Why do red snapper eyes bulge

CDFW Photos. Barotrauma is a pressure related injury. Rockfish have a specialized gas filled sac that allows them to control buoyancy and maintain depth in the water column. Barotrauma occurs due to a rockfish's inability to release expanding gasses in the swim bladder when it is reeled up and brought to the surface. Barotrauma injuries can cause eyes, stomach or vent to appear to be blown up or greatly expanded. Because swim bladders are designed to function at different depths and pressures depending on the species of rockfish, the severity of barotrauma injuries varies among rockfish.

Click to enlarge. This graphic depicts what happens to a rockfish when it is brought up from depth. At depth, the gasses in the swim bladder are at equal pressure. When the fish is reeled up to the surface, the gasses expand and can cause the eyes to become bulged, cloudy or crystallized and the stomach to protrude out of the mouth.

Rockfish can be re-pressurized, and done so by returning the fish to the depth in which it was caught. The most common reason for discarding a live rockfish is due to regulatory requirements such as exceeding a sub-bag or bag limit, or catching a prohibited species.

Yet, discarding can also occur when attempting to target other species after meeting the rockfish bag limit, or when the rockfish is smaller or less desirable. Survival of released rockfish is very important as it provides future opportunity for that rockfish to grow and spawn.

Survival is increased when the fish is returned to depth as soon as possible. When descending devices are utilized, survival rates are increased. This increase in survival is taken into account when developing recreational fishing regulations. Venting, Deflating or "Fizzing" are terms which refer to releasing excess gas within the swim bladder by inserting a hypodermic needle into the swim bladder.

Barotrauma is the injury to certain organs after experiencing a change in pressure. Rockfish experience barotrauma as they are caught and reeled to the surface. The gasses within their swim bladder and other organs expand with the change in pressure. These are all symptoms of barotrauma. The device travels down to deep water, carrying the fish with it. Depending on the device, it either releases automatically at the appropriate water pressure or is released manually by the fisherman.

Still, two big problems remained:. I want there to be more fish so I can always come out here and fish. If I have grandkids someday, I want them to be able to come out here and fish. Warren Hupman. Thanks to a grant from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, TNC is on track to distribute descending devices to charter captains and recreational fishermen in Georgia, such as Hupman, by the end of TNC plans to expand the descending devices pilot across the region.

The next step will be an orientation trip to South Carolina to teach fishermen there how to use the devices. In exchange for receiving a free device, fishermen agree to attend a learning exchange that shares best fishing practices, then to report back on how they use the device. How many fish with barotrauma did they catch? Which species? Their answers will give scientists critical data on whether descending devices can help restore fish populations.

TNC and other partners are working with fishermen like Captain Warren Hupman to save deep-sea fish from barotrauma and to educate other fishermen and the public about best fishing practices. You might also consider doing a full deep clean to remove waste and keep ammonia levels in check. Place them in a separate quarantine tank with optimal water conditions. To reduce swelling, you can treat the fish with Epsom salt. Add between one and three teaspoons of Epsom salt for every five gallons of water in the treatment tank.

This should help reduce swelling over the course of the next several days. As long as the water conditions are stable, corneal damage should heal as well. During the treatment, provide your fish with a balanced, vitamin-rich diet.

This is where things get tricky. You can use standard antibiotic and antibacterial products to prevent bacterial infections and cornea damage from worsening. These are the types of products that are used to treat conditions like fin rot and infections.

Typically, these products are applied directly into the water. These usually come recommended by a vet and are administered orally. They come as food, making it easy to target the bacterial issues from within. Treatment can take several months in serious cases of popeye. Continue to monitor your fish and the water conditions. Over time, the eyes should deflate and go back to normal. For safekeeping, you may want to treat the main tank with antibiotics as well.

If one fish was affected due to bad water conditions, the other fish in your aquarium are still at risk. The best thing that you can do is take steps to prevent popeye from happening in the first place! Start by taking a look at your tank setup. Give your fish plenty of room to swim and breathe! Larger tanks are always better. With larger tanks, waste problems are less likely because the volume of water easily dilutes toxic chemicals. To prevent poor water conditions, check levels regularly.

Perform percent water changes every week and make sure that your filter is in good condition. Ideally, ammonia and nitrate levels should be undetectable at all times. If the compounds are detectable at any point, your tank might still be overcrowded. Alternatively, your filter might not be performing as it should.

When you feed your fish, provide only enough food that they can eat in two minutes. If there are any remnants left over, remove them from the tank.