FIU to study nitrogen loads, Caloosahatchee wetlands
The South Florida Water Management District voted last week to set aside $200,000 of property taxes to study nitrogen in the Caloosahatchee River.
Called "Bioassays for Determining Dissolved Organic Nitrogen Bioavailability to Primary and Secondary Production in the Caloosahatchee River Water Column," the project is a two-year agreement with Florida International University. Researchers at FIU will study the costs and effectiveness of wetlands and restoration projects used to reduce nitrogen loads in the river.
Nitrogen occurs naturally in the ecosystem, but the nitrogen loads FIU will study come mostly from Lake Okeechobee releases and stormwater run-off in the Caloosahatchee River watershed. Nitrogen is used by farming operations and as fertilizer for golf courses and residential areas. Tons of the nutrient are released into the river each year — which can provide fuel for algal blooms such as cyanobacteria and Karenia brevis, the organism that causes red tides in our region.
Nitrogen also provides fuel for drift algae that covers sea grasses, eventually gathering in clumps called "rolling moss" by some locals.
Snook season set to open Sept. 1
Ten days seems like enough time to get your fishing gear together for the fall snook season, which starts Sept. 1 on this coast. But it's never too early to scout your favorite holes for slot fish.
Snook are one of the most sought-after gamefish in the state. They fight hard, often leap into the air and are considered by many anglers to be the most delicious fish in the sea.
Snook season was closed in January 2010 after a cold spell killed untold numbers. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reopened the season last year. Snook must measure between 28 and 33 inches in length and be caught by a permitted angler between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30 to be harvested during the fall season in Gulf of Mexico waters.
A spring season is also held from March 1 through April 30. The limit is one per angler per day during open season, and anglers must purchase a $10 snook permit to harvest the fish.
Some anglers will be working the mangrove shorelines and flats hard this weekend, trying to find the holes where keepers are staging. Overfishing an area just before season, however, can, some anglers say, leave snook with a case of "sore lips," meaning they've seen your crankbait before and won't strike it again.
Don't discount night fishing as snook have huge eyes and see well in low-light conditions. Some of the best snook fishing conditions happen when the sun is down. And snook lights are called snook lights for a reason — snook are attracted to the baifish that are attracted to the light.
— Compiled by Chad Gillis