Many fish become trapped as the waters drain, taking with it precious oxygen. Mudfish, for example, actually get oxygen from the atmosphere. The low water also has produced some of the best freshwater fishing in South Florida in a decade. With so much of the marsh drained, many species have retreated to deeper pools or canals, creating a high concentration. They blame water district and wildlife managers for neglecting the system.
Biologists expect a quicker rebound.
Many tiny food fish are able to survive in small puddles, Fury said, and they should help the system recover within one or two years. That view was echoed by F.K. Jones, wildlife director for the Miccosukee Tribe, whose land is bordered by water conservation areas. Susan Gray, deputy director of the water district's watershed management division, defended her agency's actions. Water managers, she said, had to protect Lake Okeechobee, which has fallen to a historic low, and coastal well fields threatened by tainting from saltwater intrusion.