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22" dolphin released in the Keys Pic: W. Merten
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Earlier this month, the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC) held its August 2023 Council meeting, which covered a wide range of topics including dolphin management in the U.S. Caribbean Sea. Currently, the Council is working on developing Amendment 3 to create conservation and management measures for dolphin and wahoo in order to ensure undersized individuals have adequate time to mature and reproduce and to take a precautionary approach to management for species with limited management structure. During the meeting, the Council selected its preferred alternatives which include a 24" minimum size for the commercial or recreational harvest of dolphin in federal waters around Puerto Rico. In addition, the Council selected a dolphin bag and vessel trip limit of five dolphin per person and 15 dolphin per vessel per trip. The selection of these preferred alternatives aligns with the Council's decision to implement the same management structure for dolphin in federal waters off St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix. This a major step forward for dolphin conservation and management in the U.S. Caribbean Sea. We applaud the Council for recognizing the need for timely, meaningful action and continuing to take a strong position of leadership in the management of dolphin not only in the Caribbean but also across the entire Western Central Atlantic. Learn more here on our dedicated page for dolphin management updates.
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Overview Video of the DRP
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Check out our newest edit which provides an overview of why we do the work that we do. A great way to support and participate in the work we do is to tag fish for our program and to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!
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More Wahoo Samples Needed!
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Last month, we put out a request among our network to aid in wahoo tissue sample collection for a study that intends to estimate the genetic connectivity and diversity of wahoo around Puerto Rico and the Western Central Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea by sequencing nuclear DNA from the samples collected. A special thanks to the following captains and vessels who have collected samples so far: Chris Frost, Lightning Strike; Don Gates, Killin' Time II; Andrew Blake, Trainwreck; Bryant Stokes, Georgetown Hole Marina. If you catch a wahoo over the next two months, please collect a fin clip for this research. Click here to learn more about our overall research on wahoo or here to email us for guidance on sample collection and preservation. Thank you for your consideration and support of this important endeavor!
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August Dolphinfish Recaptures
(click images to enlarge)
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The Beyond Our
Shores Foundation
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Five years ago we formed the Beyond Our Shores Foundation to build the Dolphinfish Research Program. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, the DRP is expanding and making a big impact. We also formed the BOSF to continue and grow our work on fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the U.S. Caribbean Sea. Click here to check out our Q2 FAD eNewsletter released today. Our attention to both programs has led to new published studies, additional information for dolphin and FAD management, enhanced angler participation, and ongoing data collection in Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. In addition, our group is highly engaged in outreach and dissemination of our scientific results. For example, this past month, our group gave a 30-minute talk to the Caribbean Fishery Management Council as well as two talks to the World Volunteer FishTag Summit. In total, this year we have given six informative talks on the work we do, including to the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission, as well as a seminar to the Central Florida Offshore Anglers. We have also expanded our work on new species (wahoo and yellowfin tuna) and fishery topics (submerged FADs). While this work has been met with steady growth in our donor base, tagging program, and fishery research nonprofit, as well as new program sponsors, we need more support to continue to grow. As of last weekend, we have shipped out 360 tagging kits with 4,365 tags this year. Of the kits, 12 were wahoo tagging kits. Our goal established earlier this year was to distribute 450 kits and 6,000 tags. We are on track to hit that goal again this year. Last year, we distributed 6,763 tags in 501 kits to 399 anglers in 12 nations. With your participation and support, you can help us achieve and exceed our goal. Help support our work by purchasing a kit, shirt, or making a tax-deductible donation via the links below. Thank you for your time and consideration!
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