451 --> 00:23.423 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Tarpon and snook are two of the prized game fish the sunshine state is famous for. 00:23.523 --> 00:27.560 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% There s a couple of reasons that tarpon are so enticing. 00:27.660 --> 00:29.329 align:left position:17.5%,start line:89% size:72.5% One is their massive size. 00:29.429 --> 00:34.701 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% They can grow upwards to 250 pounds, almost over seven feet long. 00:34.801 --> 00:38.271 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% It s a fish that migrates great distances. 00:38.371 --> 00:40.473 align:left position:87.5%,start line:89% size:2.5% They live for a really long time. 00:40.573 --> 00:41.741 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% He s big. 00:41.841 --> 00:45.345 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% He jumps, it s kind of like almost the perfect fish. 00:45.445 --> 00:48.615 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The adrenaline rush of it just really makes it super exciting. 00:48.715 --> 00:50.884 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% And a lot of fun. 00:50.984 --> 00:53.686 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The great thing about snook is that they re ambush predators. 00:53.787 --> 00:57.657 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% So no matter what you re using to fish, you re going to see a show. 00:57.757 --> 01:03.463 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% It s so much fun to catch a snook, you ll see the bite and then they ll be airborne 01:03.563 --> 01:06.299 align:left position:25%,start line:89% size:65% just like a tarpon. 01:06.399 --> 01:09.669 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% Without them Florida wouldn t be the same. 01:09.769 --> 01:16.709 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% When they are young, both tarpon and snook rely on murky mangrove-lined tidal creeks 01:16.810 --> 01:19.312 align:left position:22.5%,start line:89% size:67.5% and backcountry ponds. 01:19.412 --> 01:22.315 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% I would call them essential fish habitat. 01:22.415 --> 01:27.020 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Clearly as more and more people come here and it gets more and more developed, these 01:27.120 --> 01:30.056 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% kinds of areas are going away. 01:30.156 --> 01:35.695 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Mangrove forests are inhospitable to humans, and with nearly a thousand people moving to 01:35.795 --> 01:42.168 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Florida every day, many have given way to coastal development. 01:42.268 --> 01:49.709 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The biggest threats to coastal fisheries are habitat loss and degradation. 01:49.809 --> 01:54.347 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Even with snook and tarpon being mostly catch and release, we re still seeing declines. 01:54.447 --> 01:59.018 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% What that tells us is it s much more than people fishing. 01:59.119 --> 02:05.058 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% Habitat is absolutely crucial. 02:05.158 --> 02:12.065 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% How do scientists study the habitat juvenile snook and tarpon need to thrive? 02:12.165 --> 02:40.827 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% And can habitat restoration help ensure the future of the fisheries? 02:40.927 --> 02:46.566 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Major funding for this program was provided by The Batchelor Foundation, encouraging people 02:46.666 --> 02:52.438 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% to preserve and protect America s underwater resources. 02:52.539 --> 02:58.811 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Additional funding was provided in loving memory of David G. Parrot, by the Parrot Family 02:58.912 --> 03:10.423 align:left position:82.5%,start line:89% size:7.5% Endowment for Environmental Education 03:10.523 --> 03:19.165 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% In Charlotte Harbor, on Florida s southwest coast, tarpon is king. 03:19.265 --> 03:24.370 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Charlotte Harbor is home to Boca Grande, which is the world-renowned tarpon capital of the 03:24.470 --> 03:25.371 align:left position:42.5%,start line:89% size:47.5% world. 03:25.471 --> 03:27.173 align:left position:22.5%,start line:89% size:67.5% We have so many fish. 03:27.273 --> 03:31.878 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% In 2010, there was an economic study that found that just locals fishing for tarpon, 03:31.978 --> 03:37.350 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% so not including guides or people coming in from other states, equated to $110 million 03:37.450 --> 03:40.753 align:left position:70%,start line:89% size:20% annually that was put right into this community. 03:40.853 --> 03:46.125 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% And it s not just Boca Grande Pass that attracts anglers to this area. 03:46.226 --> 03:51.431 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Miles of shallow mangrove creeks and flats are a favorite with fishermen as well. 03:51.531 --> 03:53.866 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% It s just a phenomenal place. 