Wild hogs, also known as feral pigs, are a common group known throughout Florida, including Escambia County. Brought in by early settlers, these beasts have become an invasive species that cause serious damage to whatever environment they enter. In Escambia County they are found in various habitats which include forests, swamps, and agricultural areas.
These creatures are omnivorous and feed on essentially anything they can find. They uproot and feed on plants, roots, and insects, as well as prey on nests, eggs, and the young of ground nesting birds, small mammals, and reptiles. This, in turn, damages the land and continues to create competition for native wildlife.
Wild hog populations can rise quickly with sows able to produce multiple litters of piglets in a year.
To seek control of the wild hog population, hunting is allowed in Escambia County with a valid license. However, this alone is not enough to manage the ever-growing population. Therefore, other control measures such as trapping may be necessary.
Wild hogs are known to be carriers of many diseases which can be transmitted to livestock, other animals, and even humans. It is important that anyone who attempts to hunt or trap wild hogs take every precaution.
As they are a significant issue that can cause economic and ecological damage, it is important to take action to manage their populations, and to minimize the impact they make on the local environment and agriculture.
In this image, feral hogs have rooted up around this bottom and have caused a significant amount of damage. Credit: Madelyn Grant
Here are some helpful links to learn more about Feral Pigs:
Despite its name, giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) is actually pretty small. The floating plant starts out with a cluster of leaves no bigger than a dime. They don’t stay that way, though, and perhaps their outsized influence and spread gives the “giant” a little more credence.
Giant salvinia is an invasive aquatic plant that was introduced to the United States as an ornamental plant (for aquariums and backyard ponds) from South America. Once it managed to escape to the wild, however, salvinia really took off. More than 20 states report salvinia popping up in their waters, although Texas and Louisiana seem to have the biggest battles with it. The plant has choked up entire freshwater lakes and sections of rivers, requiring a major eradication effort just to regain access to the water. Even small craft like kayaks and canoes cannot make it through a water body clogged with this plant. It is often spread by small pieces lodging in boat motors and trailers, so if you boat frequently in an area of known salvinia, be sure to remove any fragments of the plant once you are back on land. Preventing the spread from one water body to another is crucial.
Our native birds, fish, and aquatic mammals don’t eat giant salvinia—it appears not to have much nutritional value—and therefore its growth goes unchecked. The thick mats of plant growth block sunlight into the water column, preventing other aquatic plants from growing. Die-offs of large numbers of salvinia can eat up oxygen levels in the water, causing fish kills.
Giant salvinia overgrowth in a backwater section of Bayou Chico in Escambia County. Photo credit: Escambia County Natural Resource Management
There are several approaches to managing the plant. Mechanical or hand removal can take out significant amounts of salvinia, but is ineffective in the long run. Any small piece of chopped up plant left behind in the process will regrow into new spreading plants, so leaving any fragments in the water ends up increasing the population. More effective methods include applying herbicides or using a biocontrol insect called the salvinia weevil. This South American beetle (Cyrtobagous salviniae) is very small (only 2 mm as an adult) but feeds exclusively on salvinia plants, stunting their growth and causing them to sink underwater. A well-established salvinia weevil population can effectively manage large infestations of the plant, dropping coverage by 90%.
One natural check to unfettered growth in our area is that salvinia tends to thrive only in freshwater or very low salinity water bodies. We have identified populations of salvinia in the upper reaches of local bayous in Escambia County, but as salinity levels increase closer to the bay, the plant seems unable to establish itself.
Identification of giant salvinia is rather fascinating, as you need a hand lens to definitively distinguish it from a very similar nonnative species called water spangles or water fern (Salvinia minima). Both species have small clear-white, upright hairs covering the leaves. When examined closely, the observer will note that in giant salvinia that double pairs of hairs form a structure very similar to an egg beater, whereas in water spangles the leaf hairs do not connect.
Giant salvinia can be distinguished from its cousin, common salvinia (Salvinia minima) by the shape of its trichomes, or leaf-hairs. Giant salvinia’s leaf hairs (right) are closed at the tip, forming an “egg-beater” shape, whereas common salvinia’s leaf hairs (left) are branched at the tip. Giant salvinia is a larger plant that forms thicker, denser mats. Common salvinia can cover large areas but typically forms thinner mats and does not pose as much risk to boating traffic. Photos and caption courtesy LSU AgCenter
If you think you see giant salvinia in a local water body, we would love to know. It is an aggressive invasive plant that is relatively new to the area, and we have a chance to keep this from spreading with your help. What can you do?
Contact the Escambia County Division of Water Quality and Land Management – (850) 595-3496
Contact the Escambia County Extension Office – (850) 475-5230 ext. 1111
Report in the EDDMapS national database – https://www.eddmaps.org – select “report sightings”
If you find just a small amount, remove it and allow to dry out on your property. Once dried you can double bag and dispose of it.
