WEBVTT 00:07.607 --> 00:15.248 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% They are vast expanses of serene, crystal-clear waters, as far as the eye can see. 00:15.348 --> 00:20.787 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% It is an absolutely unique place. It s usually less than six feet of water that is a matrix 00:20.887 --> 00:27.327 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% of sand, seagrass, little corals and sponges that offers good foraging grounds for many 00:27.427 --> 00:29.462 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% different species. 00:29.562 --> 00:34.834 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% The fish are just going about their business. You just see them in their own element eating 00:34.934 --> 00:39.906 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% and cruising and it s really neat to see. 00:40.006 --> 00:47.313 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% These are the Flats - a place where recreational anglers pursue the legendary bonefish, tarpon 00:47.414 --> 00:48.982 align:left position:35%,start line:89% size:55% and permit. 00:49.082 --> 00:53.720 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% There's no other place I'd rather be fly fishing than on the flats. 00:53.820 --> 00:59.993 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Flats fishing is just a very romanticized, dramatic thing. 01:00.093 --> 01:07.100 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% It s just the allure, poling around these flats and trying to find a fish. 01:07.200 --> 01:10.637 align:left position:80%,start line:89% size:10% Oh, come on. What is that? Is that fish? 01:10.737 --> 01:13.473 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Flats fishing is not like you drop a piece of shrimp to the bottom and wait for the fish 01:13.573 --> 01:17.310 align:left position:85%,start line:89% size:5% to eat it. Flats fishing is a hunt. 01:17.410 --> 01:23.149 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% It's very much a stalking game, it's like hunting except you get to release the fish 01:23.249 --> 01:27.620 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% when you catch it. 01:27.720 --> 01:32.425 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% You actually have to see the fish before you throw the fly. 01:32.525 --> 01:36.563 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% You're trying to trick a fish into eating a completely artificial fly that you've often 01:36.663 --> 01:39.566 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% tied yourself out of materials. 01:39.666 --> 01:43.069 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% It's pretty challenging especially when weather conditions aren't in your favor. 01:43.169 --> 01:47.474 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% You're not thinking about anything else when you're out on the flats. 01:47.574 --> 01:52.112 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Research commissioned by the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust has shown these recreational 01:52.212 --> 01:54.581 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% fisheries are worth big money. 01:54.681 --> 02:00.553 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% There s a study, in 2009, in the middle of the recession, found that the annual economic 02:00.653 --> 02:05.925 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% impact of the bonefish catch and release fishery in the Bahamas was 141 million dollars. We 02:06.025 --> 02:11.097 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% are in the process of redoing that study now and preliminary estimates are that it's more 02:11.197 --> 02:16.269 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% than 200 million dollars. In the Florida Keys, the flats fishery, which is bonefish, tarpon 02:16.369 --> 02:22.408 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% and permit, the annual economic impact is over 460 million dollars. 02:22.509 --> 02:26.479 align:left position:67.5%,start line:89% size:22.5% But in some areas, these fish are on the decline. 02:26.579 --> 02:33.286 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% In order for us to pass this down, we have to secure what we have now. And in order to 02:33.386 --> 02:37.357 align:left position:67.5%,start line:89% size:22.5% do that, you've got to work with the researchers. 02:37.457 --> 02:43.329 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% What does scientific research reveal about bonefish, tarpon and permit? Can it help to 02:43.429 --> 03:10.757 align:left position:82.5%,start line:89% size:7.5% ensure their survival into the future? 03:10.857 --> 03:16.129 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Major funding for this program was provided by the Batchelor Foundation, encouraging people 03:16.229 --> 03:24.470 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% to preserve and protect America s underwater resources. And by: Diver s Direct and Ocean 03:24.571 --> 03:35.982 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Divers; The Do Unto Others Trust; The Charles N. and Eleanor Knight Leigh Foundation. And 03:36.082 --> 04:03.276 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% by the following. 04:03.376 --> 04:08.314 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% The Florida Keys - fabled fishing grounds where history is made. 04:08.414 --> 04:14.654 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% The Keys is really the birthplace of the flats fishery, it started here post World War II 04:14.754 --> 04:20.026 align:left position:80%,start line:89% size:10% and has just really has taken off since. 