Mangrove Madness

Written by staff | 12 October 2011

erik rimblas
Mangroves not only hold big fish but also serve as shelter and larder for juveniles.

Anglers can take Action to stop mangrove loss

Florida Mangrove habitat are incredibly valuable real estate, to our fish and fishermen. Here's what's happening to our mangroves and what you can do to reverse the trend.

In the most recent case of wanton mangrove destruction, 109 mature trees were removed from a private property and the adjacent lot owned by the town of Jupiter. The area was known by local anglers and snorkelers to hold snook along with the plenty of other mangrove-dwelling marine life...

courtesy palm beach post
These trimmed mangroves were removed to provide "a better waterfront view". The fine: $43,000 - the real loss measured in fish population: $$$?
photo: Palm Beach Post

Without our mangrove forests, it doesn’t matter how many fish are in the water today or how these fish are managed. Without habitat to nurture the young fish our supply will run out. It’s that simple. Many who are new to Florida are unaware that the State has lost as much as 50% of its mangrove shield over the past 50 years. An example of this habitat loss is the stretch from Jupiter to Miami. As little as 10% of the mangrove shield is all that’s left. These remaining mangroves are critical to the health of remaining fish populations.

This is one of the reasons why the going fine from DEP for illegally removing a mangrove tree is as high as $15,000. Per tree. In areas such as Jupiter where mangroves have been depleted, the value of each tree is probably even higher. But unfortunately, and probably since DEP doesn’t currently take much fishery info into consideration when placing a value on these habitats, they rarely enforce the laws to the fullest.

109 mature trees were removed
109 mature mangroves were removed and the area filled. photo: Palm Beach PostIn the recent Jupiter case, a couple bought a house on the Loxahatchee River for $1.2 mil. Not from around here and not all that appreciative of the value of mangroves, this couple decided to remove all of the mangroves from their waterfront property line, plus a bunch on an easement owned by the Town of Jupiter in an adjacent lot. They wanted their view of the water, and they wanted it unobstructed by the mangroves, which incidentally, were trimmed already (see above photos).

It seems they didn’t appreciate the value of mangroves to the State of Florida, but they did know what they wanted was wrong. So, according to neighbors that I interviewed, they hired a company to come in one night after midnight, and removed over 100 mature mangrove trees. The couple woke up to the view they wanted, but their deeds brought a hefty fine. The initial number thrown at them: $1.6 million – that’s at 15K per tree.

That was almost a year ago. This past week, after attorney meetings, the fine was finally levied - total fine by DEP - $43,000.

One neighbor I talked to was absolutely disgusted. “They just paid 43 grand, but the word around the neighborhood is that their property resale value jumped between 200 and 300 grand. What kind of example does that set?”

Clearly, the wrong one. Unless the Town of Jupiter is able to also levy a fine, this couple will benefit financially at the expense of Florida residents. This is a case where it is painfully obvious that DEP doesn’t understand the value of the habitats they are charged to protect.

This is where SGF anglers come in. As specified in Snook Foundation's exclusive Memorandum of Understanding with FWC and DEP, the foundation is charged with alerting and communicating with the two management groups, especially to protect the future of fish and fishing. This case of mangrove destruction in Jupiter is just one illustration of why this mission is so important, and the Angler Action Program can be a critical tool in establishing the real cost of decisions and their consequences, when they affect fish and fish habitat.

The Angler Action program (AAP) is a tool for anglers to easily document the composition and location of top inshore gamefish, including snook, tarpon, bonefish, redfish, trout and permit. By giving the “where and how big” info for your catches and releases, it will shine a light on exactly what habitats our inshore gamefish are using at different phases of their lives. Documented size distribution and location of gamefish populations will be a handy weapon in the battle to preserve our fish and their essential habitat. And while you're on the water, be alert and report violations before they become abominations!