Editor’s note: Here is a piece copied by permission from Captain Brook Wallace from the Snook Foundation about an unusual snook. For those of you not familiar, snook are found in South Florida and South Texas down around Mexico and in the Caribbean. It was co-authored by Captain Brook Wallace who operates Full Boat Charters out of Bradenton, Florida.
Have you seen this Snook? Say Hi to "Barney". (See his pictures in the Barney the Snook Gallery and at the right.

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This Common Snook with barnacles growing above both gill plates was caught by Capt Brook Wallace and photographed by Pete Mersch. The snook was 33 inches long and lives under a dock in Bradenton. This rare double sided 'barnacled snook' was live released with barnacles intact and could possibly be caught again.

Snook Research Biologist Ron Taylor said, over the course of a lifetime working with snook, he has seen just a handful of snook with barnacles. Nate Brennan, senior snook scientist at Mote Marine, who has personally handled more 40,000 snook, primarily in Sarasota county, said he had not seen any. The angler's father, Don Wallace, had caught a 35 inch snook recently with barnacles on one side only. The second catch was within a half mile of the first one, daytime flats fishing. The cluster was knocked off with a pair of needle nose pliers and the fish was live released.

One might speculate whether this anomaly is related to the individual snook's diet, health, water quality, other environmental factors, or the fish having been handled in a particular way.

Parasites and fouling organisms are not commonly found on snook, whose protective slime coat not only increases their underwater speed but also helps prevent such organisms from taking hold.

Captain Brook said "The barnacle clusters I've seen only grow above the razor sharp gill plate area. They're about the size of a silver dollar in circumference, and look like Mickey Mouse ears."

We thank Captain Brook Wallace of Full Boat Charters in Bradenton for bringing this snook to light.

If you see a barnacled snook, please send in your report. When you have an unusual catch, let us know! Email your report to info@snookfoundation.org , and to saltfishing@aboutguide.com or phone 877 621 1010 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              877 621 1010      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.