04:20.126 --> 04:25.465 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% In the world of fly fishing and saltwater flats fishing, the Florida Keys is hallowed 04:25.565 --> 04:28.701 align:left position:22.5%,start line:89% size:67.5% grounds in many ways. 04:28.801 --> 04:34.440 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% People come from all over to the Florida Keys and try to catch some of the tarpon, the permit, 04:34.540 --> 04:39.078 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% the bonefish that are found in the flats in the back country here. So that's really important 04:39.178 --> 04:42.448 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% to this community, not only economically but also culturally. 04:42.548 --> 04:49.889 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% On the Florida Keys heyday, it was the world number one destination to go flats fishing. 04:49.989 --> 05:01.367 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Islamorada was the fishing capital of the world. But now, we've virtually lost our bonefishery. 05:01.467 --> 05:08.441 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% By the 1990s, guides and anglers had noticed a major decline in bonefish. To understand 05:08.541 --> 05:15.281 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% what was happening, a group of them came together in 1997 and created what is now known as the 05:15.381 --> 05:19.585 align:left position:75%,start line:89% size:15% Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, or BTT for short. 05:19.686 --> 05:25.024 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% They quickly realized that nobody knew anything about bonefish, tarpon, or permit from a scientific 05:25.124 --> 05:29.462 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% perspective so they became a science-based conservation organization. 05:29.562 --> 05:35.001 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% BTT conducts some of that research with our own staff, but we also do a lot of external 05:35.101 --> 05:39.839 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% funding, So, we'll work with colleagues in universities, other non-profits to get a lot 05:39.939 --> 05:42.342 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% of research done. 05:42.442 --> 05:47.880 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Experts speculate one of the reasons for the decline in bonefish could be habitat degradation 05:47.980 --> 05:49.282 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% and loss. 05:49.382 --> 05:53.619 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% The basis for healthy fisheries is healthy habitat. 05:53.720 --> 05:58.324 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% We have water quality issues from leaky septic tanks that occur in the Lower Keys and major 05:58.424 --> 06:02.528 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% water management issues in the Northern Keys that have caused algal blooms and sea grass 06:02.628 --> 06:04.831 align:left position:87.5%,start line:89% size:2.5% die-offs at unprecedented scales. 06:04.931 --> 06:10.036 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% We're seeing some issues with pollution, things like nutrients and other contaminants getting 06:10.136 --> 06:15.041 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% into the water that impact the habitat quality and potentially even the fish themselves through 06:15.141 --> 06:17.110 align:left position:22.5%,start line:89% size:67.5% disease or parasites. 06:17.210 --> 06:22.982 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% We let the data lead the way and advocate for the types of regulations and restoration 06:23.082 --> 06:28.888 align:left position:87.5%,start line:89% size:2.5% that are needed to fix the system. 06:28.988 --> 06:34.994 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% Nicknamed the gray ghost, bonefish are listed as near threatened by the International 06:35.094 --> 06:41.367 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% Union for Conservation of Nature, and in Florida, they are catch and release only. 06:41.467 --> 06:48.107 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The species of bonefish that we fish for in the flats, albula vulpes, is one of four species 06:48.207 --> 06:53.446 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% total in the Caribbean and one of three that you might catch on the flats. But, albula 06:53.546 --> 06:58.451 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% vulpes is well over ninety-eight percent, ninety-nine percent of what anglers catch 06:58.551 --> 07:02.088 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% and you can't tell a difference by looking at them, it's only genetics. 07:02.188 --> 07:03.589 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% Where d they go? 07:03.689 --> 07:05.691 align:left position:25%,start line:89% size:65% I see tailing fish. 07:05.792 --> 07:12.131 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% BTT scientists quickly realized that to understand bonefish populations and behavior they needed 07:12.231 --> 07:16.903 align:left position:70%,start line:89% size:20% to expand their research to a regional approach. 07:17.003 --> 07:21.407 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% One place where bonefish populations are still healthy is the Bahamas. 07:21.507 --> 07:26.512 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Bonefish are very culturally significant to the Bahamas, you can find it on our ten-cent 07:26.612 --> 07:30.817 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% coin, and people have been eating bonefish for generations, it actually used to be a 07:30.917 --> 07:34.854 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% staple of the Bahamian diet prior to food imports coming from abroad. 