Thousands of snook released at Tippecanoe Environmental Park in Charlotte County

Thousands of juvenile snook were released into the waters at Tippecanoe Environmental Park in Charlotte County by Mote Marine Laboratory to restock the species and aid recovery in hard-hit areas. “This is a gorgeous piece of habitat, but that stress kinda two responses: fight or flight,” Mote Marine Laboratory staff said, describing how snook adjust to new environments. Ryan Schloesser, manager of Mote's Fisheries Ecology Enhancement Program, explained the goal of the initiative. “If there are any issues in places like Charlotte County as well, we want to be able to put fish back in the water and get hard-hit areas a jumpstart on their way to recovery,” Schloesser said. Schloesser noted that the survival rate of snook at Tippecanoe has been high, and the laboratory has been releasing fish at this location for years. “So a lot of the fish that we've released have a microchip just like your pet back home. And we're able to document the survival of the fish we release. Because when those fish crossed our antenna, we knew exactly which fish was there, when they were there, how long they stayed,” Schloesser said. Mote Marine Laboratory plans to release over 20,000 juvenile snook along the Gulf Coast, which is expected to benefit local fishermen. “If you can come here and just catch and catch unexpected things, you know, if you went to a pond and caught a shark, you wouldn't expect to have come here and caught a snook,” said Dale Hadley, a fisherman from Port Charlotte.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.