Wes Wolfe
The return of bonefish and tarpon off the Florida Keys is in part thanks to the efforts of the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT), which after 25 years received special recognition by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto, who was involved in the catch-and-release designation for the fish, remarked on the amount of scientific research the Trust creates and shares with the agency.
“BTT, through everything you’ve done, I think, just spotted this first — didn’t we just get the first migration of aggregate of bonefish in the Keys?” Barreto said. “Russ, tell us this story, this is, like, earth-shattering.”
Russ Fisher, one of the founders, acknowledged the Trust discovered a large group of bonefish two weeks ago. “There were acoustic tags, which are common, put in bonefish,” Fisher said.
“We learned where they spawned in the Bahamas, but we’d like to know where they spawned in Florida. Within a year, they started to get more pings and more pings. Finally, about two or three weeks ago, off of Elliott Key — and they were following the fish — they went out and went down to the 200-300-foot depth to spawn.”
A researcher with a camera was able to be on hand when it occurred, showing several thousand bonefish. The researcher, Fisher said, estimated there were bonefish in the school that could tip the scales at more than 20 pounds.
“It was terribly exciting to finally have documentation of a spawning aggregation,” Fisher said.
The Commission is in the first of two days of meetings in Miami, where Commissioners presented the recognition to the founders of the Trust.
“It takes the private sector to sometimes help out government, and (the Trust’s relationship with FWC) is a perfect example,” Barreto said.
