January 7, 2025 • 8 mins
The Tampa Bay area is home to much of the nation's tropical fish farm industry. Farmers are rushing to protect their fish ponds by covering them in plastic. We speak with Sandy Moore, President of New Business Development for Segrest Farms, a tropical fish wholesaler based in Gibsonton, Florida.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here Beyond the News. Well, it gets cold
sometimes even in Florida, and tropical fish farms are among
those that have to take steps in the agricultural field
to protect their assets, and Tampa Bay has many of them.
Aquaculture is a big thing here. We've got Sandy Moore.
She's the president of New Business Development with Seagrest Farms,
which is a company based in Gibsonton that supplies wholesale
(00:22):
tropical fish to retailers and aquariums across the nation. And
she has been named Woman of the Year for the
Florida Department of Agriculture. She's going to receive that award
next month at the Florida State Fair. Sandy Moore, welcome.
We're honored to have you on Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Good morning, Gordon. It's a pleasure to be here. Thank
you for the invitations.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, now, before we get into the topic about tropical fish,
the fact that you're receiving this award is significant in
a bit history making, if you could expand on that
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
It's very humbling and so honored to be receiving it
from Wilpon Simpson next month at the Florida State Fair.
It's one of the year for the State of Florida
depart Agriculture, and this is the first time that anyone
in aquaculture, which is part of agriculture in Florida, has
received this award. Yeah, I received that in large part
for the work that I do on behalf of the
(01:12):
aquaculture industry here in Florida. I do a lot of
work in Tallahassee and in Washington, d c. Advocating for
our rights to own and breed pets.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Now, I have to think also as an advocate for
aquaculture that you've been involved with some of the issues
relating to the hurricanes that have affected many aquaculture producers.
I'm thinking here about the clam industry in cedar Key
and places like that. That advocating after the hurricanes has
(01:44):
been a big part of that as well.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
It sure has. Gordon. The cedar Key folks were so
devastated by Helena, and we here in the Tampa area,
we really were negatively affected by Hurricane Melton with with
the extraordinary amount of rainfall that we received in those
three storms in that one month.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
And what does that mean as far as before we
get into the cold, what steps did you have to
take during the hurricane to deal with that?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Well, that's a great question. We have best management practices
that are overseen by the State of Florida. Part of
those best management practices require us that as part of
the hurricane prep procedures, we lower all of our ponds
by at least twenty inches so we can take some
significant rain events. And what we saw as we continued
(02:37):
to have those rain events, eventually there was no place
for that excess water to go. So we had at
least on our own farms, and they know some of
the farms in this area had it as well. Some
of the ponds fled together, they breached their banks and
the fish crossed over into each other.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
So there was clean up involved and I presume some
losses as well. And during that time.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Period, yes, for sure. And I know the farmers are
still you know, the ponds are not small that it's
not easy to assess their inventory. You can't look into
a pond and see how many fish are in there.
We actually are waiting for the for the normal life
cycle of the pond to happen, when the fish should
(03:23):
should be ready to go for sale. Then we harvest
what's left in those ponds and continue to assess the
damage or loss of inventory.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Well, now here you are coming off that set of problems,
and now you've got something that's more cyclical and that
you've probably seen more often, although maybe not so much recently,
and that is the effect of cold weather on tropical
fish farms. And it's not necessarily the freezing point. I
take it when whenever you get a little bit chilly,
(03:53):
as we have been, is we get down to forty degrees,
I think is when you start to see the impact
on tropical fish farming.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, sure is Chile for these for these tropical fish.
And we everybody that's involved in the tropical fish industry
here in this Tri County area prepares for a winter
by some some fish required to have extra TLC. And
what that looks like is we put metal hoops over
the pond and cover those ponds in clear, viscune plastic,
(04:22):
just like you would a plant nursery. So we get
a greenhouse effect in the ponds that raises the temperature
of the water to about at least ten degrees higher
than it is than than than the outside areas. So
as long as as long as the sky continues to
be clear. We're we're good. If it gets cloudy though
(04:43):
for an extended period, that's when we start to suffer
some losses.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
So the key is the sun is keeping the sun
on those on those ponds. That's right now. When we
have one of these polar vortex events that sweeps across
the country and finally makes it down to Florida, how
does does that affect the tropical fish business overall? I'm
thinking here, if you can indulge me for a second,
that the people are losing power and may have some
(05:11):
concerns about keeping their fish tanks heated, or that there
are other factors perhaps that cause people to buy more
tropical fish during or after an event such as this.
