HURRICANES’ EFFECTS ON FISH AND WILDLIFE - GOOD AND BAD

July 8, 2005
Contact: Henry Cabbage (850) 488-8843

Florida’s fish and wildlife, still reeling from last year’s relentless hurricane season, may be in for another assault from Hurricane Dennis. Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists, however, say the news won’t be all bad.

If the storm makes landfall in Florida, it is likely to take a heavy toll on sea turtle and shorebird nests. Hopefully, the birds will have time to renest, and the turtles will nest again if beach renourishment and clean-up operations don’t block them. Because most activities involving construction and use of vehicles and heavy equipment is prohibited on Florida’s beaches without authorization from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), citizens and local governments should consult the DEP before undertaking any clean-up activities on the beach.

If any clean-up or repair activities are approved under an emergency authorization by the state or local government, sea turtle biologist Dr. Robbin Trindell said the FWC will coordinate recovery projects to prevent conflicts with endangered species protection.

“Once the state has issued an authorization for emergency repairs, our office works closely with other state and federal agencies to ensure that Florida’s citizens can take actions necessary to protect and to repair their property without harming threatened and endangered species that are also trying to recover from the storms,” she said.

Information on storm damage and any emergency authorizations is available on the DEP Web site, www.dep.state.fl.us/mainpage/em/.

Storms claim individual animals and destroy food and shelter they need. In addition, non-native (and dangerous) animals may escape captivity, and winds may scatter non-native plants. Fortunately, most of Florida’s native species are adapted to recover from storms. Some non-native species are not, so hurricanes help control their populations in the wild.

Other species that probably will suffer setbacks include scrub jays, red-cockaded woodpeckers, bald eagles and burrowing owls. Scrub jays rely on foliage to conceal them from aerial predators, but hurricanes commonly defoliate plants they need for cover. Burrowing owls may be trapped in their burrows by debris and other birds lose their homes when trees go down.

Fish populations may decrease when high winds stir up upper and lower layers of water in lakes, causing fatal oxygen depletion, but again, fish populations can recover promptly and naturally.

Species that benefit from hurricanes include gopher frogs and spadefoot toads which only breed after heavy rainfall.
 

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