07:34.954 --> 07:38.658 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The only way you can legally catch bonefish is via hook and line and that's for your own 07:38.758 --> 07:42.161 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% personal consumption, there's no buying or selling of bonefish. 07:42.261 --> 07:47.500 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% These days, the majority of bonefish are caught by sports fishermen who practice catch and 07:47.600 --> 07:49.602 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% release. 07:49.702 --> 07:55.408 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% To make management recommendations that adequately protect the fish and their habitats, experts 07:55.508 --> 07:57.710 align:left position:82.5%,start line:89% size:7.5% needed to understand their movements. 07:57.810 --> 08:04.317 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% A lot of marine fish aggregate to spawn, they don't spawn where they live most of the year. 08:04.417 --> 08:08.821 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% We wanted to figure out from how far bonefish will travel from a home site to a spawning 08:08.921 --> 08:11.657 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% location. 08:11.757 --> 08:16.295 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% To do so, scientists capture the fish and tag them. 08:16.395 --> 08:22.335 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We use a 50-foot soft mesh seine net, that's about four feet deep. Once we spot a school 08:22.435 --> 08:28.407 align:left position:82.5%,start line:89% size:7.5% we'll try to basically encircle them. 08:28.508 --> 08:32.445 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Once we've encircled them, we'll take a few fish put them in a holding pen, and then we'll 08:32.545 --> 08:36.549 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% start working them up from there. First thing we do when we work up these fish, we're going 08:36.649 --> 08:41.954 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% to pop them on our measuring board, get a fork length measurement, we're going to put 08:42.054 --> 08:43.823 align:left position:25%,start line:89% size:65% a tag in that fish. 08:43.923 --> 08:49.428 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We'll also use a syringe with a plastic tube and we can sample eggs from the females and 08:49.529 --> 08:52.565 align:left position:85%,start line:89% size:5% determine if they're spawning ready. 08:52.665 --> 08:59.105 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% In addition to the external dart tags, scientists also surgically insert acoustic tags in some 08:59.205 --> 09:00.940 align:left position:42.5%,start line:89% size:47.5% fish. 09:01.040 --> 09:03.476 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We put them in large females. Because those are the ones that are definitely going to 09:03.576 --> 09:05.444 align:left position:42.5%,start line:89% size:47.5% spawn. 09:05.545 --> 09:10.349 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Acoustic tags put out a supersonic ping, that we can't hear but we have underwater receivers 09:10.449 --> 09:12.885 align:left position:15%,start line:89% size:75% that can detect those pings. 09:12.985 --> 09:18.791 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% These underwater receivers are placed at regular intervals across a study site. Each time a 09:18.891 --> 09:26.032 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% fish swims by a receiver its individual ID is detected and recorded for download later. 09:26.132 --> 09:32.872 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Looks like we got a bunch of detections at the full moon at the beginning of March and 09:32.972 --> 09:43.349 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% then we had fish 11790 show up just today. 09:43.449 --> 09:48.120 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Over the last eight years we've been doing work in the Bahamas, we've tagged over thirteen 09:48.220 --> 09:52.558 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% thousand bonefish around the Bahamas and had close to seven hundred recaptures. Seventy-two 09:52.658 --> 09:57.863 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% percent of them were caught within a mile of where they were originally tagged. And 09:57.964 --> 10:01.767 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% then of that 72 percent, 69 percent were caught in the exact same spot. So, these fish have 10:01.867 --> 10:03.669 align:left position:87.5%,start line:89% size:2.5% really, really small home ranges. 10:03.769 --> 10:07.607 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% But, we also found that they'll make really long-distance movements for spawning. We were 10:07.707 --> 10:10.810 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% able to see that was around the full and new moon between October through April, which 10:10.910 --> 10:17.149 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% is spawning season. We've had multiple fish from the west side of Abaco do 140 miles round 10:17.249 --> 10:22.421 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% trip just to get to a spawning site and back. We also had one fish, it was also tagged out 10:22.521 --> 10:26.592 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% in Abaco as part of a spawning run, and then was caught later on the north side of Grand 10:26.692 --> 10:28.527 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% Bahama. 10:28.628 --> 10:35.201 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% During the day, bonefish that are ready to spawn gather in groups, or so-called pre-spawning 10:35.301 --> 10:40.072 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% aggregations, near deep water, before moving offshore at night. 