[dropcap]P[/dropcap]rominent South Florida fisheries scientists are taking the complaints of guides and anglers very seriously. At the fifth Bonefish Tarpon Symposium held Nov. 7-8 in Dania Beach, Jennifer Rehage, associate professor at the Southeast Environmental Research Center at Florida International University, announced the launch of a comprehensive, three-year study to examine in fine detail what’s going on with the Keys bonefish population, particularly in Florida Bay. The study is being funded by Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.
“Catches reported by guides have decreased by half since 1980,” Rehage said.
“We’re going to link what we know about bonefish with things that have happened in the bay.”
Rehage said that when the study is completed, “we’ll know what happened and how it happened to bonefish in the bay.”