Fish and Wildlife Health
Fish and Wildlife Health staff monitor and study marine organism
diseases, die-offs and fish kills, and the causes, such as
infectious agents, parasites, contaminants, red tides, biological
toxins and poor water quality, that may be associated with these
events.
The toll-free hotline offers information about how and where to
report fish kills, fish with parasites, or other fish
abnormalities.
The Fish and Wildlife Health program monitors the health of
organisms in Florida's marine and estuarine waters as bioindicators
of environmental stress, to facilitate information transfer, to
develop diagnostic support related to aquatic disease and mortality
events in the Gulf of Mexico, and to develop health guidelines for
stock enhancement.
This section offers statewide records of current and historic
information about reported external abnormalities in fish and fish
kills reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
Florida's diverse aquatic resources are threatened by many human
activities that can affect water quality and fish habitat and
increase the likelihood of contaminants accumulating in water and
fish. Project staff members monitor changes in water quality and
levels of contaminants, including mercury in fish, in Florida's
fresh and marine waters.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) veterinary
staff and wildlife biologists work with state and federal partners
to monitor for and respond to many wildlife disease outbreaks, such
as avian influenza, swine influenza, mange in bears, chronic
wasting disease in deer, and die-offs of other terrestrial
wildlife.
Persons with Disabilities