10:40.172 --> 10:44.577 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% As the sun sets they become more active and you'll see them starting to gulp at the surface 10:44.677 --> 10:46.312 align:left position:75%,start line:89% size:15% or even jump out of the water and porpoise. 10:46.412 --> 10:49.148 align:left position:70%,start line:89% size:20% It's pretty unique from a biological standpoint. 10:49.248 --> 10:56.155 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% And it really only happens for about 20 minutes, half an hour as they're making that movement 10:56.255 --> 11:01.460 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% from these transitional habitats to the deep drop off. And we're kind of hypothesizing 11:01.560 --> 11:05.564 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% that they're actually gulping air to fill up their swim bladders and maybe fill up their 11:05.665 --> 11:11.170 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% gastrointestinal tract and then they go off the wall down deep and that compresses the 11:11.270 --> 11:16.008 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% air and at the same time they're making their eggs really big and puffy and slippery. And 11:16.108 --> 11:19.812 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% when you go down the air compresses, and if you come up fast the air expands and it helps 11:19.912 --> 11:24.116 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% to push the eggs out and then the male then releases the sperm, and then they fertilize 11:24.216 --> 11:26.619 align:left position:75%,start line:89% size:15% the eggs and then drift around in the ocean. 11:26.719 --> 11:34.093 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% The eggs hatch offshore in open water and drift around as larvae for about 40 to 70 11:34.193 --> 11:35.961 align:left position:42.5%,start line:89% size:47.5% days. 11:36.062 --> 11:40.566 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% Eventually the larvae move into shallow, inshore waters where they settle and metamorphose 11:40.666 --> 11:43.102 align:left position:25%,start line:89% size:65% into baby bonefish. 11:43.202 --> 11:47.773 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The theory is that when fish spawn offshore, the ocean currents transport some of those 11:47.873 --> 11:52.745 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% larvae back to the same area where the fish grew up. But then some of the larvae are transported 11:52.845 --> 11:58.851 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% to other islands, so that gives their genes a chance of surviving even if there's a catastrophe 11:58.951 --> 12:03.856 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% in the location where the parents grew up. And since we live in a place that has high 12:03.956 --> 12:09.395 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% frequency of hurricanes, that's a pretty good strategy. 12:09.495 --> 12:15.101 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% To understand exactly where the currents might take the larvae, scientists conducted computer 12:15.201 --> 12:18.037 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% modeling research. 12:18.137 --> 12:22.908 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% And that has shown that there's a high probability of connectivity between the Florida Keys, 12:23.008 --> 12:29.048 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% southwest Cuba, the Yucatan Peninsula like Mexico and Belize, and other locations. And 12:29.148 --> 12:34.820 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% it looks like there's a lot of connectivity between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas. 12:34.920 --> 12:39.892 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Understanding how bonefish populations are connected helps scientists determine if conservation 12:39.992 --> 12:45.431 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% strategies should be local or regional, and knowing fish migration routes and spawning 12:45.531 --> 12:50.269 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% locations allows them to advocate for habitat protection. 12:50.369 --> 12:54.940 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Fish populations can recover from overfishing, but if they lose their habitats the game's 12:55.040 --> 12:56.842 align:left position:42.5%,start line:89% size:47.5% over. 12:56.942 --> 12:58.944 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% We've been working with Bahamas National Trust and Nature Conservancy in the Bahamas to use 12:59.044 --> 13:04.316 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% some of our information on bonefish habitat use, spawning migrations and spawning sites 13:04.416 --> 13:07.720 align:left position:75%,start line:89% size:15% to help them identify places for protection. 13:07.820 --> 13:13.492 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% The Bahamas National Trust is charged with managing the natural resources of the Bahamas 13:13.592 --> 13:17.563 align:left position:80%,start line:89% size:10% and the Trust manages 32 national parks. 13:17.663 --> 13:21.300 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Back in 2015, we got five new national parks put in place. 13:21.400 --> 13:26.939 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% And this was based mainly on the work that was conducted through the assistance of Bonefish 13:27.039 --> 13:28.808 align:left position:32.5%,start line:89% size:57.5% Tarpon Trust. 