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Blackadore Caye, Belize, is a sliver
of an island in the middle of a
vast sand flat in northern Belize
– located about halfway between Ambergris
Caye and the mainland. The flats surrounding
the caye have been an important location
for flats fishing since the earliest days
of the fishery. Multiple generations of flats
guides have now poled these flats in pursuit
of bonefish, permit and tarpon.
Damage to flats habitats – whether from
dredging, construction, pollution – have immediate
and long-lasting impacts on the fish
that live there. According to Aaron Adams,
Director of Science and Conservation at
Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT), tag-recapture
data from research sponsored by BTT underscores
how important habitat conservation
is to a healthy fishery. Most of the tagged
bonefish were recaptured within 1 kilometer
of where they were tagged. Same goes for
tagging studies in the Bahamas, Cuba, Belize
and Florida. This means that bonefish have
small home ranges. So if a habitat is damaged
or destroyed, those bonefish become
homeless, and the damaged location may
never harbor bonefish again. Ongoing tagging
research of permit suggests they also
have home ranges, though not as small as
bonefish.
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S.C.O.F MAGAZINE