SAVE OUR RIVERCHOCTAWHATCHEE INITIATIVE

COMMUNITY ACTION ALERT SEPTEMBER 4 · 5:00 PM

THE CHOCTAWHATCHEE NEEDS YOUR VOICE

SHOW UP.
SPEAK OUT.
SAVE OUR RIVER.

Community meeting with state officials

FLORIDA WILDLIFE STATE OFFICERS WILL BE THERE

WHENSEPTEMBER 45:00 PM

WHEREPLEASANT VALLEY
COMMUNITY CENTERHwy 81 South · Ponce de Leon, FL

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Community meeting September 4 at 5 PM at Pleasant Valley Community Center on Highway 81 South in Ponce de Leon, Florida

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BE HEARD ◆ BE INVOLVED ◆ MAKE A DIFFERENCE ◆ SEPTEMBER 4 AT 5 PM

A MESSAGE TO OUR COMMUNITY

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See why this meeting matters, then share the message with your neighbors and fellow anglers.

SEPTEMBER 4 · 5 PM ↑

THE CHOCTAWHATCHEE EVIDENCE

THIS ISN'T A
GENERIC WARNING.

FWC-linked long-term research sampled the Choctawhatchee from 1997 through 2011. After flathead catfish became established, they expanded rapidly, became numerically dominant at sampled sites, and native spotted bullheads declined.

A 2024 standardized survey found flatheads were again the most abundant catfish collected—and reported no bullheads at 25 randomly selected sites.

RANGE EXPANSION56.5MILES IN 2 YEARS

More than 91 km of documented Choctawhatchee expansion.

DOMINANCE3YEARS OR LESS

Time after first detection to become the dominant catfish at a sampled site.

2024 SAMPLE0BULLHEADS FOUND

None observed or collected across 25 randomly selected Choctawhatchee sites.

2024 COMPOSITION61%FLATHEADS

Share of sampled catfish reported in the 2024 survey summary.

WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS

NATIVE BULLHEADS PRESENT→FLATHEAD ARRIVES→RAPID EXPANSION→FLATHEAD DOMINANCE→2024: NO BULLHEADS SAMPLED

This sequence describes the sampling record. It does not claim that every ecological change has a single cause.

FLATHEAD EFFECTS RESEARCH LIBRARY

FOLLOW THE
EVIDENCE.

Explore the local record, documented diet and food-web effects, regional warning cases, removal science, and the proposed Choctawhatchee policy response.

01 / LOCAL EVIDENCE0BULLHEADS REPORTED IN 25 SITES SAMPLED IN 2024

What happened to the Choctawhatchee catfish community?

Long-term river sampling records rapid flathead expansion, growing dominance, and a steep decline in native spotted bullheads.

READ THE FULL EVIDENCE →02 / ECOSYSTEM EFFECTS5–50%MODELED SUPPRESSION OF NATIVE FISH-COMMUNITY BIOMASS

How can one apex predator reshape an entire fish community?

Modeling and diet research show that introduced flatheads can affect native fish through both direct predation and competition.

READ THE FULL EVIDENCE →03 / DIET & PREDATION47PREY SPECIES IDENTIFIED IN ONE RECENT STUDY

What do invasive flatheads eat—and how much?

Research identifies a broad diet of fish, crayfish, and other aquatic prey, with larger flatheads shifting increasingly toward fish.

READ THE FULL EVIDENCE →04 / REGIONAL WARNING100,000+FLATHEADS REMOVED FROM THE SATILLA BY 2023

Georgia removed 100,000 flatheads—and still must suppress them.

The Satilla River shows both the damage an introduced population can cause and the sustained effort required to control it.

READ THE FULL EVIDENCE →05 / MANAGEMENT>25%ANNUAL FISHING MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT DECLINES IN SATILLA MODELS

Can aggressive harvest actually control invasive flatheads?

Models and real removal programs agree on one point: directed harvest can work, but pressure must be substantial and sustained.

READ THE FULL EVIDENCE →06 / POLICY OPTION25EXISTING FLORIDA RECREATIONAL HOOK LIMIT FOR LISTED PASSIVE GEAR

Why a Choctawhatchee live-bait pilot deserves consideration.

Florida recommends live bream for flatheads but restricts that bait on passive gear; other states offer tightly regulated models.

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WHY IT MATTERS

AN APEX PREDATOR
CHANGES THE RIVER.

Large flatheads consume live prey, including catfish, sunfish, crayfish, and other aquatic animals. Research from introduced populations documents direct predation and broader food-web effects.

Flatheads can affect far more than one sportfish. The pressure reaches native catfish, baitfish, crayfish, and the wildlife that depends on the same food web.

We do not claim that Choctawhatchee flatheads have been proven to reduce frog, snake, turtle, or bird populations. Those concerns should be discussed as potential indirect food-web effects.

THE MEETING ISSUE

GIVE ANGLERS A
CONTROLLED TOOL.

Florida recommends live bream for catching Choctawhatchee flatheads, yet current rules prohibit whole or cut bream on bush hooks and trotlines. The proposal is a narrow, conservation-focused exception—not a statewide free-for-all.

Choctawhatchee-specific pilot

Create a three- or five-year experimental flathead-removal regulation limited to the watershed.

Legally caught, local bait

Require bream to be caught by hook and line, counted within creel limits, and sourced from the same watershed.

Keep safety limits

Retain identification, gear-check, hook-count, and appropriate hook-size safeguards.

Measure the result

Pair the pilot with annual catch reporting and repeatable FWC population monitoring.

REGULATORY CONTEXT

FLORIDA HAS
OPTIONS.

Neighboring and Southeastern states use regulated live-bait exceptions, including river-specific approaches. The attached comparison is informational and should always be checked against current official regulations.

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