ABSTRACT
Introduction ............................................................................................................360 Bonefi sh Catch-and-Release Considerations ......................................................... 361 Environmental Factors ........................................................................................... 362
Water Temperature ..................................................................................... 362 Oxygen Concentrations ............................................................................... 363
The Angling Event .................................................................................................364 Degree of Exhaustion .................................................................................364 Handling and Air Exposure ........................................................................ 365
Predation Issues ..................................................................................................... 368 Mortality Estimates ............................................................................................... 369 Hooking Injury....................................................................................................... 371 Emerging Issues in Bonefi sh Catch-and-Release .................................................. 372
Novel Hook Designs ................................................................................... 372 Facilitating Recovery ................................................................................. 373
Guidelines for Catch-and-Release Angling of Bonefi sh ........................................ 374 Guidelines for Anglers ................................................................................ 374 Guidelines for Guides ................................................................................. 374 Guidelines for Fisheries Managers ............................................................. 375
Research Recommendations .................................................................................. 376
Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 377 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 378 References .............................................................................................................. 378
Bonefi sh are one of the most sought after, but elusive gamefi sh in the world. Until recently, they were regarded as a single species, but more recently, scientists have recognized at least eight different species that are genetically distinct, yet morphologically indistinguishable (Colborn et al., 2001). At present, guides, anglers, and fi sheries managers functionally consider these species as a single grouping, the bonefi sh (Albula spp.); we take the same approach in this chapter. Recreational fi sheries that target bonefi sh are characterized as having highly specialized and skilled anglers that often fi sh with guides or outfi tters (Policansky, 2002). Interestingly, bonefi sh fi sheries are also somewhat unique in that almost all of the bonefi sh captured by anglers are released upon capture (Humston, 2001; Policansky, 2002). The small fraction of those individual fi sh not released are used for subsistence food, or more commonly, to generate taxidermy mounts of trophy catches. The popularity of bonefi sh recreational fi sheries and the wide circumtropical distribution of the species make them important elements of many local economies (McIntosh, 1983; Humston, 2001; Ault et al., 2002). Bonefi shing lodges and guide service industries have been developed in remote regions of the South Pacifi c (e.g., Christmas Island), the Indo-Pacifi c seas (e.g., the Seychelles), the Caribbean (e.g., Mexico, Bahamas), and extensively in the United States (e.g., Florida Keys, Hawaii). In addition to the actual lodging and guide fees, transportation costs to reach these destinations and the specialized equipment required to catch these fi sh can result in substantial economic benefi t even in locales where bonefi sh do not reside.
