Bonefish, tarpon, and permit are sought by anglers worldwide for their wary nature, powerful fighting abilities and lightning swimming speeds. The swift speed of a bonefish or permit, or the acrobatic jumps and powerful surges of the tarpon on the other end of the line will remain in one’s memory for life. For those who have experienced fishing for bonefish and tarpon, this is a truism. For those who have yet to tangle with bonefish, tarpon, or permit this is a dream not yet fulfilled. BTU’s mission is to ensure these fisheries remain strong for the experienced and dreamers alike, and for the next generation of anglers.

You might think that since bonefish and tarpon fisheries are primarily catch and release in many locations, there are few problems that threaten their populations. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. In areas where catch and release dominates, like the Florida Keys, loss and degradation of habitats is becoming an increasing problem. The loss of habitats is more worrisome since there continue to be gaps in our knowledge on bonefish and tarpon habitat requirements.

In other areas, the habitats remain healthy, and the fisheries appear strong, and BTU strives to provide information and support to local managers so they can maintain these healthy habitats and fisheries. These areas also provide great opportunities to study bonefish biology and ecology, so we can compare these findings to less pristine areas to prioritize research and conservation needs.

In some locations bonefish, tarpon, and permit are still harvested for food. At low levels and managed properly, this should be sustainable, but in most locations where this occurs there is little knowledge of bonefish, tarpon, and permit biology, and little or no data on how many fish are harvested. The lack of knowledge makes management impossible.

Why should we worry about bonefish, tarpon, and permit populations in so many locations? Because to a large extent the populations are interdependent. Bonefish, tarpon, or permit larvae spawned in Belize, for example, may end up in the Florida Keys; adult tarpon are capable of migrating hundreds of miles, so a fish that summers in Louisiana may winter in Mexico. This information is critical to devising and implementing conservation and management plans. Critical to finding and applying this information is interest, support, and contributions from anglers like you.

BTU has supported research that has learned a lot in recent years, but the need for information on bonefish, tarpon and permit remains. This research can continue only with the support of recreational anglers like you.