03:53.967 --> 03:58.071 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% If you close your eyes for 30 seconds, you could be completely lost if you don t know 03:58.171 --> 03:59.739 align:left position:25%,start line:89% size:65% where you re going. 03:59.839 --> 04:03.276 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% And that to me is what I really love is getting in the back country like this. 04:03.376 --> 04:17.423 align:left position:85%,start line:89% size:5% And just being in that raw Florida. 04:17.523 --> 04:24.998 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Since 1989 biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC, 04:25.098 --> 04:34.340 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% Charlotte Harbor Lab have tracked the abundance of recreational sport fishes and their prey. 04:34.440 --> 04:40.179 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% This Fisheries Independent Monitoring Program consists of year-round, monthly sampling in 04:40.280 --> 04:41.681 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% Charlotte Harbor. 04:41.781 --> 04:44.784 align:left position:82.5%,start line:89% size:7.5% We are a long-term monitoring program. 04:44.884 --> 04:51.257 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Our sampling protocols stay the same so that we can track trends in populations over time. 04:51.357 --> 04:59.132 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% In Charlotte Harbor every month we re pulling roughly 120 nets. 04:59.232 --> 05:05.338 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Since 2015 the scientists are also setting seine nets in tidal creeks that are important 05:05.438 --> 05:09.008 align:left position:80%,start line:89% size:10% nurseries for juvenile snook and tarpon. 05:09.108 --> 05:15.848 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We set the seine net in a semi-circle along the shoreline with one person at one end, 05:15.948 --> 05:20.053 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% and then the other person at the other end, they will walk along the shore until they 05:20.153 --> 05:21.621 align:left position:42.5%,start line:89% size:47.5% meet. 05:21.721 --> 05:24.357 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% And then they will pull that net in and we will see what we ve caught. 05:24.457 --> 05:38.871 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% We have snook here, this fish is probably about a year old, we measure in standard length 05:38.971 --> 05:44.143 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% which is to the end of the vertical column right here, so this fish is 306 millimeters 05:44.243 --> 05:51.284 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% standard length, fork length is 352 and the total length is 387. 05:51.384 --> 05:56.522 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% We will identify all of the sport fish and select invertebrates. 05:56.622 --> 06:05.998 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% And then we will measure most of them, and we release them. 06:06.099 --> 06:08.034 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Our sites are randomly selected. 06:08.134 --> 06:13.506 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We re not going out to spots where fishermen know that there s snook or that there s 06:13.606 --> 06:14.540 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% no snook. 06:14.640 --> 06:20.179 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% We are trying to cover the entire estuary. 06:20.279 --> 06:24.751 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% And then we re stratifying by habitat type to make sure that we re sampling in a variety 06:24.851 --> 06:30.189 align:left position:75%,start line:89% size:15% of habitats that these sport fish are using. 06:30.289 --> 06:39.098 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% This includes remote mangrove-lined ponds which are difficult to reach. 06:39.198 --> 06:58.484 align:left position:80%,start line:89% size:10% We caught 11 tarpon and 6 Mayan cyclids. 06:58.584 --> 07:01.654 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% All the tarpon were all young of the year fish. 07:01.754 --> 07:10.062 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% What we do at each site is record the type of mangrove and how inundated these mangroves 07:10.163 --> 07:21.374 align:left position:15%,start line:89% size:75% are at the time of sampling. 07:21.474 --> 07:26.813 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The juvenile fish find their way into these backcountry waters in the summertime after 07:26.913 --> 07:33.486 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% the adult tarpon spawn offshore, and the adult snook spawn along beaches and the inlets to 07:33.586 --> 07:35.154 align:left position:32.5%,start line:89% size:57.5% the estuaries. 07:35.254 --> 07:39.358 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% That s when we have our rainy season and that s when we have our highest tides. 07:39.459 --> 07:46.199 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% So, the larvae will ride those tides up the tidal creeks, and then they will swim to the 07:46.299 --> 07:48.034 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% headwaters of the tidal creeks. 