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Not your everyday baitball.
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During a recent Bonefish & Tarpon Trust expedition, Dr. Andy Danylchuk (UMass Amherst), Dr. Aaron Adams (BTT/Florida Institute of Technology), Dr. Jon Shenker (Florida Institute of Technology), and Zack Jud (Florida International University) reconfirmed that bonefish in The Bahamas form massive spawning aggregations at very specific locations during specific lunar days. Using manual tracking and depth sensors, they also documented that bonefish use depths of greater than 160 feet (50 m) when spawning, after which they return quickly to shallow water.
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Stay tuned as this team continues to analyze hours of video footage, still images, and biological data. Collectively, this work will help identify sites throughout The Bahamas and elsewhere in Florida and the Caribbean where bonefish spawn and that need protection from habitat disturbance and overfishing.
All photos courtesy of Dr. Andy Danylchuk.