13:28.908 --> 13:33.379 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The main purpose of these parks was to stop unsustainable development, so for example 13:33.479 --> 13:37.249 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% the East Grand Bahama Park was under threat of sand mining, so if that happened, that 13:37.349 --> 13:42.154 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% would have not only possibly killed off the bonefishery but a lot of other economic important 13:42.254 --> 13:43.989 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% fisheries. 13:44.089 --> 13:48.360 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% We do a lot of work with the fishermen, the guides, the communities, Bahamas National 13:48.460 --> 13:54.266 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Trust and other organizations on education. Because conservation will only work if the 13:54.366 --> 13:56.635 align:left position:75%,start line:89% size:15% people who live in those areas buy into it. 13:56.735 --> 14:02.074 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% It's a lot of, you know, stuff that they share with me that I had no idea. So, they educate 14:02.174 --> 14:04.743 align:left position:80%,start line:89% size:10% a lot of the guides when they come here. 14:04.844 --> 14:09.682 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Even though I know a lot over 19 years of doing it, the science part of it is new for 14:09.782 --> 14:13.752 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% me and it helps me understand some stuff I was wondering about years ago. 14:13.853 --> 14:18.691 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% So, we're working now to take what we learned from the Bahamas and figure out where exactly 14:18.791 --> 14:23.629 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% they spawn in the Keys so we can not only protect those areas, but understand how those 14:23.729 --> 14:29.201 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% areas are being used, how things like pollution or boat traffic may impact that and also look 14:29.301 --> 14:31.303 align:left position:22.5%,start line:89% size:67.5% at migration pathways. 14:31.403 --> 14:44.049 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it! 14:44.149 --> 14:49.588 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Another popular game fish that spends time on the flats is the Atlantic tarpon, whose 14:49.688 --> 14:55.194 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% range extends from the U.S. to Brazil and Africa. 14:55.294 --> 15:00.299 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Tarpon and bonefish are in the same family. They're a very old lineage 15:00.399 --> 15:06.372 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Small tarpon- we're talking like six to twelve inches. Medium size, you'll get into the 50-pound 15:06.472 --> 15:10.776 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% range. And then big tarpon, two hundred plus pound. 15:10.876 --> 15:14.546 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% Recreational anglers like to target them because of their size and the fact that they jump. 15:14.647 --> 15:17.516 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% That's pretty, pretty dramatic and really gets the heart pumping. 15:17.616 --> 15:24.890 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% The last 20 feet bringing them to the boat is the hardest. 15:24.990 --> 15:31.597 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Nicknamed the Silver King, tarpon migrate to the Florida Keys between March and June. 15:31.697 --> 15:37.069 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% A lot of times we'll see you know, thousands of fish under the bridges cruising through 15:37.169 --> 15:41.974 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% the Lower Keys and the Middle Keys. These are basically pre-spawning aggregations. We 15:42.074 --> 15:46.879 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% have yet to identify where they're spawning offshore. 15:46.979 --> 15:51.216 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Recreational anglers enjoy hooking the fish that aggregate beneath the bridges, but they 15:51.317 --> 15:56.789 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% aren t the only ones looking for a catch. Large sharks often prey on tarpon fighting 15:56.889 --> 16:03.829 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% on the line, or exhausted fish that have been let go. This has scientists worried. 16:03.929 --> 16:07.466 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% As soon as they re stressed or tired and the sharks kind of win. 16:07.566 --> 16:13.305 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% You know, is fishing for them under the bridges having a significant impact on their populations? 16:13.405 --> 16:19.411 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% As an angler and as a scientist, I want to answer it for both sides. 16:19.511 --> 16:23.849 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% It s understanding the predator-prey interactions that's really going to be the next step in 16:23.949 --> 16:28.921 align:left position:70%,start line:89% size:20% terms of tarpon ecology and tarpon conservation. 16:29.021 --> 16:34.159 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Like their colleagues in the Bahamas, Andy and his team from the University of Massachusetts 16:34.259 --> 16:39.732 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Amherst, also use acoustic tags to track the movements of tarpon. 16:39.832 --> 16:47.539 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% We're tagging from all the way around the west coast of Florida up into the Carolinas. 