07:48.134 --> 07:54.040 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% And they will swim around the mangrove roots to get into these back ponds, pretty much 07:54.140 --> 07:57.410 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% as far back into the landscape as they can go. 07:57.510 --> 08:03.483 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% There s a vast mangrove forest that separates these ponds from the creek. 08:03.583 --> 08:09.222 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% So, there s just a small amount of water that connects these coastal ponds to the tidal 08:09.322 --> 08:10.957 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% creeks. 08:11.057 --> 08:17.797 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% They re looking for shallow habitat with protection from predators and an abundance 08:17.897 --> 08:19.332 align:left position:32.5%,start line:89% size:57.5% of prey fish. 08:19.432 --> 08:26.472 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% They also, when they are juveniles, can tolerate low oxygen water. 08:26.572 --> 08:32.178 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Some of these remote ponds are completely cut off from the estuary during the dry season, 08:32.278 --> 08:39.218 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% giving juvenile fish a chance to outgrow predators that await them once access to the creek is 08:39.318 --> 08:46.526 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% restored. 08:46.626 --> 08:51.631 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Another group studying tarpon and snook in the backcountry is the Bonefish and Tarpon 08:51.731 --> 08:53.399 align:left position:42.5%,start line:89% size:47.5% Trust. 08:53.499 --> 08:57.069 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% It s estimated that we ve lost about 50 percent of our mangrove habitat in Florida. 08:57.169 --> 09:01.574 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% So, when you put it in terms of juvenile habitat, you ve lost about 50 percent of your juvenile 09:01.674 --> 09:03.509 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% habitat. 09:03.609 --> 09:08.114 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% To the extent that overall population of tarpon and snook is dependent on the amount of juvenile 09:08.214 --> 09:13.386 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% habitat, we ll never, ever have as big a population of those species as occurred a 09:13.486 --> 09:15.054 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% hundred years ago. 09:15.154 --> 09:19.292 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% We ve been spending decades managing the fishermen and we ve been losing habitat, 09:19.392 --> 09:22.261 align:left position:80%,start line:89% size:10% and that s why fisheries are declining. 09:22.361 --> 09:25.665 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% You could take every human out of here, take every boat out of here. 09:25.765 --> 09:27.300 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% If you lost the habitat. 09:27.400 --> 09:29.368 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% You ve lost the fishery. 09:29.468 --> 09:33.439 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% One of the things that a lot of people don t understand about fisheries management is that 09:33.539 --> 09:37.310 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% it s entirely about how many fish are harvested, what their growth rates might be, and how 09:37.410 --> 09:39.111 align:left position:15%,start line:89% size:75% many are left in the water. 09:39.211 --> 09:44.050 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% There s a real recognition of the need for habitat management as a part of fisheries 09:44.150 --> 09:45.051 align:left position:35%,start line:89% size:55% management. 09:45.151 --> 09:47.019 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% It just hasn t been implemented. 09:47.119 --> 09:53.526 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% And we re at the point where if we don t implement it, the game s over. 09:53.626 --> 09:58.864 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% There are many steps that would need to be taken to make the leap to ecosystem-based 09:58.965 --> 10:03.336 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% management, and we re currently at the beginning phases of that. 10:03.436 --> 10:06.172 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% We are collecting the fish data. 10:06.272 --> 10:14.447 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% We re also collecting data on the types of habitats they are using. 10:14.547 --> 10:17.583 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% We are relaying that information to the fisheries managers. 10:17.683 --> 10:23.222 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We think that working with FWC on snook and tarpon, because we know a lot about their 10:23.322 --> 10:25.291 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% habitat use, will teach us how to do that. 10:25.391 --> 10:31.030 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% So as new development happens or as different zoning happens, it can incorporate the importance 10:31.130 --> 10:40.406 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% of the fisheries. 10:40.506 --> 10:48.481 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% In the meantime, the scientists are focusing on restoring impaired habitats. 