Fishkill warning due to unusually cold Florida weather!
FLORIDA – As you may remember, many lakes experienced cold weather fish kills earlier this year. So far, this winter is picking up right where the last one left off. December has been much cooler than normal throughout the Sunshine State.
Many areas have set record lows for lows, and reset record lows for highs as well. We have seen some records broken that have stood for over one hundred years in sections of South Florida. Overall, this is the earliest cold weather spell the state has experienced in the last thirty years.
All of that is beginning to translate into much lower than normal water temperatures. While we have not been receiving many fish kill reports yet, you should be wary. This early cold could have a cumulative effect as the winter progresses. Nearly all of our non-native tropical fish species are stressed when water temperatures drop below about 55°F (13°C), so we can expect to see fish kills throughout the state in the following months. It takes a long time for water to warm up so we expect these cold lake temperatures to stick with us for a while.
Tilapia, Peacock bass and other cichlid species are particularly vulnerable to cold temperatures. Additionally, any fish species can be stressed by temperatures that drop more quickly than about 1°C per day. For information on specific species tolerances, we suggest consulting the following scientific article: Shafland, P. L. and J. M. Pestrak. 1982. Lower lethal temperatures for fourteen non-native fishes in Florida. Env. Biol. Fish 7(2):149-156
About Aquatic Systems, Inc.
Founded in 1977, Aquatic Systems is Florida's premiere lake and wetland management company; restoring and maintaining the health and beauty of thousands of private, commercial and public lakes, waterways, wetlands and preserves. Our primary services include algae and aquatic weed control, mosquito and midge fly control, permitting and compliance plans, water quality testing, fish stocking, wetland and preserve management, diffused air aeration systems and floating fountains.>
Contact:
Tess Williams
Marketing Coordinator
marketing@aquaticsystems.com
800-432-4302
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