Deputy Hager was on patrol at the 7 mile bridge when he ran across a man who’d caught a rather unusual mangrove snapper. This poor fish had a portion of an aluminum can lid which had grown into the area of its gills. The man took photos of the fish, then cut the metal off and released it back into the water. The man shared his experience with Deputy Hager.
A short time later, Deputy Hager had the opportunity to talk with a group of 7thgraders visiting from Wisconsin. They were on a field trip to the Florida Keys and had stopped at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon. Deputy Hager showed the kids the pictures of the fish and talked about all the different and negative impacts littering into the ocean can have on its inhabitants.