Last November marked the third field expedition for the Dolphinfish Research Program to Tropic Star Lodge to determine the horizontal and vertical movements of dolphinfish in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP). This field expedition and research is funded by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. During the most recent expedition, a total of 12 satellite tags were deployed, and we have received data from 9 so far with 2 more scheduled to report in May. Since 2018, we have deployed 20 satellite tags on dolphinfish ranging in size from 36" to 56"
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fork-length. When combined with TSL's conventional tagging participation, which has amounted in the tag and release of 572 dolphinfish, of which 20 have been recaptured, a preliminary dataset is taking shape that shows both fine scale and broad movements, habitat use, and fishery
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dynamics in this part of ETP. Detailed updates on the progress of our research and program expansion in the ETP are available here. A special thanks goes out to the entire TSL staff as well as the captains and mates for their help in making this effort possible!
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U.S. Atlantic Coast Dolphinfish Management Updates
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Recently, the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council reviewed options for the development of a new federal regulatory amendment (Regulatory Amendment 2) as their previous full amendment (Amendment 10) is proceeding through the Secretary of Commerce approval phase. Toward the end of the development of Amendment 10, a significant number of public comments (including from BOSF/DRP) were received that favored stronger conservation measures than were being included. However, after 4-5 years spent developing the amendment, the committee and council elected to bring the process to a close while at the same time recognizing the possible need to implement stronger changes. As a result, the process of formulating the regulatory amendment has begun. Development is projected to take place through the remainder of this year and into early 2023.
The actions currently included in the new amendment are: .
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- Extend the 20” minimum size limit north of South Carolina
- Lower the daily recreational bag and vessel limits below the current 10 per person bag/54 (assuming final approval of Amendment 10) vessel limit
- Modify retention limits by captain and crew onboard charter vessels
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Prior to the SAFMC meeting and in response to the lack of stronger measures in Amendment 10, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission proactively approved implementation of the regulations below for dolphin in Florida Atlantic waters (FAW) effective May 1 2022:
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- Reduce recreational bag limit from 10 to 5 per person for FAW
- Reduce the private recreational vessel limit from 60 to 30 fish per day for FAW
- Clarify that for-hire captain and crew are prohibited statewide from retaining a bag limit
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Click here to learn more and to stay engaged and informed about management updates regarding dolphinfish along the U.S. East Coast.
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| U.S. Caribbean Sea FAD
Research Resumes
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Last February, our fisheries research foundation, known as the Beyond Our Shores Foundation, received funding from Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources to reinitiate the PR FAD system along the north coast of Puerto Rico. This time, we deployed submerged fish aggregating devices, moored in 1,000 to +3,000 feet of water, where the top buoy would range anywhere from 30' to 60' below the surface. Over the past year, we have deployed four submerged FADs off of Fajardo, San Juan, and Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Along with these deployments, we have reinitiated our FAD and FAD fishery research to build and expand upon our original research objectives that our group focused on during the earlier years of the PR FAD system, which are to better
describe fish movements relative to the FADs, fishing trip success and catch and effort, how FAD design can affect species abundance and biomass, and the impact that FADs have on local businesses and visitors to Puerto Rico. To learn more about this research, visit our website prfadsystem.org or watch the video by clicking this link.
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Help Support Our 2022 Research Effort
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A special thanks to everyone who has contributed to our tagging program since the beginning of our 2021/2022 fundraising campaign. With your support, we were able to start 2022 strong and, to date, we have already shipped out 187
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tagging kits. Our goal is to distribute 450 kits and 6,000 tags in 2022. While we have an operational budget to begin the year, we still need support to help us fund our online tagging map (click here), acquire additional satellite tags to deploy on adult dolphinfish and wahoo in 2022, and increase our tagging kit and education supplies to meet our growing demand for tagging kits. Our tagging program is at the forefront of educating anglers, advancing discussions and actions surrounding conservation of the species, and gathering additional data to help inform data-driven decision making at state, federal, and international levels. Help the DRP expand in 2022. Click the icons below to shop or donate to support our program.
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