It is advisable to check with the Florida Marine Patrol in your area for license exemptions and for changes in the regulations which are often under review by the Marine Fisheries Commission to assess the status of the snook populations. Commonwealth Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida 32399. The Florida Marine Research Institute has developed techniques to spawn snook in the laboratory. Artificial ripening of males and females was induced by changes in day-length and water temperature. The method has not been refined to the point of re- liability, however.
Culture is still primarily dependent on the natural spawning season for production of eggs.
Capture of fertile fish during the warm months provides the most reliable supply of eggs at this time. Snook fingerlings can be successfully cultured in tanks and ponds. Growth rates are twice as fast in ponds, where larvae metamorphose to one-inch fingerlings in 24 to 30 days. The goals of the ongoing research include mass rearing of snook fingerlings and monitoring their release for survival and growth, and evaluating the ecological, biological, genetic and economic aspects of stock enhancement. The production-scale project will also provide refinement of aquaculture methods for snook.