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These mullet, one of many species of baitfishâalso known as forage fishâ migrating along Floridaâs east coast, fill the sea with food for predators ranging from pelicans to whales and tarpon. Yet growing global demand for forage species threatens their critical role in ocean food webs.
Paul Dabill
Paul Dabill
A school of forage fish, including cigar minnows, darts under the shadow of a dock, possibly to avoid detection by predators. In addition to being essential food for marine life, forage fish also are in high demand as feed for fish farms and livestock and for use in consumer products such as cosmetics, pet food, and fertilizers.
Paul Dabill
Paul Dabill
A swing and a miss for this tarpon. The mullet rely on safety in numbers, evasive maneuvers, and âswamping,â or overwhelming the predatorâs ability to identify and attack a single individual. Fish that prey on forage species typically catch food just once in every 10 tries. Conversely, schooling forage fish are easy targets for nets, which makes them vulnerable to overfishing.
Paul Dabill
Paul Dabill
One throw of a cast net captured these three species of forage fish. Clockwise from the top are two Cuban anchovies, or glass minnows; three scaled sardines, sometimes called pilchards; and two spotfin mojarras. Forage species accounted for nearly 20 percent of all commercial catch off Florida in 2012, and few rules directly limit the amount that can be taken each year.
Paul Dabill
Paul Dabill
A common snook swims beside jetty rocks as forage fish, including pilchards, feed on sun-nurtured microscopic plants. These small fish, rich sources of omega-3 fatty-acids and proteins, essentially transfer the sunâs energy into a form that predators can use to grow and reproduce. According to a 2012 study, baitfish are twice as valuable when left in the water as when caught commercially.
Paul Dabill
Paul Dabill
In the receding tide, shallows begin to disappear, making forage fish more accessible to predators, including coastal wading birds, such as herons and egrets, and even raccoons, which set up staging areas to ambush the fish. A decline in forage species could spell disaster for Floridaâs beleaguered coastal bird populations, according to a 2013 report by Audubon Florida and Pew.
Paul Dabill
Paul Dabill
Overhead structure and shade can protect forage fish from birds, but leave them vulnerable to ambush by predators lurking in the shadows. Small schooling fish are also susceptible to pollution from increasing coastal development and other sources as well as changing ocean conditions, such as more acidic and warmer waters.
Paul Dabill
Paul Dabill
Mullet school in tight patterns, drafting one another like geese in a âVâ formation, which helps them swim more easily. A flick of the tail sends a vortex of water into a counter-clockwise rotation, creating momentum for the next fish. Forage fish inhabit mangroves, sea grasses, estuaries, rivers, and bays, so it is critical to protect water quantity and quality.
Paul Dabill
Paul Dabill
An unseen predator probably drove the Crevalle Jacks in the right foreground to join this bait ball of mullet. Many gatherings of fish are based not on species but size, so that no fish stands out to hungry predators. A group of spawning snook (lower left) lies below the bait ball. Because of its abundance, Florida is known as the âFishing Capital of the World.â
Paul Dabill
Paul Dabill
A tarpon swims by a school of mullet. Tarpon and other popular species like grouper and king mackerel depend on forage fish for food. Thatâs why anglers and conservationists have come together to ask the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to protect a sufficient abundance and variety of forage species and account for the dietary needs of important popular recreational and commercial fish species when setting fishing rules.
Paul Dabill
Paul Dabill
Mullet school by a public jetty where a fisherman hauls them in with a cast net. Forage fish are the backbone of Floridaâs multibillion-dollar-a-year fishing industry. If they are protected today, these species will help sustain the healthy ocean ecosystems that will provide recreation, jobs, and seafood for future generations. Visit Pewtrusts.org/ProtectThePrey to keep informed and sign a pledge in support of conservation at FloridaForageFish.org
Paul Dabill
Paul Dabill