Residents of Hillsborough County were buzzing with excitement on Saturday.
People stopped by Northdale Park and Recreation Center for the county’s last giveaway in 2024 to pick up an all-natural mosquito preventative: Gambusia Holbrooki, otherwise known as the eastern mosquitofish.
The fish in question is a small, native freshwater fish that eats mosquito eggs and larvae.
Hillsborough’s free giveaways happen annually. This year, more than 5,000 fish were bred and readied to distribute for the event.
Paolo Pecora is a Senior Environmental Scientist with the county.
“Gambusia Holbrooki stocked in locations where they’re in low numbers or not naturally occurring retention ponds, small water basins, stormwater basins, ditches where they’re holding water longer than normal,” he said.
As far as environmental concerns over the fish, Pecora said in Australia the fish has threatened smaller native species.
“There are cons to utilizing this fish as a biological control agent in certain environments, but for Hillsborough County, they’re pretty effective, and more or less, they’re the most common fish and the local species,” Percora said.
The mosquito fish is a small part of Hillsborough County’s efforts to “take back neighborhoods from the more than 40 species of mosquitoes,” according to its website.
In 2023, the county reported it gave the public over 24,000 fish. Hillsborough also treated over 120,200 acres of water for larval mosquitoes, among other initiatives.
Some members of the area said they think this approach is a step forward in the right direction. But Hillsborough resident Karen Skop thinks the county could do more.
“I think this is great, but I think they need to do more, especially for the mosquito population and then the freshwater lakes. They got to do something to protect our waterways,” she said.
As a homeowner, Skop said she feels the weight of mosquitos in her backyard.
“They (Hillsborough County) collect a lot of property taxes, especially with the influx of population. So they need to do something to keep our waterways safe, keep our people safe, and they (mosquitos) carry disease,” she said.
One of the driving forces in preventing mosquito population growth is the spread of disease.
Adult mosquitoes can spread diseases like dengue fever, the Zika virus, West Nile virus, malaria and Chikungunya virus to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Listen to the Midpoint podcast’s breakdown of the mosquito and bird related diseases plaguing Florida.
Residents were provided with printed handouts with information about why the mosquitofish is being used against mosquitos.
“You actually get to talk to people and they explain things that you get… You learn a little bit more. It’s not just the government will take care of you. No, no, we’re all in this together and let’s all work together,” Hillsborough resident Frank Stalzer said.
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough recommends draining standing water from outside to reduce mosquito breeding.
If you want Hillsborough County Mosquito Management to host an event like this near you, let the department of public works know.