What do you generally see in terms of your business?
Speaker 2 (05:26):
What we generally see. Of course, our pet stores have
generally have backup generators and things that they need in
case they lose electricity to keep their life support systems
to their tanks going. And at the consumer level, generally,
these kind of storms are good for business, not because
(05:46):
of loss of power or anything like that, but anything
that forces the consumer indoors and gets them to engage
with their indoor hobbies. Like aquatics, like fish keeping is
generally good for business. They see, you know it's time
for to add a couple more fish, or maybe it's
time to go buy fish to add to that tank
that they received as a gift for Christmas, so.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
They're inside more. Maybe they got a tank for Christmas,
and I think it's the time to go out and
add to their aquarium. So, if you're a fish owner
and you're dealing with cold weather like this, maybe even
colder in some parts of the country, and what are
the best things, what are the best best practices as
(06:29):
far as making sure that your fish make it through
to spring.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Well, certainly, if you have fish indoors, I'm assuming that
you're keeping the rest of your house warm, they'll be
okay at room temperature. Tropical fish do like to have
a little bit warmer than people keep their houses, So
of course, having a heater that is in working order,
it's a fantastic thing. If your fish happen to get cold,
(06:56):
it's important to not touch them or or do things
in the aquarium that might stress them, because I think,
just like every other animal, to extreme extreme temperatures is
stressful to us and we don't want to we don't
want to do anything that might cause some kind of
(07:17):
disease outbreak where you wouldn't normally see that well in Florida.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
It'll stick around for a few days, but hopefully not
too much longer, and hopefully you'll be able to get
back to business as usual at your business and the
rest of the tropical fish industry. We've been speaking with
Sandy Moore. She's the president of New Business Development with
Seagrest Farms based in Gibsonton. It is a wholesaler for
tropical fish around the nation. She's also Woman of the
(07:42):
Year for the Florida Department of Agriculture on her advocacy
for the aquacultural community, which includes not just tropical fish,
but the clam industry and others around the state of Florida.
And they've certainly faced some challenges from the hurricanes. And
it's been an honor and a privilege and a pleasure
to talk with you, Sandy Moore, And thank you very
much for joining us on Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Thank you for having me
Gordon Bird here Beyond the News. Well, it gets cold
sometimes even in Florida, and tropical fish farms are among
those that have to take steps in the agricultural field
to protect their assets, and Tampa Bay has many of them.
Aquaculture is a big thing here. We've got Sandy Moore.
She's the president of New Business Development with Seagrest Farms,
which is a company based in Gibsonton that supplies wholesale
(00:22):
tropical fish to retailers and aquariums across the nation. And
she has been named Woman of the Year for the
Florida Department of Agriculture. She's going to receive that award
next month at the Florida State Fair. Sandy Moore, welcome.
We're honored to have you on Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Good morning, Gordon. It's a pleasure to be here. Thank
you for the invitations.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, now, before we get into the topic about tropical fish,
the fact that you're receiving this award is significant in
a bit history making, if you could expand on that
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
It's very humbling and so honored to be receiving it
from Wilpon Simpson next month at the Florida State Fair.
It's one of the year for the State of Florida
depart Agriculture, and this is the first time that anyone
in aquaculture, which is part of agriculture in Florida, has
received this award. Yeah, I received that in large part
for the work that I do on behalf of the
(01:12):
aquaculture industry here in Florida. I do a lot of
work in Tallahassee and in Washington, d c. Advocating for
our rights to own and breed pets.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Now, I have to think also as an advocate for
aquaculture that you've been involved with some of the issues
relating to the hurricanes that have affected many aquaculture producers.
I'm thinking here about the clam industry in cedar Key
and places like that. That advocating after the hurricanes has
(01:44):
been a big part of that as well.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
It sure has. Gordon. The cedar Key folks were so
devastated by Helena, and we here in the Tampa area,
we really were negatively affected by Hurricane Melton with with
the extraordinary amount of rainfall that we received in those
three storms in that one month.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
And what does that mean as far as before we
get into the cold, what steps did you have to
take during the hurricane to deal with that?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Well, that's a great question. We have best management practices
that are overseen by the State of Florida. Part of
those best management practices require us that as part of
the hurricane prep procedures, we lower all of our ponds
by at least twenty inches so we can take some
significant rain events. And what we saw as we continued
(02:37):
to have those rain events, eventually there was no place
for that excess water to go. So we had at
least on our own farms, and they know some of
the farms in this area had it as well. Some
of the ponds fled together, they breached their banks and
the fish crossed over into each other.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
So there was clean up involved and I presume some
losses as well. And during that time.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Period, yes, for sure. And I know the farmers are
still you know, the ponds are not small that it's
not easy to assess their inventory. You can't look into
a pond and see how many fish are in there.
