Juvenile sea turtle rescued by the author, stunned by recent cold water temperatures off Key West, Florida.
Following are some images of fish that were recovered and a juvenile sea turtle that was rescued by my girlfriend and I yesterday (Jan. 15). So far, we’ve recorded 47 distinct species of fish, turtles and marine invertebrates stunned and/or killed by the drop in mercury. Please bear in mind, it is illegal to possess a sea turtle, as they are an endangered species; if I hadn’t rescued this one, it would have been even more endangered. I immediately notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, who put me in touch with folks at Turtle Rescue and the National Marine Sanctuary who then came and took possession of the reptile.
As bad as things appear in Key West, the Upper Keys were hit even harder. In talking to my friend and fellow guide Rusty Albury in Islamorada, hundreds of bonefish (from 1 pound to 10.5 pounds) sea turtles, snook, redfish and other economically important species were killed. A group of Islamorada guides rescued 17 sea turtles that were near death and reported many more that appeared dead were stranded on various keys throughout the area.
A selection of more than a dozen species of game and tropical fish found dead or dying by the author.
These images are the results of the third coldest weather ever recorded in the Florida Keys, where water temperatures in Key West dipped below 60 degrees for several days.
We’re heading back out again to scout around, but so far, here’s a list of species we’ve seen killed by the weather:
1. Angelfish, Blue
2. Angelfish, Grey
3. Angelfish, Queen
4. Anglefish, French
5. Balao
6. Ballyhoo
7. Barracuda
8. Bonefish
9. Cottonwick
10. Crab, Blue
11. Crab, Blueleg Hermit
12. Crab, Rock
13. Crab, Stone
14. Crab, Swimming
15. Damselfish, Dusky
16. Eel, Green Moray
17. Eels, Goldentail Moray
18. Grouper, Black
19. Grouper, Red
20. Grunt, Blue striped
21. Grunt, French
22. Grunt, Yellow
23. Lobster, Spiny
24. Long-Horned Cowfish
25. Mullet, silver
26. Octopus, Carribbean Reef
27. Parrotfish, bicolor
28. Parrotfish, Midnight
29. Parrotfish, Stoplight
30. Permit
31. Pinfish
32. Porkfish
33. Puffer, Porcupine
34. Puffer, Southern
35. Sardine Scaled (razor belly pilchard)
36. Sardine, Lesser (Sand Key pilchard)
37. Shrimp, Longtail grass
38. Shrimp, Peppermint
39. Shrimp, Snapping
40. Snapper, Hog
41. Snapper, Lane
42. Snapper, Mangrove
43. Snapper, Mutton
44. Snapper, Schoolmaster
45. Trunkfish
46. Turtle, Kemps-Ridley
47. Urchin, Reef
A large mutton snapper killed by recent cold weather off Key West.
Cold-stunned bonefish have been reported from Key Largo to Key West.
Several more muttons recovered from the cold.
