MC Hammer Update

M.C. Hammer was caught at Las Pelas, Culebra, Puerto Rico, on 29 April 2013, and was a strapping 645 mm in total length.  Following capture, M.C. Hammer was implanted with acoustic transmitter #9259 and released.  As of July 2014, M.C. Hammer has been detected 83,607 times on 34 receiver stations!  Preliminary analyses suggests that M.C. is a bit of a homebody, spending most of his time on the flat from which he was caught.  This is similar to many of the other bonefish tagged as part of this project, and this strong site fidelity can have considerable implications in the face of habitat disturbance and high fishing mortality. 

Time to ramp up protection for this iconic species of the flats.

Tracking Bonefish: Ready for Year Two

From the Fisheries Conservation Foundation:

The first year of the acoustic tracking study on bonefish populations around Grand Bahama was completed in June. So far the findings have been impressive, with more than 26,000 detections being recorded at the listening stations scattered around the island.

This October we will be returning to Grand Bahama to begin the second year of this tracking study.

LINK

I was dreamin' when I wrote this.... Forgive me if it goes astray

Ray Montoya serves up some magentic tape footage and a really nice bonefish from back in 1999.

Chasing Tail

Feb. 2014 SOTM Entry: Andros Bonefish

Howard Gaber took a trip this month to South Andros where he popped this 34" boner.  Not too shabby Mr. Gaber!

Slo Mo Bones

Here is another mind-blowing video from Dr. Andy Danylchuk (UMass Amherst) when he went for a swim a bonefish spawning aggregation in The Bahamas.  Andy is on a personal crusade to ensure that bonefish are around for many more generations of recreational anglers to enjoy, and so that tourism-based economies of small island nations can benefit from healthy bonefish populations.  Working in collaboration with Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, the Fisheries Conservation Foundation, the fishing industry, local stakeholders, and regional governments, Andy remains optimistic that these efforts can indeed make a difference.