There are more invasive plants issues in Escambia County than animal ones; but we do have animal invasives. Some have been with us for some time, like the feral hogs which will be posted in a different article, some are more recent. In this article we are going to focus on two species that could become real problems for us without some management plan – the lionfish and the Cuban treefrog.
The Invasive Lionfish
The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) has been in the local news for some time – but as a Gulf of Mexico problem. The fish is from the Indo-Pacific region of the world and was brough here for the pet trade. The first records we have of it in the wild were in southeast Florida in the 1980s. We are not 100% sure how they reached the Atlantic Ocean, but they did – and they did well.
Lionfish display a courtship dance where, near sunset, the males and females rise off the reef in a rotating swimming pattern and then fertilize their eggs. On average, each female will fertilize 30,000 eggs every four days! These fertilized eggs are encased in a gelatinous sac that drifts with the currents and is a method of spreading the species across the region. Originating in southeast Florida, the Gulf Stream dispersed them north along the coasts of Georgia and the Carolina’s. From here the invasion moved east to Bermuda where the Atlantic currents cycled them back south to the Caribbean, here they invaded every reef system in the region. From the Caribbean they found there way to the Florida Keys and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. The first record in Escambia County was in 2010. It has been described as one of the most prolific, and successful, invasions of a non-native species ever.
Studies show that the invasion in the Pensacola area was particularly bad. One study showed that the densities in our area were some of the highest in the south Atlantic region. Another study showed they had preference for artificial over natural reefs. In response, the Escambia County Division of Marine Resources, partnering with Florida Sea Grant, developed a series of local workshops to educate the public about the issue.
From these meetings nonprofits formed that began to have “rodeos” and “roundups” providing prizes to divers who could remove the most, the largest, and even the smallest lionfish. Eventually the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) joined in and created the Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day (LRAD). This event, which began in Pensacola, attracted thousands of curious people, chefs cooking samples, and divers from across the region. These efforts, along with an increase in commercial harvest (the fish is edible) have made a significant impact on populations in waters less than 200 feet (where divers can safely work) – but lionfish can live as deep as 1000 feet.
In 2019 a gentlemen fishing on the pier at Ft. Pickens caught one on hook and line. Charter captains have been catching them on hook and line for a few years but it was not common and usually in low numbers. Over the nine years since the first record, there had also been three records within Big Lagoon, so – finding one inside of the pass was not new, but concerning. Partnering with the Ocean Strike Team, Sea Grant conducted a series of survey dives to assess the status of lionfish near the pier and jetties of Ft. Pickens. They found them – though in small numbers, lionfish were present.
The question now is how far within the bay has this invasion spread. The concern is two things.
Lionfish are gregarious feeders – eating just about anything they can get into their mouths. Offshore they are known to eat no fewer than 70 species of small reef fish, including the commercially important vermilion snapper, and several invertebrates, including shovel nosed lobsters. If they invade the bay, we are now looking at juvenile shrimp, blue crabs, flounder, redfish, and more. The impact could be very big.
They are venomous. Not by bite, but by spines. Though it has not killed anyone, the “sting” of a lionfish is extremely painful and placed some in the hospital. With numerous locals and visitors swimming in our estuarine waters, encounters with this fish will occur, and problems with envenomation will follow.
The response needed from the county is to develop a management plan for this fish in our bay. Studies show that the most effective, and least costly, methods occur at the early stages of the invasion – Early Detection Rapid Response. There are several agencies, including Florida Sea Grant, ready to assist with this.
Cuban Treefrog
Photo: UF IFAS
As the name implies, the Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) is from Cuba – though it is native the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands as well. Records show they arrived in the Florida Keys in the 1920s – most likely “hitchhiking” on boats crossing the Florida straits.
This is a large treefrog, can reach six inches – compared to the two inches of our native frogs, and quickly moved in consuming local wildlife. As with many invasive species, their numbers increased quickly, and they became common across the landscape. In most locations where Cuban treefrogs were present, NO native frogs could be found. Studies show that in pools where Cuban treefrog tadpoles exist, no native tadpoles survive. Native frog populations began to decline. This is a large treefrog, not only do they consume native frogs, but they also consume small lizards, snakes, and all sorts of insects.
But the problem goes beyond native ecology. These treefrogs love to be around humans. Residents complain of the numbers of these large frogs on their doors and windows in the evening. They defecate making a large mess and the calls of the males sounds like a squeaky screen door keeping folks up at night – especially when they are abundant and there are no other frogs in the neighborhood. They are known to enter vent pipes in the plumbing, sometimes clogging these pipes, often appearing in your commode when you lift the lid to use the restroom. People do not like them. They are also known to hideout in electric panels and often short circuit home electrical and HVAC systems. Some of these problems become costly to the property owners.
