Data Collection in the Dominican Republic
| |
|
Recently, the Dominican Republic submitted data to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) that estimates their 2021 commercial dolphinfish landings to be 880.7 metric tons or 1,940,000 lbs. We were told that the estimate of commercial dolphinfish anglers in the Dominican Republic is 2,369 based on communication with the DR Government. If the 2021 landings data are divided by the number of anglers, the result is annual landings estimate of 818 lbs per angler, a value that we believe is extremely low relative to data that our program is collecting. Beginning this past July, our
| |
Angler 1 cumlative catch (pounds) and trips from July to mid-October 2023. (Click to enlarge)
| |
| | |
program began monitoring the catch of two commercial anglers in the Dominican Republic. One was surveyed once several years ago, and the other has never been surveyed by the government. Data presented here for angler 1, an individual who fishes offshore for dolphinfish, amounts to landings of 11,173 lbs across 35 outings. On average, angler 1 landed 311 lbs per outing (min: 40 lbs; max: 700 lbs), and anecdotally, this angler said the fishing has been slow. For angler 2, an angler who fishes no more than 6 miles offshore, across 5 coastal outings in early October, this angler has already landed 445 lbs of dolphinfish and averages 89 lbs per outing. Based on these statistics, our confidence in the 2021 DR FAO landings estimate is still low, but they do provide further evidence that the decrease in Florida recreational landings in recent years could be related to a dramatic rise in landings up current in the Western Caribbean Sea. Currently, only the DR, Mexico, and Cuba report dolphinfish specific landings in the Western Caribbean Sea, and the latter two submitted 13,200 lbs and 19,800 lbs, respectively, as their 2021 FAO estimate. Mexico and
| |
Satellite observed urban expansion in six resort locations in the Western Caribbean Sea with notes on jurisdicational dolphinfish landings. White jurisdictions = no estimate of dolphinfish landings. (Click to enlarge)
| |
| | |
Cuba's values are only slightly higher than the amount of landings from the offshore angler we are monitoring in the Dominican Republic that we surveyed across 35 outings. Are commercial landings for dolphinfish in Mexico and Cuba really that low now? Two decades ago, both Cuba and Mexico were recording annual commercial landings of dolphinfish greater than 660,000 lbs, which means commercial landings have dropped at least 98% in these nations. Unfortunately, over this same time period, it is unknown how much dolphinfish were landed by recreational fleets, including for-hire charters, yet participants in our tagging program in Mexico have shared with us that charter boats are landing more than 2 dolphinfish per trip, Mexico's daily bag limit, and we have had a few dolphinfish recaptured in Cuban waters by commercial anglers. These observations, along with the increase in urban sprawl and population size in major resort communities in Mexico and other resort locations around the Western Caribbean Sea, further stress the need to enhance our society's ability to properly document exploitation patterns for dolphinfish in the region if we want to bring back dolphinfish abundance and conserve the resource for generations to come. To learn more about a host of unanswered questions with regard to exploitation patterns for dolphinfish in the Western Caribbean Sea, click here.
| |
| Fall Fundraising Continues
| |
| A Message from the DRP's Director
| |
35,000 Tagged and Counting!
| |
October Recaptures
(click images to enlarge)
| |
With the holiday season just around the corner, give the gift of tagging and purchase a Dolphinfish Research Program tagging kit as a stocking stuffer, or a DRP t-shirt, hat, performance fishing shirt, hoodie, in our online shop as a gift. Your purchase helps our program fund kit distribution and drives data collection on dolphinfish in the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. Click to shop.
| |
Give the Gift of Tagging
Make a Tax Deductible Donation
| |
Advance Citizen Science For Our Oceans; Support the Beyond Our Shores Foundation
| |
|  |
The DRP's director releasing a big dorado in the Caribbean Sea Photo: @jp.zegarra
| |
| | |
|
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 412 tagging kits with 4,763 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!
| |
More East Coast Wahoo Samples Needed!
| |
|
|
|
