This past month, our tagging program returned to Tropic Star Lodge (TSL), which is located in Pinas Bay, Panama, to outfit TSL's fleet of Bertrams and additional vessels with conventional tagging equipment in order to continue to tag and release dolphinfish in conjunction with their annual billfish tournament. While there, we worked with Captain Jesus, mate Aval, Jessica Harvey, and long-time volunteer tagging program participant Don Gates to deploy 10 satellite tags on dolphinfish ranging in size from 40" to 56" fork-length. During the three and half days of nonstop fishing, tournament
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Five most probable tracks for adult male and female dolphinfish tracked off TSL from our 2022 tag deployments.
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participants, as well as our vessel, Miss Costa Rica, managed to tag and release 178 dolphinfish with tags, beating our previous November record of 162 set back in 2018. Since 2018, this effort at TSL has resulted in 1,081 conventionally tagged dolphinfish, which equates to 89% of all fish tagged for our program in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. Our recent satellite tag deployments off TSL brings our program total to thirty-nine off Panama, with preliminary geolocation tracking data suggesting fish tend to move further to the south than west on short-time frames, spending more time in Colombian
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All geolocation (red lines) and vertical movement satellite tag (black lines) dispersal movements obtained from adult male and female dolphinfish from 2018 through 2022.
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waters. Furthermore, once the tags separate from the fish, their drift patterns suggest a recirculation of surface waters, which supports the recurrence of individual dolphinfish throughout the year. The recurrence of dolphinfish off Panama has also been observed by at least two dolphinfish reported with conventional tags after 391, and 403, days at liberty, tagged and recovered in nearly the same area. What remains to be determined is how individuals move throughout the region on 3- and 6-month time frames, which is something we hope our recent tag deployments can help explain. One of the major questions is how dolphinfish off Panama are connected to the largest dolphinfish fisheries in the region off Ecuador and Peru. Last year, a satellite tag was recaptured by an angler based in Manta, Ecuador, but we were unable to acquire the tag or any additional capture information. However, at least one confirmed recovery in Ecuador connected an individual dolphinfish tagged off Panama with coastal Ecuador in 63 days, which further emphasizes the need to observe how individuals move throughout the region over longer time frames. Click here to read more about our research in the ETP.
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| Fall Fundraising Continues; Support our 2024 Effort!
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New Scientific Paper Published
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Our latest paper describes a new method for documenting how storms and environmental variability affect fishing success for dolphinfish and highlights the efficacy of combining vessel catch and effort records with sargassum distribution maps. Click here to access the full article published last week in the Caribbean Journal of Science.
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Wahoo Satellite Tag Deployments
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This 48" wahoo swam off full of life carrying a MTI geolocating satellite tag. We received a 28-day movement record from this individual. Image: W. Merten
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Passing a wahoo for in-water revival. Image: W. Merten
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With funding from the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the Guy Harvey Foundation, and additional sponsors and supporters of the Beyond Our Shores Foundation, our group successfully deployed three satellite tags on wahoo ranging in size from 34"-48" fork-length in late October off Puerto Rico. The deployments were carried out with the assistance of Captain Efrain "Yunyi" Gonzalez aboard his vessel Liqueo with mates Carlos Bonet and Jesus "Milo" Duran. In addition, Amanda Prieto, a University of Puerto Rico marine science graduate student studying the population structure of wahoo in the western central Atlantic, was onboard to collect tissue samples. From these deployments, we obtained our longest movement record on wahoo to date, with one of the tags carried for 28 days. Click here to learn more about our wahoo research. If you happen to catch a wahoo please take a tissue sample for Amanda's study. Contact us for more details on sample preservation and shipment.
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Advance Citizen Science For Our Oceans
Support the Beyond Our Shores Foundation
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Don Gates, Jessica Harvey, and Tropic Star Lodge Mate, Aval, release a tagged bull in late November 2023. Photo: W. Merten
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Six years ago, we formed the Beyond Our Shores Foundation to expand the Dolphinfish Research Program. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, the DRP is expanding and making a big impact. As of last weekend, we have shipped out 463 tagging kits with 5,440 tags this year. Over the history of our program, we have distributed nearly 70,000 tags to anglers around the world. Our effort remains the longest running and most impactful angler-driven effort to describe the movements of dolphinfish in the world. We have a solid publication record, dedicated history working with state and federal fishery management agencies, and commitment to continue to provide anglers and their families with the opportunity to participate in rich, educational, and meaningful marine science experiences and scientific research. For more information on our IRS registered 501(c)(3), the Beyond Our Shores Foundation, visit our profile on Guidestar.org. Help support our work by purchasing a tagging kit, shirt, or making a tax-deductible donation via the links below. Thank you for your consideration and support. Help us make 2024 our best year yet!
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More East Coast Wahoo Samples Needed!
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