Bonefish Conservation
Bonefish occur in shallow tropical and subtropical waters, where they inhabit tidal flats and coastal passes. Bonefish are essentially schooling fish: smaller bonefish can be seen in large schools on the flats; while, larger ones tend to be more solitary and form smaller schools or groups. The south Florida bonefish stock supports an economically important recreational fishery, renowned worldwide for its excellent bonefishing opportunities. In terms of outstanding catches, 16 of the 23 standing world records in the saltwater flyrod and saltwater line class categories were taken from the waters of the Florida Keys. However, even though anglers make pervasive use of catch-and-release, there is a growing perception among fishermen of a declining bonefish stock because of declines in catch and observed decreases in the average size of fish caught larger than the minimum size regulated by fishery management. As notable evidence of this trend, the bulk of the standing world record catches were taken in the 1960's and 1970's and relatively few record catches have been made since (IGFA 1998).
Another serious concern is the paucity of research to date on bonefish population dynamics, food habits and behavior, and movements; information critical to effective fishery management. For example, the spatial distribution of the unit stock is poorly known in Florida waters and recent studies suggest there may two sub-stocks, i.e., shallow and deeper-water components. The reproductive behavior and periodicity has been poorly characterized, and the location of spawning grounds is basically unknown. The bonefish larval life stage is complex and the critical nursery habitat of small early juveniles is still uncertain. Larval survivorship represents a crucial link to the future of the fishery.
From our assessments, a major concern of both fishermen and guides is the rapidly increasing human populations in south Florida which has grown from about 6,000 a century ago to about 4.5 million persons in 1999. This explosive population growth has already contributed to severe serial overfishing of popular grouper-snapper populations and substantial changes in the fish communities of the Florida Keys coral reef tract (Ault et al. 1998). Observed trends in fishing effort, which have been proportional to human population growth over at least the last 30 years, indicates that even greater fishing pressure will be exerted on the prized bonefish in the coming years. The coastal environment of south Florida bonefish has been further impacted by continued and accelerating degradation of water quality, deleterious modifications to essential habitats, and intensified commercial and 'recreational' fishing pressure on the prey base (i.e., pink shrimp and crabs) that are critical for juvenile and adult bonefish growth and survival. These conditions, coupled with proliferation of personal water crafts (e.g., 'jet skis') and widespread disruption of the normally quiescent "flats" environment by boat and personal water craft traffic is placing an inordinate amount of stress on the stock. While there are many questions surrounding the biology of this important sportfish, there has been very little relevant scientific research focusing on these important issues. As a result, the complex life history, poorly understood population dynamics and unknown status of the resource make effective management of bonefish very difficult and place the future of the fishery in jeopardy.