The Cuban treefrogs have dispersed out of south Florida. They are now established as far north as Gainesville, Jacksonville, and Cedar Key. But records in the Florida panhandle, including Escambia County, are increasing.
Our part of the state was once immune to invasions of tropical species such as this frog. Our winters were cold enough to eradicate the few that made it here. We think the most frequent method of invasion is by hitchhiking – just as they originally did. Many of the landscaping plants we purchase for our homes and neighborhoods are grown at large nurseries in south Florida. These plants are loaded onto trucks and brought here – bringing Cuban treefrogs, Brown anoles, and many other small frogs and lizards that can be a problem for us. It appears that our winters are becoming milder, and these invaders are now surviving. Dr. Steve Johnson (University of Florida) has verified a breeding colony of Cuban treefrogs in Bay County. Records and calls from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are increasing. We do not know whether these populations are breeding – but the concern is there.
Florida Sea Grant plans to develop a citizen science monitoring project in the spring of 2023 to assess the status of these frogs in our county. As with the lionfish, early detection – rapid response is the key to managing them.
If you are interested in participating in either the bay lionfish surveys, or the Cuban treefrogs surveys in Escambia County, contact Rick O’Connor at the Escambia County Extension Office.
Photo Courtesy of NOAA – Car bodies and other thin metal materials such as appliances were once used to create artificial reefs. Monitoring revealed these materials deteriorate quickly.
History of Artificial Reefs and Materials Ancient mariners observed large numbers of fish inhabiting areas near sunken vessels. Our first sailors quickly realized objects placed in the sea are almost immediately colonized by marine life.
Based on these early observations, the first artificial reefs were constructed from materials purposefully put underwater to enrich marine life. New reefs were mainly constructed from deteriorating vessels or “materials of opportunity”.
In the 1830s, artificial reef pioneers in South Carolina experimented using log huts, which they discovered deteriorated in a few short years. Locally, in the Florida Panhandle, as early as the 1950s and 60s, railroad cars, school buses, car bodies, white goods (stoves, refrigerator, washer, etc.), tires, and even porcelain fixtures were used to create artificial reefs.
Today’s artificial reef materials are no longer the “underwater junk yards” of the past but marine resources that are carefully deployed and calculated to last at least 20 years without harm to wildlife or the environment. Decommissioned steel hulled ships, military surplus, nested concrete culvert, and durable “materials of opportunity” are still utilized today. Additionally, new engineered concrete artificial reef modules that support specific species and various life stages of fish have been developed. Current fisheries research seeks to refine materials, design, and placement of artificial reefs to maximize conservation through planned monitoring activities.
Courtesy of Florida Sea Grant. In total, it takes about 3 – 5 years for reefs to reach a level of maximum production for both fish and invertebrate species.
Within hours of sinking a vessel or concrete reef, baitfish move into their new home. This initiates a “parade” of marine life over several months. The hard structure of an artificial reef is slowly colonized by soft corals, sponges, plants, and barnacles. Baitfish will soon have new neighbors, as snapper and grouper take residence. Nearby sand sediments come to life with sea stars, sand dollars, and other invertebrate species.
Attraction vs. Production Almost as old as the history of artificial reefs is the question of attraction vs. production. Do artificial reefs actually increase the fish population or merely increase the number of fish being caught? Researchers struggled with this question for decades producing seemingly conflicting results. Today’s consensus is that the answer to the question is both yes and no – it depends.
When fishing pressure and mortality exceed the number of fish produced, artificial reefs can end up as expensive fishing equipment. It’s in everyone’s interest to avoid this situation and create productive resources.
Photo Courtesy of Okaloosa County Sea Grant and Joy Brown. Engineered concrete reefs with limestone rock. Modules are easily stacked for transport and then deployed by crane to create patch reefs.
Fisheries Management Tools Artificial reefs are best used as a fisheries conservation tool that disperses fishing pressure and promotes healthy fish stocks. Reefs are strategically deployed so that the exposure to fishing pressure is limited by either time or by geographic location. The ultimate goal when using artificial reefs is for fish production to exceed any fishing or natural mortality.
Economic Benefits of Artificial Reefs
Our artificial reefs support more than just fish. They support jobs and people that earn a living from tourism associated with diving and fishing. In 1998, Florida State University researchers, estimated fishing and diving activities supported nearly 8,136 jobs and 84 million dollars in salary each year in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay counties. Despite the age of the study, it provides an idea of how vital artificial reefs and marine recreation are to Northwest Florida.
Photo Courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife and Bill Horn. Different types of modules are now being deployed together. Innovations like this narrow spaced ecosystem reef help expand the diversity of fish species and ages supported in today‘s reef designs.
How to Access Northwest Florida’s Artificial Reefs
