The conservation of snook has become an environmental concern of both scientists and fisherman alike for nearly 60 years. To understand the reasons in which we need to preserve this creature we need to first discuss a variety of topics involving this species. Topics needed to be addressed are that of what is a snook, how it mates, where does it live, what regulations have been assessed to the species, and what are human beings doing to help keep this vital species of fish alive.
            
             What is a snook? We begin by examining exactly what the species known as a snook exactly is. A snook comes from the Order Perciformes and the family centropomidae. There is nearly 22 species found worldwide. Of these species, 8 are found in the Mexican/Pacific waters and 4 are found on the North American coasts in the Atlantic Ocean. Species of snook found of the coasts of Florida are the Tarpon, Fat Snook, Swordspine Snook and the Common Snook. The Tarpon is the largest of the snook family. Like all other species of snook, the Tarpon needs a low salinity and often finds refuge in inlets, mangrove patches, and lagoons. These fish are not to be found tropical at all and of the snook family, it is by far the toughest to catch because it puts up a strong fight due to its size. Another type of snook found off the coasts of Florida is called the Fat Snook. Fat snook also can be found in south Texas (rarely), South Florida, the Caribbean, and Brazil. Like the Tarpon, it also must find refuge in the same common areas with low salinity, and is usually found in brackish waters. Swordspine Snook are found in very small populations usually around the west and east lower coasts of Florida. They are usually less than 1 pound and less than 12 inches long. They are not edible and prefer less amounts of fresh/brackish waters. However, the snook it which we will be examining for the most part is the Common Snook (Centropomis undecimalis), also known as the Saltwater Pike o...