Abstract

Coastal catch and release fishing tournaments have increased in popularity. Tournament fish are often caught miles from the weigh-in location where they are then released after much handling in a new location. Goal: To relay fish survival and movement information to child anglers and their adult captains participating in the tournament as well as the local community in an understandable and a readily accessible format. Objective: To evaluate the fate of tournament caught and released redfish. Methods: Prior to the redfish tournament on April 28th, 15 underwater listening units were installed in Charlotte Harbor and tournament participants were provided hands-on training and educational materials concerning project objectives and sonic tracking methods. During the tournament, 20 redfish were surgically implanted with sonic tags and released. Both during the tournament and then weekly thereafter, the fish have been monitored using mobile tracking units and underwater listening units. The underwater units are downloaded monthly. Recorded observations are transformed into Macromedia Flash maps and uploaded to a “Follow Your Fish” educational tracking website. Results are also relayed monthly via print media. Results: Eighteen of the 20 tagged redfish have been located. Two months post-tournament most of the redfish have been recorded within close proximity of the release location suggesting that fishing tournaments may at least temporarily re-structure redfish populations. Conclusions: Addition of sonic tracking to the tournament provided an educational component, allowing anglers to follow the movement and survival of their individual fish, thus enhancing ownership and interest in the environment and in conservation.

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