NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

July 20, 2000

CONTACT: Danon Moxley (863) 499-2421

SOME TENOROC LAKES CLOSED DUE TO FISH KILLS

Some of the public fishing lakes at Tenoroc Fish Management Area (FMA) near Lakeland are being affected by Florida's severe drought. As a result, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced today that several of Tenoroc's prime fishing lakes will be closed to the public for an undetermined amount of time. According to the administrative order signed early Wednesday morning, Lakes 2, 3, 4 and 5 will be temporarily closed because of fish kills associated with low water levels.

Summer fish kills are common in Florida, but biologists had hoped that Tenoroc would be spared. To a significant degree, the FMA has been spared. About 40% of the area's lakes were unaffected, meaning there is still plenty of good fishing at this popular freshwater angling destination. Lakes A, B, C, F, G, Picnic, Derby and Cemetery remain open to public fishing with high quality opportunities still available. Hydrilla Lake, a highly touted trophy bass lake that operates under an exclusive permit system, was also unaffected and is scheduled to reopen in September as planned.

According to Danon Moxley, Tenoroc area manager, summer fish kills are routinely caused by low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water which suffocate fish.

"These fish kills are a result of persistent low water levels, heavy algal blooms and hot cloudy weather," said Moxley.

To help alleviate some of these conditions, fisheries managers are working on a restoration plan aimed at improving water quantity and quality in Tenoroc's pits. In all probability, the endeavor will also make fishing better. The undertaking is an ambitious one aimed at restoring hydrological function to the upper Saddle Creek Basin. The project will gather water from surrounding areas, funnel it through Tenoroc's pits and wetlands to be cleansed and then flow into Saddle Creek. This restoration project is entering its first stages of construction and will take years to complete.

For more information on the Tenoroc FMA, or any of the many other public fishing opportunities in Florida, consult the FWC Web site at www.state.fl.us/fwc/fishing. To make reservations for fishing at Tenoroc, call (863) 499-2422, Friday through Monday, from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.