FFI Gulf Coast Council

Winter Storm Enzo (January 20-21, 2025) brought record low temperatures and record snowfalls – some up to 13 inches – across most of southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. For many, it was an opportunity that only comes once every 20-30 years – a winter playground wonderland! But sadly, it also came at a high cost for our inland coastal fisheries.

Almost immediately after the cold snap, reports began to surface on social media of fish kills across the coast, mostly mullet, speckled trout, black drum, and redfish. Water temperatures in many coastal areas had fallen below critical temperatures (40 degrees F) for saltwater species such as Spotted Seatrout and Red Drum, and lasted for two or more days.

Since then, each of the states in the Gulf Coast Council region have done preliminary evaluations to the extent of the kills.

Louisiana

LDWF has investigated 71 fish kills statewide while documenting coastwide observations in each major basin. The collected data indicates fish mortality occurred coastwide with concentrations of kills occurring in some areas where fish likely did not have time to leave shallower areas or have access to deep enough, and slightly warmer, water.

While kills were spread throughout the coast, not all coastal areas were affected and not all to the same level. It appears the highest levels of speckled trout and black drum mortalities were in the Terrebonne/Timbalier Basin, and the highest redfish and sheepshead mortalities were in the Barataria Basin. In general, the highest overall mortalities of all species occurred in the marshes between the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. One exception was striped mullet, which had high mortality east of the Mississippi River.

Mississippi

It appears that by far, mullet were hit the hardest on the Magnolia State coast. In Grand Bay, the Mississippi Department of Marine Research estimated over 100,000 mullet killed by the freeze. Grand Bay was likely hit the hardest since it’s the shallowest area on the coast, and lacks easy access to deep water refuge.

Other than mullet, it appears other species were largely unscathed by the freeze. However, there were some social media reports of dead sheepshead in some backwater areas. The extent of those kills is unreported as of yet.

Alabama

The Alabama coast saw massive numbers of dead mullet in shallow canals, backwaters and other interior waterways. Although mullet was again the most impacted, there were sporadic reports of dead redfish, spotted seatrout and sheepshead. Some social media reports of dead sheepshead in the Weeks Bay area also emerged.

Of great concern what was this winter storm did to the emerging snook population. Snook were finally becoming established in Alabama to the point where recreational limits were being proposed. Unless they found a warmwater discharge, its likely very few survived.

Northwest Florida

Although there was some fish kill along the Emerald Coast, it was rather insignificant compared to the extensive kill that occurred in south Florida and even the Atlantic Coast. Most were tropical species or semi-tropical such as snook.

Summary

It appears that the most significant kill to game fishes came on the Louisiana coast, likely because the polar jet that fed Enzo was aimed directly on the state, resulting in record low temperatures in most areas along this area of the Gulf coast.

Compared to the freeze of December, 1989, the kill was not nearly as massive or extensive. Following that kill, it was two years before decent fishing returned.  It should be pointed out that in 1993, we had the best fishing for reds and specks in many years.

Still, there is some concern.  New regulations were recently initiated for speckled trout and redfish due to declining numbers.  A fish kill of this magnitude is not normally factored in recovery estimates.  The FFI Gulf Coast Council is reviewing data with our partners in the American Saltwater Guides Association and Louisiana Wildlife Federation to determine is a temporary action may be needed.