So FL Snook
 

"Feeding, Breeding & Migration of Centropomus undecimalis (Snook) in PB
County Waters"

That heady title was the subject of an undergraduate research paper I
wrote nearly 41 years ago for a class in Introductory Marine Biology,
for Instructor Glen Marsteller, at Palm Beach Junior College in 1964.

In the review of the available literature at the time, we covered the
four species of snook found in south Florida and the Pacific snook. The
length to weight distribution curve, comparison of commercial catches
(when legal) of snook vs. shrimp, blue crabs and mullet. Also included
were addresses for others then doing research on snook throughout the
Caribbean.

As a part of the project snook were tagged and released, although no
tags were ever recovered (and tags returned to me)during the two years
following their initial tagged release.

Among the suggestions and recommendations made was the leasing of golf
course ponds in south Florida for raising juvenile fish for the first
year of life and then releasing them back into the wild. (A similar
program of farm raised snook is currently in progress at Smoot Marine
Laboratories in the Tampa Bay area.)

Copies of my paper were given to numerous south Florida public
libraries and community colleges, as well as the International Game
Fish Association's library (IGFA)in Dania Beach, FL. Copies were also
sent to the State Sal****er Fish & Game Commission (since renamed due
to several "reorganizations")which supported my work with special
permits for taking snook "by any means necessary" to conduct my work.
(I do not know if any of these copies are still extant.)

At the time I maintained offices at the Palm Beach Fishing Club, in
West Palm Beach, (Frances Doucette, Secretary) which also had copies of
my paper.

The information is still valid. It covered survey information on over a
hundred-twenty sport-caught snook in PB County waters during a three
month period: the times, tides, baits and colors of artificial lures
which proved effective, along with each fish's length and weight.

Someday, I will get around to republishing this information in a
saleable format, however, until then, I am willing to answer your
questions about snook, and the surveys I conducted, when posted here.