The Economic Impact of Mexico’s Flats Fishery

The Briggs Boardwalk near Shell Island Road. Photo: RBNERR

impact tarpon and snook fisheries in South Florida.

In two similar mangrove habitats, it’s often hard to visibly see the indicators of a degraded or poorly functioning habitat as compared to a healthy one, Wilson said, noting that, “You won’t know that until you start studying the fish.” In regions where there’s an abundance of freshwater flow and a flush of new growth, tarpon grow much faster than those in stagnant mangrove zones. The difference can be as much as seven inches per year, with healthy nurseries garnering growth rates between eight and ten inches and sickly ones only leading to one inch annually.

From 10,000 feet up, the FDEP looks to aerial photography, satellite imagery, and a whole host of factors to determine whether a stand of mangroves might be on a poor trajectory. “We’re not seeing a cohort of young trees growing up. We’re not seeing flushing,” Laakkonen explained of the troubling signs before adding, “Unfortunately, that’s an indicator that may not show itself until those mangrove forests hit a tipping point.” To call mangroves resilient might be an understatement, so in many cases, the stands of old growth will hang in there until their health is dire, and then rapidly, they’ll decompensate just as cruelly as the human body might. “It’s a phenomenon that folks have called a mangrove heart attack,” Laakkonen said. “We think it’s part of our mission as stewards of these to work with partner organizations such as BTT to do a preemptive restoration.”

And for both the FDEP and BTT, there are case studies to draw from, namely Fruit Farm Creek and Coral Creek, where both agencies have studied the resilience of habitats as well as how flows, depths, and access affect the juvenile fish that come of age there. For most anglers, laid up snook, rolling tarpon, and verdant mangroves intuitively signal a vital pocket, but as Wilson said, it’s truly about how quickly those fish grow and what size they reach when they leave the system that reveals a productive habitat. Here in Rookery Bay, the return of freshwater flows to parts of the estuary will in turn show just how effective this application of science to management can be on a larger scale. “It’s very easy to show proof of concept here,” Wilson said before putting it plainly. “Any time that we increase the amount of tarpon nursery habitat, we’re enhancing the fishery.”

The nursery nestled in Rookery Bay is an especially ripe case considering that it lies less than 60 miles from the tarpon fishing capital of Boca Grande, from Sanibel where tarpon angling began 140 years ago, and from the serpentine rivers where tarpon winter in the western Everglades. Back in 2016, an adult tarpon tagged by BTT in Charlotte Harbor headed south once summer ran out, charting a course through the Everglades, as others have for centuries, before appearing off the coast of Cape Canaveral. After reaching South Carolina, that fish returned south, finding its way to wintering grounds in the rivers north of Whitewater Bay. The following year, it took the same path, slipping past Rookery Bay and returning to South Carolina. This project, like others, not only restores the habitat but our hope that this mysterious migration will continue for centuries if not millennia.

Michael Adno writes for The New York Times, National Geographic, and The Bitter Southerner, where he won a James Beard Award for profile writing in 2019. He lives in his hometown, Sarasota, Florida, along the Gulf of Mexico.

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Trip Of A Lifetime Red Bay Sunset Lodge

BY MIRANDA WOLFE

When Eric Johnson of Holland, Michigan, received a voicemail telling him he’d won BTT’s 2021 Trip of a Lifetime, he ignored it. “Honestly, I couldn’t believe the voicemail,” he said. “I thought, you know, you get so many prank calls—this can’t be right.” Only when BTT’s Membership & Development Manager Nick Hare called for the third time did Eric decide to answer the phone…he was going to Andros!

As a dues-paying BTT member, Eric was automatically entered for the drawing for the BTT 2021 Trip of a Lifetime, donated by BTT sponsor Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures. “I was so excited to be chosen and grateful for the opportunity provided by BTT,” he said. “It was a very unique experience and a wonderful trip!”

After Eric invited his adventure-seeking friend, Craig, to accompany him on the journey, they left Michigan and headed down to Andros’ famed northwest coast for three incredible days of guided bonefishing and four nights at Red Bay Sunset Lodge. Located a few miles north of the historic sponge settlement of Red Bays, the lodge was built in 2018 by Benry Smith, son of legendary guide Charlie Smith, known as Crazy Charlie. This six-person operation specializes not only in trophy bonefish any time of year, but also tarpon and occasional large permit during the warmer months. For anglers who prefer to wade for bones, the expansive, hard white sand flats of the Joulter’s Cays is only a short 15-minute boat ride from the lodge.

Eric was struck by the area’s natural beauty, noting that the

Eric Johnson, Benry Smith, and Eric’s friend, Craig. Photo: Eric Johnson

Bonefish are abundant on the flats surrounding Red Bay Sunset Lodge. Photo: Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures lodge’s distance from development made the trip even more special. “Benry’s got hundreds of miles of water he can fish from a flats boat, and we might’ve gone out twenty miles, but we never saw another sportfishing boat. I’ve never had that experience before.”