10:48.581 --> 10:54.887 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% One such project focuses on an area known as Coral Creek on the Cape Haze peninsula, 10:54.987 --> 10:58.691 align:left position:80%,start line:89% size:10% just south of the community of Rotunda. 10:58.791 --> 11:04.230 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% This particular location was developed as residential community with saltwater access, 11:04.330 --> 11:08.834 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% which is why the footprint looks like a canal system that you would see in any other coastal 11:08.934 --> 11:10.403 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% community. 11:10.503 --> 11:15.141 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The development project started in the 1960s and ran out of funding. 11:15.241 --> 11:18.210 align:left position:87.5%,start line:89% size:2.5% So the canals were left abandoned. 11:18.310 --> 11:22.148 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Currently the state of Florida owns the land and it's managed by our Florida Department 11:22.248 --> 11:25.818 align:left position:85%,start line:89% size:5% of Environmental Protection or DEP. 11:25.918 --> 11:32.124 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The initial restoration plan was to fill in the canals and return the topography to pine 11:32.224 --> 11:34.460 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% flatwoods. 11:34.560 --> 11:41.500 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% But then a group of state employees discovered tarpon rolling in one of the abandoned canals. 11:41.600 --> 11:47.339 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Knowing this, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which is the agency tasked 11:47.440 --> 11:53.612 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% with carrying out the restoration, encouraged the biologists to come up with a new restoration 11:53.713 --> 11:57.416 align:left position:72.5%,start line:89% size:17.5% design that would be beneficial for the fish. 11:57.516 --> 12:02.021 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We brought the biologists together with the engineers. 12:02.121 --> 12:07.626 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Everybody realized that this was a really unique opportunity, we could set the different 12:07.727 --> 12:13.165 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% canals into an experimental design to test what characteristics of the habitats were 12:13.265 --> 12:16.635 align:left position:72.5%,start line:89% size:17.5% better for juvenile snook and juvenile tarpon. 12:16.736 --> 12:20.406 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Because we had six different canals to work with we decided to go with three different 12:20.506 --> 12:23.843 align:left position:72.5%,start line:89% size:17.5% design treatments and duplicate each of those. 12:23.943 --> 12:28.447 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% So two of the three designs have what we are referring to as a sill mouth. 12:28.547 --> 12:32.952 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% This means that the mouths of the canal are built up higher than the elevation of the 12:33.052 --> 12:34.854 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% rest of the canal. 12:34.954 --> 12:40.292 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% So that water is only flowing through during higher tide events or during storm surge events. 12:40.392 --> 12:44.130 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% What this does is prevent larger predators coming into these nursery habitats when the 12:44.230 --> 12:46.632 align:left position:87.5%,start line:89% size:2.5% juveniles are coming in as larvae. 12:46.732 --> 12:52.538 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We also wanted to look at depth of the water body because snook and tarpon tend to utilize 12:52.638 --> 12:55.541 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% slightly different sections of the ponds. 12:55.641 --> 12:59.512 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% The tarpon tend to hang out in the deeper holes and the snook tend to hang out more 12:59.612 --> 13:04.083 align:left position:17.5%,start line:89% size:72.5% at the edges of the marsh. 13:04.183 --> 13:10.489 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% So in one of the sill mouth treatments, we included a deep hole right after the sill 13:10.589 --> 13:13.325 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% with a shallow meandering creek behind it. 13:13.425 --> 13:16.796 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Now, the reason that we have the deep hole is because tarpon 13:16.896 --> 13:21.267 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% as the water gets colder on the surface, they can find warmer water down at the bottom of 13:21.367 --> 13:25.437 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% the hole, and vice versa, as it gets hot in the summer, they can cool off in the deep 13:25.538 --> 13:27.273 align:left position:42.5%,start line:89% size:47.5% hole. 13:27.373 --> 13:28.607 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Also there is some data that exists to show that they can go down into that deep hole 13:28.707 --> 13:30.442 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% kind of to evade the wading birds from picking them off. 13:30.543 --> 13:31.911 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% To test that deep hole theory, we created the second treatment to have the sill mouth, 13:32.011 --> 13:33.579 align:left position:17.5%,start line:89% size:72.5% but without the deep hole. 13:33.679 --> 13:38.217 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% So it's shallow throughout with the meandering creek system on the tail end. 13:38.317 --> 13:41.554 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% The third and final treatment lacks that sill mouth. 