Snook Anglers Asked to Help With Research
St. Petersburg—Scientists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) are expanding a program to collect valuable biological data on the common snook, Centropomus undecimalis.
FWRI scientists are asking snook anglers to save their filleted carcasses and to take them to a local participating bait and tackle store. These carcasses will provide information on the size and age of the catch, as well as information on maturity and sex. This program allows anglers to participate in the collection of data regarding Florida’s premier inshore game fish.
Guidelines for donating snook carcasses:
- All regulations apply. Only donate legal snook during snook season.
- Donate all sizes that are harvested. (Only donating large fish will bias the data.)
- Donate as many fish and as often as you can; however, do not harvest fish for the program. Keep only those snook you would normally keep.
- Donate both tagged and untagged fish. If a snook is tagged, please report necessary tag information to the Tagged Fish Hotline at 1-800-367-4461.
- When filleting, please leave all internal organs intact.
Official statewide Drop-off Locations:
Brevard County:
Whitey’s Bait and Tackle—9030 Hwy A1A, Melbourne Beach
Sebastian Inlet Bait and Tackle—9700 S A1A, Melbourne Beach
Broward County:
Kingsbury and Son’s Tackle, Inc.—1801 S Federal Hwy, Ft. Lauderdale
Angler’s Bait and Tackle—230 E Dania Beach Blvd, Dania Beach
Custom Rod and Reel—1835 NE 25th St, Lighthouse Point
Charlotte County:
King Fisher Fleet at Fisherman’s Village—1200 W Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda
Captain Ted's Tackle at Ingman Marine—1189 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte
Stump Pass Marina—260 Maryland Ave, Englewood
Collier County:
Angler’s Answer—11387 Tamiami Trail E, Naples
Sunshine ACE Hardware—141 9th St. N, Naples
Caxambas Pass Bait/Ship Store—909 Collier Ct, Marco Island
Hillsborough County:
Gandy Bait and Tackle—4923 W Gandy Blvd, Tampa
South Shore Bait and Tackle—55 US 41 N, Ruskin
Lee County:
Master Bait and Tackle—4465 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Beach
Lehr’s Economy Tackle—1366 N Tamiami Trail, N. Ft. Myers
Angler’s Outlet—4404 Del Prado Blvd, Cape Coral
The Bait Box—1041 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel Island
Shack Baits at Punta Rassa Boat Ramp—18500 McGregor Blvd, Ft. Myers
Manatee County:Discount Tackle Outlet—3113 1st St, Bradenton
Martin County:
Mitchell's Bait and Tackle—4480 SE St. Lucie Blvd, Stuart
Snook Nook—3595 NE Indian River Dr, Jensen Beach
Miami-Dade County:
High Tailin-it Bait and Tackle—20264 Old Cutler Rd, Miami
Don’s Bait and Tackle—30710 S Federal Hwy, Homestead
Haulover Marine Center—15000 Collins Ave, Miami Beach
El Capitan Marine and Fishing Center—13112 S Dixie Hwy, Miami
Biscayne Bait and Tackle—10793 Biscayne Blvd, Miami
Monroe County:
Yellow Bait House—MM 101.7, Key Largo
Bud n’ Mary’s Marina—MM 79.8, Islamorada
World Wide Sportsman—81576 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada
World Class Angler—MM 50.5, Marathon
Jig’s Bait and Tackle—MM 30.3, Big Pine Key
Kings Point Marina—5950 Peninsula Ave, Key West/Stock Island
Palm Beach County:
FWC-FWRI Tequesta Field Lab—19100 SE Federal Hwy, Tequesta
Fishing Headquarters—633A Alt. A1A, Jupiter
Lott Bros.—631 Northlake Blvd, N. Palm Beach
Pinellas County:
O’Neill’s Marina—6701 34th St S, St. Petersburg
FWC-FWRI—100 8th Ave SE, St. Petersburg
Sarasota County:
New Pass Bait and Grill—1498 ½ Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota
St. Lucie County:
White’s Tackle Shop—521 N 2nd St, Ft. Pierce
Funding sources for this project come from saltwater fishing license sales, the snook stamp, and the Sport Fish Restoration Program.
The following numbers provide answers and information about common snook:
East Coast: Jim Whittington (561) 575-5407
West Coast: Ron Taylor or Alexis Trotter at (727) 896-8626
For more information, visit our snook section and our snook photo gallery.
Additional Information:
Sport Fish Restoration Program
Snook Research Information
Snook Photo Gallery
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute conducts applied research and provides scientific information used to manage Florida’s marine resources.