Conservation Captain Q&A

Roberto Luis Herrera Pavón

Fishing Guide and Environmental Researcher, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Xcalak, Mexico

Who taught you how to fish and how old were you?

My uncle, nicknamed “Ruso.” He always took me to cast-net for mullet and yellowfin mojarras on the beach for recreation and subsistence. I also learned artisanal commercial fishing from my parents and grandparents about beach traps—known as heart-and-tail traps. My parents taught me to harvest and salt fish starting when I was five or six years old and I started fishing with my father when I was 15. During that time, I also began to commercially fish for lobster, queen conch and finfish in my town, Xcalak, and Banco Chinchorro Atoll. Both areas are protected natural areas today.

I first observed fly-fishing at the beginning of the 1980s around San Pedro, Belize, and years in Xcalak, Mexico, at Costa de Cocos. This caught the attention of my uncle, Nato, who began guiding in the early 1990s. I accompanied him every now and then on his trips. On some occasions, I guided visiting fly-fishers in Xcalak when the guides in town weren’t available. From that point, I saw the importance and economic benefit of fly-fishing. Since then, I have tried to make the local fishermen and surrounding communities understand the importance of protecting and conserving flats habitat. The area is part of the Xcalak Reefs National Park, and since 1998 a major threat to the area has been the project to expand the Zaragoza Canal for a tourist development, which would impact this important breeding and feeding ground for bonefish in Chetumal Bay in Mexico and the adjacent Bacalar Chico National Park in Belize.

What distinguishes Chetumal Bay as a fly-fishing destination?

It has low areas with sandy and rocky bottom where bonefish are abundant along with large schools of permit. The bay also has sinkholes, known as “pozas,” in different areas close to freshwater outlets and river tributaries. These sinkholes are subterranean and have rocky surroundings where there is an abundance of tarpon and baitfish. The bay also has creeks and rivers where we can find snook. We can also find about 10 more species for sport fishing, such as mackerel, wahoo, barracudas, horse-eye jack, snappers, groupers and some cichlids, like the “bocona” and the “pinta.” The bay is a protected natural area where commercial fishing is no longer allowed, so the few commercial fishermen are beginning to sport fish instead.

In what ways do you encourage marine conservation as a researcher and guide?

As a researcher, I know one way to start solving the problems at hand is by involving people from the local community, more commercial fishermen, and fly-fishing guides because they are the best allies and are very knowledgeable about the species in the area. As a guide, I believe in supporting and involving fishermen and their children in conservation projects, and training them in flats fishing, and always motivating them until they achieve a change in their way of seeing natural resources, especially the important species for flats fishing. They understand that these species are worth more alive than dead and that catch-and-release fishing is sustainable.

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Roberto Luis Herrera Pavón. Photo: Patrick Williams

Can you tell us about your work to tag bonefish with BTT’s Dr. Addiel Perez?

It was a beautiful experience based on a common hypothesis about the migration of the species and the connectivity that exists between areas of Chetumal Bay and the Caribbean Sea of Belize and Mexico. The effort was a collaboration with commercial fishermen and fishing guides who know the area well and, consequently, where bonefish are abundant. Another important part was the involvement of the local fishing communities, who helped to support the effort by reporting tag data from tagged bonefish. Later, we went back to these communities and presented the results of the study. We talked with them about the movement patterns found, and in this way they felt more involved in the conservation work of bonefish. This later led to an effort involving local guides and anglers to hold the area’s first international fly-fishing tournament, Silver Scales. The same tournament is still thriving and now is a festival, benefiting the guides and, especially, the species.

How has your understanding of bonefish changed since working on the bonefish tagging effort?

It was a pleasure to work on bonefish tagging. I always learn something new about the ecology and biology of the fish, and about the fishery, especially the relationship between sport and commercial fishermen. The former have become defenders of the species and, little by little, they are integrating commercial fishermen friends of theirs into sport fishing. That mitigates the impact on the species. In addition, I always try to help protect the habitats of the bonefish from coastal development.

If you were to give one tip to a new angler, what would you say?

I would say to be responsible—ethical—because it is a delicate process, and to educate oneself on the proper use of fishing gear and tackle. We should learn from each angler we fish with, and of course enjoy each safe capture and release of the fish.

What is your favorite part of being on the flats?

Enjoying the parade of the great bonefish schools during their spawning migration season.

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10th Annual NYC Dinner and Awards Ceremony

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust honored Hamilton “Tony” James and Key West fishing guide Captain Will Benson at the sold-out 10th Annual NYC Dinner & Awards Ceremony in Manhattan on October 19, 2021.

