NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

January 8, 2001

CONTACT: Sam McKinney (352) 732-1225

COLD WEATHER TAKING TOLL ON TROPICAL FISH

The recent below-average cold temperatures in Central Florida are beginning to take their toll on tilapia and other tropical fish found in the area's freshwaters.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has received some calls from residents describing tilapia that are lethargic and look like they are covered with cotton. The "cotton" is actually a fungus the fish develop when the cold water temperatures cause them to lose their slime coat - a fishes' first line of defense against disease.

"Like anything else tropical, tilapia can't take the extreme cold. When water temperatures dip below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, their systems simply don't function well," said John Benton, a fisheries biologist with the FWC.

Generally, if the cold water temperatures don't kill the tropical natives outright, the fish eventually lose their slime coat and develop fungus and other diseases, and succumb about 10 days later. The reason this happens is that the cold stresses the fish and they can't secrete the slime as well as they can in warmer temperatures.

The FWC has received reports of dead or dying tilapia in Lake Saunders in Eustis, and in Lake Griffin in Leesburg, but they will likely be dying in many lakes in Central Florida in the next few weeks. The best thing to do is leave the fish alone and let nature take its course.