A Review of Florida's Efforts to Regulate, Assess and Manage Exotic Fishes

Abstract Numerous exotic fishes exist in Florida's fresh waters, most of which were released by private citizens unaware of the repercussions and illegality of their actions. This situation is of concern to the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission which has developed many different programs to reduce the threat these fishes pose to native species. These programs can be grouped into three categories: prevention, assessment, and management. Prevention involves law enforcement activities, coordination and education of concerned parties and, when possible, elimination of localized populations of exotic fishes. Assessment of released exotic fishes is accomplished primarily through an active research program. Existing management practices (e.g., commercial fishing, introducing predators) have been adapted from those developed for native species; these and future management strategies for exotic fishes are tied to a philosophy of minimizing their detrimental impacts while maximizing any intended or fortuitously beneficial attribute. It is concluded that these programs provide a comprehensive and flexible strategy for dealing with exotic fishes transported through and living in Florida.