“BTT is able to pursue its important conservation mission thanks to the tireless commitment of friends like Tony James and Will Benson,” said BTT President and CEO Jim McDuffie. “We are grateful for their leadership and thank them for their many accomplishments benefitting the flats fishery.”

The Executive Vice Chairman of Blackstone, James received the Lefty Kreh Award for Lifetime Achievement in Conservation, BTT’s highest honor. In addition to his involvement with BTT, James is Vice Chairman of Trout Unlimited’s Coldwater Conservation Fund, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Wildlife Conservation Society, and Advisory Board member of The Montana Land Reliance.

James was introduced by his longtime friend, Peter Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg L.P. “This event tonight borders on historic,” said Grauer. “Tony has always turned down being an honoree. He does not consider himself special nor does he like the spotlight which he so richly deserves for the many institutions he has touched and changed forever. But BTT is special, and near and dear to Tony’s heart. Flats fishing is a passion of his, a source of tremendous joy and strength.”

Grauer went on to acknowledge the bond that James and Benson have formed through their years of fishing together. “Will Benson has been instrumental in channeling all of Tony’s energies to bear on the pursuit of the next big permit or tarpon,” he said. “They are a great partnership. The results are impressive.”

Before he welcomed James to the stage, Grauer remarked, “Conservation is critical to Tony. It is incredibly important to him that he deploy his resources with great impact on scientific research for tarpon and permit. He wants to make a real difference and he does. We are all very grateful that he pursues his passion so doggedly.”

In his acceptance speech, James reflected on his relationship with the award’s namesake. “Several years ago at this dinner I sat next to Lefty Kreh,” he said. “We developed a brief friendship before he died, so receiving this award in his name is especially meaningful.”

Like Kreh, James is deeply committed to ensuring a sustainable and healthy future for the flats fishery through science-based

Photo: Sergio Diaz

solutions. “Even for die-hard trout fisherman, flats feed the soul when the freshwater season is closed. The sad truth, though, is that flats fishing today can’t compare to that of 50 years ago,” said James. “And in another 50 years it could be gone altogether if we do nothing to save it. The first step to doing that, is understanding. Where and when do these fish breed? How do they travel through their lives? What are the limiting factors and the biggest threats? Only when we know the answers to these and other questions, can we develop an effective plan to preserve this wonderful fishing experience for our children and grandchildren.”

In his remarks, James also noted the important role BTT plays. “BTT stands alone as a bulwark against further declines of the fishery. I believe all of us who have enjoyed this special fishing have an obligation to help conserve it. We should not just be takers. And through BTT we can have an impact.”

James then welcomed Captain Benson to the stage, sharing that, “Will is at heart an idealist, and what distinguishes Will from so many other fine Keys guides is his commitment to protect the resource.”

Benson received BTT’s Flats Stewardship Award, which recognizes commitment to the effective management, sustainable use, and conservation of the flats fishery. Among his many accomplishments, Benson has been instrumental in BTT’s permit and tarpon research programs and played a leading role in advocating for the seasonal no-fishing closure of Western Dry Rocks, the most important spawning site for flats permit in the Lower Florida Keys. He is a member of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary’s Advisory Council and helped create the Blue Star Fishing Guides program, which recognizes fishing charter operations that promote responsible and sustainable practices. “He spends tremendous time working for the whole community to preserve this ecosystem when he could be out on the water or spending time with his family,” James remarked. “In the process, he puts himself out there for criticism and attack from powerful opponents. But with courage and passion, he has accomplished some remarkable victories. For this, we all owe him a huge vote of thanks. And I can think of no one more deserving of the Flats Stewardship Award tonight than my friend, Will Benson.

As award recipients, James and Benson will be enshrined in BTT’s Circle of Honor, housed in the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center in Islamorada, Florida.

BTT President and CEO Jim McDuffie (right) presents Tony James with the Lefty Kreh Award for Lifetime Achievement in Conservation. Chris Galvin and NYC Co-chair Paul Dixon congratulate Flats Stewardship Award winner Capt. Will Benson (center). NYC Co-chair Jerry Klauer, Skiddy von Stade, and Gordon Whiting.

Gaelin Rosenwaks, Ray Dorado, BTT Board member John Abplanalp, Mary-Therese Fiorentini, Federico Fiorentini, BTT Honorary Trustee Huey Lewis, BTT Advisory Council member Bill Klyn, Elizabeth Sanders. Peter Grauer congratulates honoree Tony James. Ham James and Paul Fitzgerald enjoy the annual dinner.