13:41.654 --> 13:43.823 align:left position:75%,start line:89% size:15% So the water is open and flowing year round. 13:43.923 --> 13:54.400 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% It also does have that deep hole again with the meandering creek system. 13:54.500 --> 14:00.806 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% To see how well the restoration is working, the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust scientists capture 14:00.906 --> 14:07.413 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% and tag tarpon and snook in all of the canals each month. 14:07.513 --> 14:12.284 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Each snook and tarpon that we capture we scan to see if it previously has a tag implanted. 14:12.384 --> 14:17.423 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% This one doesn t so we then measure the standard length, 251, which is to the end 14:17.523 --> 14:24.864 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% of the vertebral column, we measure fork length, this guy is 280 millimeters, since this guy 14:24.964 --> 14:26.832 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% doesn t have a tag we ll go and put one in. 14:26.932 --> 14:33.873 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% First, we pull a couple of scales, make an incision, pop the tag right into the abdominal 14:33.973 --> 14:38.844 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% cavity and then we let them go. 14:38.944 --> 14:43.315 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% These pit tags work just like the microchips used in pets. 14:43.415 --> 14:48.621 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Each tag has a unique ID number which the scientists record. 14:48.721 --> 14:54.393 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% By tagging the fish over a period of two years, the experts can determine how many tarpon 14:54.493 --> 14:58.797 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% and snook are present, if they survive, and how much they grow 14:58.898 --> 15:04.003 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% So, if we recapture a fish we are able to see how much it has grown from the time that 15:04.103 --> 15:07.172 align:left position:82.5%,start line:89% size:7.5% we tagged it to the time to recapture. 15:07.273 --> 15:11.710 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Growth is arguably one of the most important characteristics for a juvenile fish. 15:11.810 --> 15:15.080 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% As they get bigger, the more things they have available to eat and the fewer things are 15:15.180 --> 15:17.549 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% able to eat them. 15:17.650 --> 15:23.923 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Past research has shown fish grow faster when they have access to a diverse diet. 15:24.023 --> 15:29.128 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% We do lavage, or as we like to call it in the field, puke them, pump their stomachs. 15:29.228 --> 15:32.765 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% We can look at what they are eating and compare to what s in the creeks and see if they 15:32.865 --> 15:34.667 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% have a particular preference. 15:34.767 --> 15:40.372 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% Because what we ve found in the past is that altered habitats have fewer prey available 15:40.472 --> 15:46.345 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% and the snook in the natural habitats are eating twice as diverse a diet. 15:46.445 --> 15:52.184 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% So right here we have a sailfin molly, but there are also some larger scales here. 15:52.284 --> 15:56.588 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% We take all this back to the lab, we can look at the scales and figure out what type of 15:56.689 --> 16:02.962 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% fish it came from and we can use that to recreate the diet. 16:03.062 --> 16:08.867 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% The scientists also use the pit tags to track the movements of the fish. 16:08.968 --> 16:14.940 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% Inside the entrance of each canal is an underwater antenna array that can detect the implanted 16:15.040 --> 16:19.278 align:left position:75%,start line:89% size:15% pit tags and identify fish as they swim by. 16:19.378 --> 16:22.548 align:left position:72.5%,start line:89% size:17.5% Think of it as an automatic tollbooth system. 16:22.648 --> 16:28.053 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% These antenna arrays, they track the fishes movement in one canal, out the other canal. 16:28.153 --> 16:33.092 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We ll be able to see if it s more productive for them to be secluded or if they need that 16:33.192 --> 16:37.396 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% ability to swim in and out through the open mouths of the canals. 