16:47.639 --> 16:53.212 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Tarpon spend time in a variety of habitats ranging from offshore to inshore wetlands 16:53.312 --> 16:55.781 align:left position:22.5%,start line:89% size:67.5% and coastal estuaries. 16:55.881 --> 17:03.822 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% With acoustic telemetry we can put these tags in tarpon that are 15 pounds or a 150 pounds. 17:03.922 --> 17:12.698 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% And that's allowed us to really start to uncover some really neat movement patterns that we 17:12.798 --> 17:16.502 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% wouldn't normally have predicted. So, for instance we ve had some tarpon that were 17:16.602 --> 17:23.075 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% tagged in the Lower Keys, that are in the 40 to 50-pound range that we wouldn't necessarily 17:23.175 --> 17:28.580 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% equate to a fish that's migrating a lot, to then have shown up past Cape Canaveral and 17:28.680 --> 17:31.683 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% then returning back to the Keys for successive years. 17:31.784 --> 17:36.822 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% We had one of our tarpon that was tagged here show up off of the Chesapeake. And so that's, 17:36.922 --> 17:39.758 align:left position:25%,start line:89% size:65% that s pretty major. 17:39.858 --> 17:44.730 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% The acoustic telemetry is great, because there's a lot of other scientists that use the same 17:44.830 --> 17:49.835 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% receivers and it allows us to share data. 17:49.935 --> 17:55.707 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists Atlantic tarpon as vulnerable, 17:55.808 --> 17:58.210 align:left position:80%,start line:89% size:10% based on past harvest and habitat loss. 17:58.310 --> 18:01.513 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% See that group right there of happy guys going left? 18:01.613 --> 18:07.252 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Currently their management varies by location, creating potential conservation challenges 18:07.352 --> 18:09.555 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% along their migratory routes. 18:09.655 --> 18:16.595 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% In Florida, tarpon are catch and release only except for people who want to harvest the 18:16.695 --> 18:21.633 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% tarpon for a world record. In order to do so they have to have a special tarpon tag. 18:21.733 --> 18:25.804 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Fish that are over forty inches in length have to stay in the water, you can't bring 18:25.904 --> 18:27.706 align:left position:25%,start line:89% size:65% them into the boat. 18:27.806 --> 18:31.510 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% There isn't a lot of harvest in Florida, but if they go to other states where they're still 18:31.610 --> 18:35.380 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% legally allowed to be harvested, then that's a concern. 18:35.481 --> 18:41.320 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% I think we all have to work together to think about the conservation of these species. 18:41.420 --> 18:45.991 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Because of their migratory nature and the fact that they get intercepted all along the 18:46.091 --> 19:02.241 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% way, the economic value of the tarpon fishery is huge. 19:02.341 --> 19:08.347 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Most fly-fishermen agree that of the three species they like to catch on the flats, one 19:08.447 --> 19:09.948 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% is the most challenging. 19:10.048 --> 19:13.385 align:left position:72.5%,start line:89% size:17.5% You might consider bonefish the gateway drug. 19:13.485 --> 19:16.955 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% And then you migrate up to tarpon, which is a little bit harder. 19:17.055 --> 19:20.392 align:left position:70%,start line:89% size:20% The inevitable end of the road leads to permit. 19:20.492 --> 19:26.732 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% It's right at the top of the fly-fishing food chain as far as being difficult and hard 19:26.832 --> 19:28.333 align:left position:42.5%,start line:89% size:47.5% to do. 19:28.433 --> 19:32.237 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Even God has a hard time catching permit on fly. 19:32.337 --> 19:38.343 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% You can do everything exactly right in your mind, at least, and they still might not eat 19:38.443 --> 19:40.179 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% your fly. 19:40.279 --> 19:46.318 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Permit are one of the more spooky fish that exist and it s really just the chase, the 19:46.418 --> 19:53.325 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% chance and the glory of just holding that fish that really drives people. 19:53.425 --> 20:01.867 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% It's a lifetime achievement for many of the anglers that come down here. 20:01.967 --> 20:07.940 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Just how difficult it is to catch permit on fly is evident at the March Merkin invitational 20:08.040 --> 20:10.676 align:left position:72.5%,start line:89% size:17.5% fishing tournament held in Key West each year. 20:10.776 --> 20:17.683 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% You look at a three-day tournament with 26 boats and one team caught two fish. Last year 20:17.783 --> 20:22.621 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% one team caught one fish and granted we had really tough weather, but it's - it really 20:22.721 --> 20:24.590 align:left position:82.5%,start line:89% size:7.5% is like a legitimately special thing. 