BTT at The Burge

Atlanta area friends enjoyed an afternoon of shooting followed by great food, music, and a flats fishing and conservation round table with renowned angler Andy Mill of the Mill House podcast, Keys guide Captain Craig Brewer, and Gary Merriman, owner of The Fish Hawk. We thank BTT board member John Davidson, Todd Smith, the entire Atlanta Committee, and all those who attended the event.

BTT Director of Development Mark Rehbein, Collie Smith, Andy Mill, Capt. Craig Brewer, Daniela Danvers, Todd Smith, Cal Collier, and Matt Benson.

Make Clean Water And Healthy Flats A Part Of Your Legacy.

Consider making a planned gift to Bonefish & Tarpon Trust to ensure the health of the flats fishery for generations to come.

Learn more by visiting: www.btt.org/donate/legacy

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For any hope of a future Florida that resembles the Florida of not-so-long-ago, clean water must be our collective North Star. Clean, sufficient, sweet water delivered in a timely manner to the Florida Everglades—which is dying for want of suchlike. As the ‘Glades languish, Florida Bay, the Florida Keys, and offshore reefs along Florida’s coastline are all threatened. Few exist who remember what true, wild, Florida really was like, so we’ve lost a sense of bearing and direction to reclaim a natural past that should be cherished as a birthright. We must once again pick up the trail towards the best possible Florida that can be imagined. And we must reorient our efforts towards the care and nurturing of clean water for Florida.

Humankind’s priorities will be mightily challenged in any serious effort to fix what has been done to the water resources of Florida. Political interests, money, and inconvenience stand in the way of real solutions that seek more than to be a Band-Aid on a gushing wound. But what hinders real progress the most is unawareness of our water problems. And unawareness breeds apathy. At this point, political action is the best, and perhaps only, way to make a difference and move the needle on water quality. In recent decades, myriad, expensive solutions have been proffered for Florida’s water woes. Countless research dollars have been spent to reveal solutions that would treat symptoms of the problem. But the problem is, and remains…pollution. And that is a sticky wicket, which brings us back to political interests, money, inconvenience.

Where to start, or to start anew? Here’s one idea.

Herbicides, widely used by agri interests and government entities, are released by the millions of gallons into Florida’s rivers, lakes, and every manner of watercourse and retention pond, all in the name of controlling “Invasive Aquatic Vegetation.”

Our tax dollars fund the purchase and application of these herbicides, which to be sure are very effective. But they are applied to our drinking water and water used for recreation. And are very concerning for the health of Florida’s natural fabric. Meanwhile, mechanical harvesting of aquatic vegetation is deemed impractical or not cost-effective on a large scale. But deemed thus when?

It’s an opinion widely held amongst water managers, as it was tried half a century ago. Following that effort, herbicides were introduced to the invasive vegetation battle and have been much more effective, both in application and cost. But at what price? These managers only think about the short-term costs of chemicals versus machines to remove the vegetation. But what they are doing is transferring those costs downstream and into the future where we pay with failing water quality and declining habitat and fisheries. Indeed, we are paying even today.

Since the introduction of herbicides, Florida’s onceincredible water quality has all but disappeared, along with certain animal, bird, fish, crustacean, and insect species. Coincidence? Doubtful. Those of us who have walked this ground for nigh 80 years, as students of Florida’s natural world, have watched this take place. Since mechanical harvesting of invasive aquatic vegetation was attempted in the 1950s and 60s, men have walked upon the moon, lived in space stations, witnessed the birth of the Internet and cellphones. We’ve made unimaginable medical advances, and so much more. How could it be possible that we are unable to mechanically harvest aquatic vegetation? If you could make automotive fuel from this stuff, then someone, in a week’s time, would invent a machine to harvest every single blade and leaf. And the incalculable ecological expense of purchasing and applying poisonous chemicals to our water supply would be eliminated!

The discontinuation of the use of herbicides is something that we could conceivably accomplish, in the short term, and the results would be immediate and the right path for Florida to take. We must move away from chemical controls and embrace mechanical harvesting and develop other innovative approaches to aquatic plant control.

None of this is all that easy, certainly. Challenges exist, but they always do. But we will only get there if all of Florida adjusts the declination on our own moral, political, and advocacy compasses, and close the gap between the True North of sweet Florida water and whatever lies in its way. For whatever lies there is a lie and an abomination, and a sinful squandering of Florida’s innate goodness.

Last Cast is a new quest column appearing in this space each issue. Flip Pallot is a fishing legend and host of the award-winning Walker’s Cay Chronicles. T. Edward Nickens is editor-at-large of Field & Stream and a contributing editor for Garden & Gun and Audubon magazine.

Crush barbs and pick up stream-side trash. Volunteer skills, money and time. Fight for access and vote your conscience. Even our smallest efforts build a future for wild fi sh, clean water and an inclusive community. It’s not too late. It’s never too early. It’s every day. We are all wild fi sh activists.