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Angler Jeffrey Liederman displays a tagged dorado released aboard Sandman off DR.
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In this month's edition of our newsletter, we are excited to display our entire tag and release database in an online interactive map viewable at dolphintagging.com/map. Since 2002, anglers around the world have participated in the Dolphinfish Research Program (DRP), an international tagging program for mahi-mahi, to gather movement, life history, and population dynamics data of the iconic game and food fish species. This map is the culmination of 23 years of conventional and satellite tagging work with anglers in the Western Central Atlantic Ocean and Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. Tagging activity has also spread to the Mediterranean and Red Seas, Gulf of Oman, and South China Sea. Data collected through this effort, and displayed on this map, have been published in 15 different scientific publications, which has served to vastly improve our knowledge of this species. To view the complete tag and release map click here
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Caribbean Council Advances Management for Dolphinfish and Wahoo
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The Caribbean Fisheries Management Council (CFMC) has continued to take a position of leadership in the conservation and management of dolphinfish and wahoo in the U.S. Caribbean Sea. In its April meeting, the Council approved a dolphinfish and wahoo amendment to its Pelagic Fisheries Management Plan for the federal waters of Puerto Rico (PR), St. Croix, and St. Thomas/St. John. The amendment will now be submitted to the Secretary of Commerce for review. The main measures of the amendment are:
- 24” minimum size (ms) for dolphinfish; 32” ms for wahoo for all sectors across all CFMC jurisdictions.
- PR recreational bag and vessel limits are 5 dolphin/person/day, not to exceed 15 dolphin/vessel/day, whichever is less, and 5 wahoo/p/d, not to exceed 10 wahoo/v/d, whichever is less.
- St. Croix and St. Thomas/St. John the recreational bag and vessel limits are 10 dolphin/p/d, not to exceed 32 dolphin/v/d, whichever is less, 2 wahoo/p/d, not to exceed 10 wahoo/v/d, whichever is less.
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This is a major step forward in the conservation and management of dolphinfish and wahoo stocks in the WCA, and we applaud the CFMC for moving to implement these measures in the U.S. Caribbean Sea. Click here to see the summary of preferred alternatives.
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Update on NOAA's Dolphinfish
Management Strategy Evaluation
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Because a traditional regional stock assessment is not possible due to the lack of data, NOAA Fisheries is designing a new management approach for dolphinfish. A management strategy evaluation (MSE) is a way to test fishery management strategies before implementing them, and these strategies may include alternative regulations or harvest control rules, before implementing them. NOAA is working with fishing communities to maximize the benefits of this fishery management approach across multiple user groups and regions. In 2024, a diverse group of stakeholders from along the U.S. East Coast have met with NOAA scientists twice to discuss this management approach. Key outcomes of the workshops held to date include:
- Developed conceptual management objectives
- Identified relevant uncertainties
- Collected input on management procedures to explore
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The next step is to build the MSE framework and operating models based on stakeholder involvement and iterative feedback. Click here to learn more on NOAA's MSE webpage.
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New Study Shows Decline in
Dolphinfish in Recent Years in the WCA
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Recently, Matt Damiano, Ph.D., with NOAA's Southeast Fisheries Science Center, published a study that resulted in the first standardized index of relative abundance to capture the dynamics of Western Atlantic dolphinfish throughout its seasonal range through space and time. Key findings include:
- Abundance appeared stable from 1986–2018
- A decline was observed between 2019 and 2022 for all regions except Atlantic waters from GA to NC
- No population shift was detected but regional patterns of abundance provide insight into changes in the timing of availability.
- Abundance was greatest during spring and summer in northern spatial strata and was comparable over seasons in southern spatial strata.
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Dr. Damiano implemented a spatial statistical model based on dolphinfish encounters in fishing sets using U.S. commercial pelagic longline logbook (PLL) data. Three additional datasets (recreational catch in the MAB; commercial small-scale catch in Florida and North Carolina; and Puerto Rico tournament catch) were also compared to the resulting estimates and were generally consistent, which validated the overall model. To read more click here.
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Support Our Fisheries Research
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We are proud to report a primary example of why we do the work we do. Over the past five years, we have consistently and repeatedly engaged with the Caribbean Fishery Management Council through thorough research-based presentations that have requested additional management and conservation measures based on the movement, exploitation, growth, and population structure work our group has done on dolphinfish in the region. As presented above, the CFMC submitted new management measures for dolphinfish and wahoo for review to the Secretary of Commerce. If approved, these management measures will help to better conserve and manage the stock throughout the WCA. This is an example of how our
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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 the state, federal, and international levels. Help the DRP expand in 2024. Click the icons below to shop or donate to support our program and work. Donations are tax-deductible.
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| | Eastern Tropical Pacific Research Partners
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