Oh yea, its definitely a Reptilia, Squamata, Hydrophiidae .........which species exactly i don't know as they have about 50 or 60 total.

We caught about 5 a day and the fishermen just caught them by their tails and tossed them back in.....all were alive.

Not a good picture but its the only one I have.

nm

Okay--I'm a newbie and I had the same interest--Salt water forum. Just saying that for the record!

Do you all have a saltwater forum anywhere?

nm

I've kept saltwater natives most of my adult life.I live on the Alabama coast and have seen the variety and quality of marine fishes here plummet as pollution and overdevelopememt have taken their toll.I've mainly fished locally from Destin to Gulf Shores and have really seen the quality of the inshore marine environment decline.I still fish these areas,but am usually saddened by what I see on the trips.

Welcome to the Forum. I visit the Dauphin Island Sea Lab twice a year, and I've seen the signs of overdevelopment along that coast. The natural gas platforms aren't even the problem but rather generalized non-point source pollution.

Speaking of dead zones I often read that the zebra mussel has substantially reversed the eutrophication of the Great Lakes but never read about it having a similar effect in the other parts of NA it has colonized. Is there any evidence of this happening outside of the Great Lakes and if not, does anyone know why?

Even though I am from the Great lakes and a freshwater lover, I would also be interested if there were ever a native saltwater area. I had family in Key Largo and spend most of my childhood winters there. It is disapointing how much rapid development has happened there recently, and how my parents talked about how the John Pennycamp coral reef is not as nice as it used to be, biologically. Lack of sea turtles was one thing. Last time I was there was after a hurricane, and the reef is disappointing compared with ones i been to in hawaii. Also i love the sea grass with the conch, which is treated like our tall grass prairie where I live, overlooked for along time, but now getting lovin. I also am fascinated by the dead zones and the ecological History of cape cod. Eventually if there are enough people, the salt water/brackish discussion would be interesting. There are so many habitats for native salties, my favourites are the seagrass, kelp forest in Cali, and the mangroves, so many interesting fish and inverts!

Even though it is not a fish, They finnaly declared the Caribean monk seal extinct. They have an interesting story, and now you know why there are no pinipeds in Florida.
As for the zebra muscles out side of greatlakes, i cannot recall off hand. I just know some areas in Lake Michigan now look like going to the reef in Florida, visibility wise.

I have always wondered why we did not have a salt water section in the forum.....It is something I would like to see. Even though I am from the mid-west I still get to the coast a few times a year.....so it would be nice to have an area to post up my experiences and finds......

bump

I would love to see a saltwater/brackish forum. There are a lot of landlocked people here, but there are also a lot of us who arent.

bump

I would love to see a saltwater/brackish forum. There are a lot of landlocked people here, but there are also a lot of us who arent.

agreed.

Though I haven't been part of the discusison...I can almost assure everyone a saltwater forum has been discussed.

Hmm. And shot down.

I think we should have one. A subforum, that is.