20:24.690 --> 20:30.462 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% It's very difficult but these guys are some of the top people in the world, top anglers 20:30.562 --> 20:35.400 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% and top guides that fish this tournament. 20:35.500 --> 20:41.607 align:left position:25%,start line:83% size:65% That s a perm-perm. Oh boy a little close. Fudge, oh he s 20:41.707 --> 20:42.808 align:left position:25%,start line:89% size:65% coming back for it. 20:42.908 --> 20:45.077 align:left position:32.5%,start line:89% size:57.5% Did he eat it? 20:45.177 --> 20:46.912 align:left position:45%,start line:89% size:45% No. 20:47.012 --> 20:49.615 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% These fish see a lot of angling pressure and when you catch them often, they get smart 20:49.715 --> 20:51.717 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% about it. 20:51.817 --> 20:54.653 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% It's definitely the big leagues of fishing down here. It s probably- the permit fishery 20:54.753 --> 20:59.458 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% down here has got to be one of the best, but also one of the most challenging in the world. 20:59.558 --> 21:05.130 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Proceeds from the March Merkin tournament help to fund Project Permit, a research project 21:05.230 --> 21:10.002 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% spearheaded by Dr. Jake Brownscombe from Carleton University. 21:10.102 --> 21:11.503 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% Permit are in the jack family. 21:11.603 --> 21:13.872 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% 60 pounds is the world record. 21:13.972 --> 21:19.845 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% They're found only in the Western Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. 21:19.945 --> 21:24.449 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Because there's no monitoring done on these species, we don't really have a sense of exactly 21:24.549 --> 21:29.554 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% what's been going on with their population numbers over time. 21:29.655 --> 21:33.392 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% From my experience interacting with the fishing guides down here, especially those that have 21:33.492 --> 21:38.263 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% been around for quite a while, the permit numbers have been declining pretty significantly. 21:38.363 --> 21:43.468 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% So that's got me personally very concerned about these species. 21:43.568 --> 21:50.842 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Permit spend time on the flats as well as on nearshore reefs and wrecks. In 2016, Jake 21:50.942 --> 21:56.515 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% started an acoustic tracking project in the lower Florida Keys. The goal is to better 21:56.615 --> 21:59.551 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% understand the permits movement patterns. 21:59.651 --> 22:04.623 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Whether they're moving throughout, all the Florida Keys, or connecting up farther north 22:04.723 --> 22:10.162 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% in Florida or if they remain resident in smaller areas. As well as whether they're moving between 22:10.262 --> 22:14.466 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% the flats, and the reefs and the shipwrecks. This is particularly important information 22:14.566 --> 22:19.738 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% because on the flats, it's primarily a catch and release fishery. On the reefs and on the 22:19.838 --> 22:24.009 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% shipwrecks, they have a tendency to be harvested more often. It's just a different group of 22:24.109 --> 22:25.844 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% anglers. 22:25.944 --> 22:29.314 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% In the first year of tracking we found that over forty percent of the fish that visit 22:29.414 --> 22:34.052 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% the flats also go out to the Florida reef tract. 22:34.152 --> 22:38.156 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Many of these fish are doing it multiple times a year and again always returning back to 22:38.256 --> 22:40.959 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% the exact same flat. Even if it's 50, 60 miles away. 22:41.059 --> 22:45.630 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% So that's telling us that these fish that are comprising mainly a catch and release 22:45.731 --> 22:49.968 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% fishery here on the flats are also becoming more vulnerable to harvest through that other 22:50.068 --> 22:53.004 align:left position:87.5%,start line:89% size:2.5% fishery on the Florida reef tract. 22:53.105 --> 22:58.510 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% This connectivity is particularly important during spawning season, when the fish are 22:58.610 --> 23:01.813 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% especially vulnerable to fishing pressure. 23:01.913 --> 23:05.917 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% They spawn in big aggregations where they migrate in mass off to offshore wrecks and 23:06.017 --> 23:07.953 align:left position:42.5%,start line:89% size:47.5% reefs. 