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    Spadefish Have to Dig Their Way Out of a Hole
    Spadefish Have to Dig Their Way Out of a Hole
    Spadefish Have to Dig Their Way Out of a Hole
    Ebook32 pages9 minutes

    Spadefish Have to Dig Their Way Out of a Hole

    By Tim Grollimund

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    About this ebook

    "Spadefish are the only species of its family that reside in the Western Atlantic. In the Pacific there are at least six species of spadefish, where they are also commonly known as batfish. While they are common in the Keys, in other parts of the Caribbean they are not as prevalent. I’ve seen schools numbering in the hundreds from the south end of Molasses all the way up to Carysfort. One of the largest schools I’ve seen was on Deep French.

    Once you spot a school - even a small one of a dozen or so - the best way to photograph them is to let them come to you. If you chase them, they will turn the other way. If you like to take tail shots, then by all means pursue at your leisure. Usually within two or three minutes they will swoop down to check me out. Their effortless glide path through the water column as they approach is worth the wait. Even though two or three minutes may feel like twenty as you monitor gauges and depth, hang out. They will come.

    There are not many studies on the reproductive life of spadefish. They spawn from May to October, and water temperature and salinity are factors in the behavior patterns, as expected. Perhaps the cold spell that damaged many other species had an effect on spadefish, too. I’m just guessing.

    I decided to dig a little deeper into my post-Deep-Horizon theory. I found a thesis by Mark Stead of Louisiana State University, from 2003. He studied the effects of nonlethal doses of ethylene glycol (EG) and methanol (MeOH) on juvenile pompano and spadefish. For spadefish, up to an eighteen percent reduction in swimming ability was observed after ingestion of EG. There was a greater reduction for pompano.

    EG and MeOH are used extensively in oil production. In his thesis, Mr. Stead says “the possibility of a large spill is unlikely”. Oops. Tell that to BP. Did the spill effect the critical swimming speed of juvenile pompano and spadefish? I think it’s a great question to ask the scientists assessing our fisheries in a post-spill world. "

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTim Grollimund
    Release dateAug 13, 2017
    ISBN9781370235759
    Spadefish Have to Dig Their Way Out of a Hole
    Author

    Tim Grollimund

    Tim spent nearly a decade in Key Largo, Florida. He wrote the scuba diving column for the local newspaper, The Reporter, for over three years, and also served as a Working Group member and Alternate Representative on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. His ebooks are all based on his newspaper columns. Each ebook has a collection of underwater images shot by Tim. The ebooks cover a wide range of marine life species and ocean conservation topics.

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      Book preview

      Spadefish Have to Dig Their Way Out of a Hole - Tim Grollimund

      Spadefish Have to Dig Their Way Out of a Hole

      Tim Grollimund

      Author: Tim Grollimund

      Date Published: July 26, 2017

      ISBN: 978-1-3702357-5-9

      Publisher: Smashwords Edition

      Copyright © Apex Global Solutions LLC 2017. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, displayed, modified or distributed without the prior and express written permission of the copyright holder. All inquiries via timgrollimund.com

      Table of Contents

      Spadefish Have to Dig Their Way Out of a Hole

      Acknowledgments

      Introduction

      The Reporter

      Spadefish

      About The Author

      Other eBooks, Prints and Keepsakes

      Articles I used to write this column

      Acknowledgments

      To Dad, who knew I loved the sea, and always encouraged me to pursue my passion.

      Introduction

      When I moved to the Florida Keys in 2009, I had one objective in mind. Simply, to become highly proficient

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