16:37.496 --> 16:41.800 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% We also have an antenna array system that connects to the open estuary, which gives 16:41.900 --> 16:45.204 align:left position:87.5%,start line:89% size:2.5% us the final tally on emigration. 16:45.304 --> 16:50.843 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% While the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust science team is targeting juvenile snook and tarpon 16:50.943 --> 16:58.450 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% in these restored canals, the F-W-C biologists count and measure all the fish found at the 16:58.550 --> 17:00.319 align:left position:42.5%,start line:89% size:47.5% site. 17:00.419 --> 17:04.790 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% We have a couple different species of mojarra, we have some stripped mojarra, some Irish 17:04.890 --> 17:09.228 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% pompano, we caught a Gulf killeyfish, sailfin molly, gambusia holbrooki. 17:09.328 --> 17:11.930 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% These are all important forage fish for juvenile snook and tarpon. 17:12.031 --> 17:16.435 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% And we also got a juvenile snook in here as well. 17:16.535 --> 17:22.307 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% He is a new recruit, young of the year juvenile snook. 17:22.408 --> 17:27.880 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Prior to the restoration, the Bonefish and Tarpon Trusts scientists conducted fish 17:27.980 --> 17:32.551 align:left position:72.5%,start line:89% size:17.5% sampling for 16 months at each of the canals. 17:32.651 --> 17:37.289 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% That way we can compare it before and after restoration to see which specific treatments 17:37.389 --> 17:40.259 align:left position:80%,start line:89% size:10% are more successful for nursery habitat. 17:40.359 --> 17:50.035 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% While it is too soon to say if the restoration is successful, the biologists are already 17:50.135 --> 17:53.005 align:left position:17.5%,start line:89% size:72.5% seeing encouraging signs. 17:53.105 --> 17:57.443 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% From the beginning juvenile snook and tarpon have recruited to these habitats. 17:57.543 --> 18:03.148 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% And there is an incredible amount of prey fish for them there. 18:03.248 --> 18:07.953 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We're seeing all of the same forage fish in the restored ponds as we're seeing in the 18:08.053 --> 18:09.822 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% natural habitats. 18:09.922 --> 18:14.660 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We're catching a lot more juvenile snook and tarpon than we were before the restoration. 18:14.760 --> 18:17.196 align:left position:80%,start line:89% size:10% So that suggests that it is successful. 18:17.296 --> 18:21.500 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% But it's not about the number of juvenile tarpon and snook you see in those creeks, 18:21.600 --> 18:25.204 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% it's how many survive to leave for the next life stage. 18:25.304 --> 18:30.309 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% So, if we see a lot of those fish going past the antenna and leaving those back country 18:30.409 --> 18:37.850 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% spots to join the adult population, then that's a success and that'll take a couple of years 18:37.950 --> 18:44.923 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% to figure it out. 18:45.023 --> 18:50.395 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% Tarpon and snook also occur on Florida s east coast, where the juveniles encounter 18:50.496 --> 18:53.265 align:left position:15%,start line:89% size:75% a unique set of challenges. 18:53.365 --> 19:00.806 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% There s very, very little left of a natural ecosystem in the Indian River Lagoon. 19:00.906 --> 19:05.377 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Compare this to Southwest Florida where a lot of the habitat is still relatively natural. 19:05.477 --> 19:11.984 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% The Indian River Lagoon most of its mangroves something like 85 percent are in impoundments. 19:12.084 --> 19:16.755 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% This entire area before the 1950s was known as mosquito country. 19:16.855 --> 19:19.091 align:left position:87.5%,start line:89% size:2.5% It was unlivable for most people. 19:19.191 --> 19:23.529 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% Before the impoundments were here the saltmarsh mosquitoes made life very challenging. 19:23.629 --> 19:30.202 align:left position:70%,start line:89% size:20% They would come up in literally in the billions. 19:30.302 --> 19:35.641 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Starting in the 1950s berms were built around the salt marshes and mangroves in this part 19:35.741 --> 19:41.980 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% of the state to help control rampant mosquito populations and make the region more habitable 19:42.080 --> 19:44.082 align:left position:35%,start line:89% size:55% for humans. 