All,
About 30 years ago, a collector in Florida told me about people releasing Royal Grammas into coastal Florida waters in an attempt to build populations that could then be exploited by local divers (as opposed to running out to Cay Sal bank or importing them from Haiti).
In a recent Florida Dept. of Agriculture report, they concluded that the presence of that species in coastal Florida waters is the result of a natural range extension. I'm having a difficult time accepting that. The Florida reefs are not what they once were, why would a fish with pretty specific needs suddenly extend its range into that perturbed habitat when it didn't do so for thousands of years before, when things were more pristine? O.K., somebody is going to say its due to global warming, but I'm not convinced that low water temperature is a limiting factor for these fish, more so limited habitat such as eroded Montastrea heads, etc. I believe that the fish that are being seen are relicts of introduction attempts....
Thoughts?
Jay
About 30 years ago, a collector in Florida told me about people releasing Royal Grammas into coastal Florida waters in an attempt to build populations that could then be exploited by local divers (as opposed to running out to Cay Sal bank or importing them from Haiti).
In a recent Florida Dept. of Agriculture report, they concluded that the presence of that species in coastal Florida waters is the result of a natural range extension. I'm having a difficult time accepting that. The Florida reefs are not what they once were, why would a fish with pretty specific needs suddenly extend its range into that perturbed habitat when it didn't do so for thousands of years before, when things were more pristine? O.K., somebody is going to say its due to global warming, but I'm not convinced that low water temperature is a limiting factor for these fish, more so limited habitat such as eroded Montastrea heads, etc. I believe that the fish that are being seen are relicts of introduction attempts....
Thoughts?
Jay