Volume 76
Return ‘Em Right Monitoring and Evaluation Program
Authors
Montes De Soto, N., * C. Sidman, N. Haddad, and J. Reinhardt Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: November, 2023
Event: Proceedings of the Seventy-Sixth Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Nassau
Country: The Bahamas
Abstract
Evaluation of efforts to promote fisheries management and ocean resource health are usually undertaken near the end of programs or the conclusion of activities, which can limit overall effectiveness and opportunities for integrating critical feedback as the program progresses. Using the Return ‘Em Right program as an example, we shared the model developed to execute communications, educational, and marketing through the central functions of monitoring and evaluation. The Return ‘Em Right program is a 7-year program that seeks to reduce mortality of reef fish due to barotrauma upon release. Barotrauma is a pressure related injury in which fish become bloated and is not able to return to depth on its own (Figure 1), but there are some tools and devices that anglers can use to help these fishes survive. Therefore, the program is providing training and materials describing best release practices, in combination with the distribution of release devices to anglers in the Gulf of Mexico.