We actually are waiting for the for the normal life
cycle of the pond to happen, when the fish should
(03:23):
should be ready to go for sale. Then we harvest
what's left in those ponds and continue to assess the
damage or loss of inventory.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Well, now here you are coming off that set of problems,
and now you've got something that's more cyclical and that
you've probably seen more often, although maybe not so much recently,
and that is the effect of cold weather on tropical
fish farms. And it's not necessarily the freezing point. I
take it when whenever you get a little bit chilly,
(03:53):
as we have been, is we get down to forty degrees,
I think is when you start to see the impact
on tropical fish farming.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, sure is Chile for these for these tropical fish.
And we everybody that's involved in the tropical fish industry
here in this Tri County area prepares for a winter
by some some fish required to have extra TLC. And
what that looks like is we put metal hoops over
the pond and cover those ponds in clear, viscune plastic,
(04:22):
just like you would a plant nursery. So we get
a greenhouse effect in the ponds that raises the temperature
of the water to about at least ten degrees higher
than it is than than than the outside areas. So
as long as as long as the sky continues to
be clear. We're we're good. If it gets cloudy though
(04:43):
for an extended period, that's when we start to suffer
some losses.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
So the key is the sun is keeping the sun
on those on those ponds. That's right now. When we
have one of these polar vortex events that sweeps across
the country and finally makes it down to Florida, how
does does that affect the tropical fish business overall? I'm
thinking here, if you can indulge me for a second,
that the people are losing power and may have some
(05:11):
concerns about keeping their fish tanks heated, or that there
are other factors perhaps that cause people to buy more
tropical fish during or after an event such as this.
What do you generally see in terms of your business?
Speaker 2 (05:26):
What we generally see. Of course, our pet stores have
generally have backup generators and things that they need in
case they lose electricity to keep their life support systems
to their tanks going. And at the consumer level, generally,
these kind of storms are good for business, not because
(05:46):
of loss of power or anything like that, but anything
that forces the consumer indoors and gets them to engage
with their indoor hobbies. Like aquatics, like fish keeping is
generally good for business. They see, you know it's time
for to add a couple more fish, or maybe it's
time to go buy fish to add to that tank
that they received as a gift for Christmas, so.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
They're inside more. Maybe they got a tank for Christmas,
and I think it's the time to go out and
add to their aquarium. So, if you're a fish owner
and you're dealing with cold weather like this, maybe even
colder in some parts of the country, and what are
the best things, what are the best best practices as
(06:29):
far as making sure that your fish make it through
to spring.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Well, certainly, if you have fish indoors, I'm assuming that
you're keeping the rest of your house warm, they'll be
okay at room temperature. Tropical fish do like to have
a little bit warmer than people keep their houses, So
of course, having a heater that is in working order,
it's a fantastic thing. If your fish happen to get cold,
(06:56):
it's important to not touch them or or do things
in the aquarium that might stress them, because I think,
just like every other animal, to extreme extreme temperatures is
stressful to us and we don't want to we don't
want to do anything that might cause some kind of
(07:17):
disease outbreak where you wouldn't normally see that well in Florida.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
It'll stick around for a few days, but hopefully not
too much longer, and hopefully you'll be able to get
back to business as usual at your business and the
rest of the tropical fish industry. We've been speaking with
Sandy Moore. She's the president of New Business Development with
Seagrest Farms based in Gibsonton. It is a wholesaler for
tropical fish around the nation. She's also Woman of the
(07:42):
Year for the Florida Department of Agriculture on her advocacy
for the aquacultural community, which includes not just tropical fish,
but the clam industry and others around the state of Florida.
And they've certainly faced some challenges from the hurricanes. And
it's been an honor and a privilege and a pleasure
to talk with you, Sandy Moore, And thank you very
much for joining us on Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Thank you for having me
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!