Common snook, continued 



occurs along the eastern coast of central America, 

 throughout the Caribbean, along the Gulf coast from 

 Mexico to Port Aransas, Texas, and along peninsular 

 Florida from Pensacola Bay to the Mosquito Lagoon 

 area and the St. Johns River (Table 1) (Lunz 1953, 

 Marshall 1958, Yerger 1961, Linton and Rickards 

 1965, Merriner et al. 1970, Martin and Shipp 1971, 

 Dahlberg 1 972, Cooley 1 974, Ager et al. 1 976, Hoese 

 and Moore 1 977, Tucker 1 986). Centers of abundance 

 occur in the Caribbean, southwestern Gulf of Mexico, 

 and mangrove belts of southern Florida (Odum 1971, 

 Gilmore et al. 1 983, Tucker 1 986). Mitochondrial DNA 

 analyses indicate that Caribbean stocks are distinct 

 from Florida stocks (Tringali and Bert 1996). 



Within Study Area : The common snook is relatively 

 common along the west coast of Florida as far north as 

 the Homosassa River area (Table 5.25). It is found only 

 occasionally along the northern coast of the Gulf of 

 Mexico (Cooley 1 974). In Texas, it is only abundant in 

 the lower Laguna Madre, and is rarely found north of 

 Port Aransas (Baughman 1 943, Cooley 1 974, Matlock 

 and Osburn 1987). There is one report of a single 

 juvenile captured off Grand Terre Island, Louisiana 

 (Guillory et al. 1985). Mitochondrial DNA analyses 

 indicate that Caribbean stocks are distinct from Florida 

 stocks (Tringali and Bert 1996). Mitochondrial DNA 

 analyses indicate that snook from the Atlantic and Gulf 

 coasts of Florida comprise distinct stocks, and may 

 therefore warrant consideration as separate manage- 

 ment units (Tringali and Bert 1996). 



Life Mode 



Eggs and early larvae are pelagic and planktonic (Ager 

 et al. 1976, Tucker 1986). As snook mature into 

 juveniles and adults they become pelagic and nektonic 

 (NOAA 1 985). Juveniles and adults are usually found 

 in schools (Bruger 1 981 , Tucker 1 986). All life stages 

 exhibit diurnal activity. 



Habitat 



Ty pe: This fish is considered to be estuarine depen- 

 dent (Tolley et al. 1 987). Eggs and larvae are found in 

 the shallow open waters of river mouths, beach inlets 

 and passes, and estuarine passes in polyhaline to 

 euhaline salinities (Volpe 1959, Linton and Rickards 

 1 965, Moe 1 972, Ager et al. 1 976, Shafland and Koehl 

 1979, Lau and Shafland 1982, Tucker 1986). They 

 have been raised in the laboratory in euhaline salini- 

 ties, but can survive and develop in freshwater by 14 

 days after hatching (Shafland and Koehl 1 979, Lau and 

 Shafland 1982, Tucker 1986). Larvae probably hatch 

 in shallow open waters off beaches, inlets, and passes, 

 and make their way inshore to estuarine nursery grounds 

 (Linton and Rickards 1965). Larvae have been col- 

 lected in the summer in Naples Bay, Florida, associ- 

 ated with the bottom, which may allow them to take 



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