Projects and Research

While freshwater stock enhancement is well developed, marine stock enhancement is still relatively new. The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute's Stock Enhancement Research Facility (SERF) participates in numerous programs and research efforts designed to support fisheries management work by using hatchery-reared animals to supplement or restore native fisheries populations.

Bay Scallop Restoration
Bay scallop populations have been declining along the Gulf of Mexico coast of Florida since at least the 1960s.

Indian River Lagoon
In February 1999, the FWC began stocking the Indian River Lagoon with hatchery-reared red drum to help restore native populations.

Project Tampa Bay
The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI), in partnership with Mote Marine Laboratory (MML), is in the midst of a large-scale redfish (red drum) stock enhancement project in Tampa Bay.