Declining water quality definitely has an impact on the snook fishery. Despite the rough and tough species' reputation as one of the most hearty fish in the water, snook stocks appear to be getting dinged up by water management's treatment of Florida's waterways and estuaries.

Critical habitat for juvenile and larval snook - and everything else - is being killed by crummy water coming from a watershed that Mother Nature never intended to be connected to rich nursery areas like the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers.

Dr. Grant Gilmore commented frankly on his support for stock enhancement efforts with one caviat: “Releasing all the juvenile snook in the world won’t make much difference if we don’t change what’s happening to water quality and snook habitat,” he said. “Snook are truly a barometer that can help us monitor our estuaries. They are a major predator and for us are a canary in the coal mine that indicate important changes to our ecosystem."

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