19:44.183 --> 19:50.722 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% They have these circular impoundments, when the water levels start going down they fill 19:50.822 --> 19:53.492 align:left position:25%,start line:89% size:65% them up with water. 19:53.592 --> 19:59.565 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% The salt marsh mosquito needs exposed mud to lay their eggs and to reproduce. 19:59.665 --> 20:05.938 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% And by having water in these impounded areas year-round, it essentially interrupts the 20:06.038 --> 20:10.108 align:left position:82.5%,start line:89% size:7.5% life cycle of the salt marsh mosquito. 20:10.209 --> 20:13.946 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% And it did a really good job of inhibiting mosquitos from breeding. 20:14.046 --> 20:20.552 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% There are well over a hundred mosquito control impoundments on the Indian River Lagoon. 20:20.652 --> 20:27.392 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% By the 1980s several scientists and managers realized the impoundments were nurseries for 20:27.492 --> 20:29.628 align:left position:17.5%,start line:89% size:72.5% much more than mosquitos. 20:29.728 --> 20:35.434 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% They are nurseries for tarpon, for snook, for all different kinds of fish species and 20:35.534 --> 20:41.707 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% isolating all of these nurseries was not good for the fish populations. 20:41.807 --> 20:48.547 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% So they came up with a project of putting culverts in and connecting these impoundments 20:48.647 --> 20:52.484 align:left position:17.5%,start line:89% size:72.5% back to the lagoon system. 20:52.584 --> 20:58.023 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% This made it possible for fish to move back and forth in the wintertime, when water levels 20:58.123 --> 21:00.892 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% are high. 21:00.993 --> 21:06.331 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Then in the summertime, they'd close off the gates, pump the impoundment full of water, 21:06.431 --> 21:09.067 align:left position:82.5%,start line:89% size:7.5% and now they could control mosquitoes. 21:09.167 --> 21:13.739 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% And they just assumed that as long as they had the impoundments open for much of the 21:13.839 --> 21:18.143 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% year, they served a perfectly good nursery function. 21:18.243 --> 21:22.881 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% About five years ago, we decided to really test that and see when and how do juvenile 21:22.981 --> 21:29.921 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% fish leave these impoundments and go back and join their regular population. 21:30.022 --> 21:35.861 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% To do so, the scientists teamed up with the Indian River Land Trust, which owns many of 21:35.961 --> 21:40.699 align:left position:65%,start line:83% size:25% the mangrove shorelines where mosquito impoundments can be found. 21:40.799 --> 21:47.472 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% To date the Land Trust has protected 1200 acres and 12 miles of lagoon shoreline. 21:47.572 --> 21:52.377 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% Probably about seven or 800 acres is in mosquito control impoundments. 21:52.477 --> 21:57.115 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% And each impoundment is managed by the Indian River Mosquito Control District. 21:57.215 --> 22:01.820 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% They're a great partner because they understand that science should always be looked at so 22:01.920 --> 22:06.358 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% that we can try to manage these impoundments the best way we can for the fish and wildlife 22:06.458 --> 22:09.394 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% habitat. 22:09.494 --> 22:15.167 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Past research is unaltered mangrove creeks showed that snook tended to leave their juvenile 22:15.267 --> 22:18.070 align:left position:22.5%,start line:89% size:67.5% habitat after a year. 22:18.170 --> 22:21.206 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Which is the next summer after those larvae came into the creeks. 22:21.306 --> 22:23.542 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% They didn t leave the creeks during the winter. 22:23.642 --> 22:28.780 align:left position:65%,start line:83% size:25% So that means that the impoundments are disconnected from the estuary when the juveniles needed 22:28.880 --> 22:30.816 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% to come and go. 22:30.916 --> 22:37.122 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% Knowing this, the scientists set up an experiment at the Indian River Land Trust s Bee Gum 22:37.222 --> 22:39.524 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% Point Preserve. 