23:08.053 --> 23:11.890 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% This is a really important part of their life cycle where they're contributing to the population. 23:11.990 --> 23:15.894 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% And so, we need to understand when and where that they're doing this spawning behavior 23:15.994 --> 23:20.031 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% and try to afford them some protection when they are doing that. 23:20.132 --> 23:25.837 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% In 2011, at the urging of local guides and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, the Florida 23:25.937 --> 23:32.010 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission created a Special Permit Zone. 23:32.110 --> 23:35.347 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% And that changed the regulations for permit. It made a closed harvest season within the 23:35.447 --> 23:39.117 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Keys where people couldn't keep permit during their spawning season, which at that time 23:39.217 --> 23:41.820 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% was documented from May to July. 23:41.920 --> 23:47.426 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The new regulations also changed bag limits during the months when harvest is permitted. 23:47.526 --> 23:52.197 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% You can keep one fish per day over 22 inches in fork length. 23:52.297 --> 23:56.568 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Outside of that zone the regulations are not as strict. 23:56.668 --> 24:02.174 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% But in recent years, new information about spawning times came to light. 24:02.274 --> 24:06.945 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% Anglers reported to us that permit were spawning a month earlier than they used to twenty years 24:07.045 --> 24:08.847 align:left position:45%,start line:89% size:45% ago. 24:08.947 --> 24:11.850 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% And they reported to us that people were going out there and harvesting these spawning fish 24:11.950 --> 24:16.087 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% at pretty high numbers and they were not being protected by the closed season that's already 24:16.188 --> 24:18.023 align:left position:37.5%,start line:89% size:52.5% in place. 24:18.123 --> 24:21.193 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% These observations were confirmed by the tracking study. 24:21.293 --> 24:25.730 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% They're actually showing up on the reef in very specific spots in these very large schools 24:25.831 --> 24:30.735 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% starting in April. And so, using that information we were able to get the harvest closure period 24:30.836 --> 24:35.240 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% extended to cover April as well. So, this is a really important conservation measure, 24:35.340 --> 24:38.376 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% and we're really happy that we were able to make a difference in the management and conservation 24:38.477 --> 24:39.911 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% so quickly with this project. 24:40.011 --> 24:49.654 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% It s very exciting and we're all very proud of this accomplishment. 24:49.754 --> 24:55.861 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% The Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, together with its scientific collaborators, is using research 24:55.961 --> 25:01.466 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% findings to conserve and restore the flats fisheries for many generations of anglers 25:01.566 --> 25:08.039 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% to come. And they re joined in their efforts by local fishing guides, who share in their 25:08.139 --> 25:09.975 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% mission. 25:10.075 --> 25:13.778 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% A lot of them donate their time to helping us out to tag these fish. It wouldn't be possible 25:13.879 --> 25:15.714 align:left position:12.5%,start line:89% size:77.5% to get this done without them. 25:15.814 --> 25:21.887 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% I think they've become really good friends and allies in the research and also understanding 25:21.987 --> 25:28.093 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% that how the data from this work can lead to conserving bonefish and tarpon and permit. 25:28.193 --> 25:31.897 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% You need to protect what you love to do try to keep it around for as many generations 25:31.997 --> 25:33.365 align:left position:35%,start line:89% size:55% as possible. 25:33.465 --> 26:08.800 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% Our goal, and BTT's goal, is to save the fisheries for the future. 26:08.900 --> 26:14.172 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Major funding for this program was provided by the Batchelor Foundation, encouraging people 26:14.272 --> 26:22.514 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% to preserve and protect America s underwater resources. And by: Diver s Direct and Ocean 26:22.614 --> 26:33.992 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Divers; The Do Unto Others Trust; The Charles N. and Eleanor Knight Leigh Foundation. And 26:34.092 --> 26:38.092 align:left position:27.5%,start line:89% size:62.5% by the following.