Saltwater Florida Fishes

Florida has a lot going for it - and a lot of people coming to it. If almost constant sunshine weren't lure enough, 4500 miles of coastline is the clincher! Actually, the straight-line distance is about 1800 miles; some experts say the coastline is over 8000 miles if you count the coastline at every island and estuary. For millions who visit the Sunshine State each year, that means packing the fishing gear along with the suntan oil. Some fish are pretty cosmopolitan; a visiting angler might pull in a Tripletail just like the one he caught back home in Connecticut - or off the coast of Spain. But there's a good chance that the finny denizen hauled into his boat will be a breed apart from those he's used to snaring. The odds increase if he hails from South Dakota. Common names used are those approved by the American Fisheries Society. However, in some cases, local or "dockside" names have been added. Some of these are too colorful to omit, in spite of the confusion they cause. Consecutive numbers have been assigned to each fish in the text. These numbers appear on the color pages, and the color-page number is noted in the text where applicable. [Editor's Foreword]