22:39.624 --> 22:43.128 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The basic idea was to let's catch a juvenile fish. 22:43.228 --> 22:45.263 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% Let's put little tags in them. 22:45.364 --> 22:49.401 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% And let's track their movement in and out of these impoundments. 22:49.501 --> 22:54.773 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% And much to our surprise, even though we tagged hundreds and hundreds of juvenile fish, very 22:54.873 --> 22:59.745 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% few of these fish left the impoundments during the fall, winter, early spring when the impoundments 22:59.845 --> 23:05.650 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% were open, but shortly after they closed off the impoundments pumped them full of water, 23:05.751 --> 23:11.156 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% now we're getting all kinds of detections on our antennas on the inside of the culvert 23:11.256 --> 23:14.559 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% saying, Hey, I'm looking for a way out of here and they couldn't get out. 23:14.659 --> 23:16.361 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% They were stuck. 23:16.461 --> 23:20.899 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% So we were perplexed at first what to do, and we talked to mosquito control and they 23:20.999 --> 23:27.539 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% agreed to open up the impoundment, open up the gates, allow water to go flooding through 23:27.639 --> 23:30.442 align:left position:35%,start line:89% size:55% for a week. 23:30.542 --> 23:36.681 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% And then they close the gates off again, pump it full of water, and go back to controlling 23:36.782 --> 23:38.550 align:left position:35%,start line:89% size:55% mosquitoes. 23:38.650 --> 23:43.255 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% And it was amazing within the first 24 hours of opening these flood gates, we had massive 23:43.355 --> 23:48.560 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% numbers of juvenile snook, juvenile tarpon, all flooding out of the impoundment. 23:48.660 --> 23:53.632 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Once the juveniles reach out to certain size after about a year they can no longer grow 23:53.732 --> 23:55.667 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% well in this mosquito control impoundment. 23:55.767 --> 24:04.009 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% So it's time to move on. 24:04.109 --> 24:10.715 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% Given the success of the experiment, the research is now being expanded to other areas. 24:10.816 --> 24:17.122 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% We're repeating it in Bee Gum, we re going to do it in two other mosquito control impoundments 24:17.222 --> 24:19.124 align:left position:15%,start line:89% size:75% here in Indian River County. 24:19.224 --> 24:24.362 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% And if it's effective in all three impoundments, now we've got something we can go to the managers 24:24.463 --> 24:29.634 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% and say, Hey, look, this is really worth adding to your management strategy playbook. 24:29.734 --> 24:33.538 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% And the Mosquito Control District is willing to work with the Land Trust, to open these 24:33.638 --> 24:54.593 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% culverts periodically in the summer to allow for the fish emigration. 24:54.693 --> 25:01.566 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% The sunshine state s unique coastal ecosystems, and the fishing opportunities they provide, 25:01.666 --> 25:05.871 align:left position:70%,start line:89% size:20% are unrivaled in the continental United States. 25:05.971 --> 25:10.408 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% One of the things that brings a huge number of people to Florida is a quality of life. 25:10.509 --> 25:15.814 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Certainly, you come to Florida for the weather and for the water. 25:15.914 --> 25:22.120 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% But as more and more people head south to experience the Florida lifestyle, many of 25:22.220 --> 25:28.627 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% the natural qualities that attracted them in the first place are in decline. 25:28.727 --> 25:31.930 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% That lifestyle is entirely dependent on a functioning ecosystem. 25:32.030 --> 25:36.835 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% So, as those habitats are degraded our quality of life declines as well. 25:36.935 --> 26:14.573 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% We want to be able to protect it and keep it going for generations. 26:14.673 --> 26:20.378 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Major funding for this program was provided by The Batchelor Foundation, encouraging people 26:20.478 --> 26:26.518 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% to preserve and protect America s underwater resources. 26:26.618 --> 26:32.891 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Additional funding was provided in loving memory of David G. Parrot, by the Parrot Family 26:32.991 --> 26:36.991 align:left position:82.5%,start line:89% size:7.5% Endowment for Environmental Education.