Conservation Watch & Ethical Fishing Blog

THE CLEAN RELEASE: A GUIDE TO RELEASING BONEFISH

Cayman Bonefish Proper Release

All bonefishing for visitors to the Cayman Islands is catch-and-release. Besides, it's common knowledge that bonefish are no good to eat; as their name suggests, they are full of bones.

Good release practices actually begin long before the hookup, starting with the fly itself. Barbless flies will actually hook more fish and makes releasing them soooo much easier. And, due to their rubbery mouths, bonefish almost never throw barbless flies...

CAYMAN'S GRAND SLAM NEEDS OUR HELP...

Cayman Permit Need Protection

The "Big Three" (bonefish, tarpon, & permit) need your help NOW. They have NO PROTECTION in Cayman waters. Please Email the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and let them know how much you enjoy fishing here and how valuable these fish are to these waters and visitors to these islands.

Unlike almost every other eco-tourist destination (Belize, Bahamas, etc.) Cayman has almost no protection in place for the sportfish of our waters. Anyone with the money for a license can catch, kill, and keep tarpon, bonefish, or permit (not to mention grouper, snook, tuna, dorado, wahoo and marlin). Despite the fact that the first two on that list make poor table fare (at best), there are still folks here that will kill them. In fact, I know of some that consider tarpon to be trash fish and actually toss the up on the shore to die if no one is around who wants them for food! Of course, there are other fish that also need protection, but since they don't attract as many tourist dollars they probably won't get it soon, but you can help by making yourself heard to our government...

BE A GREENER ANGLER: FLY FISH!

A Greener Angler: The Making of an Ethical Angler

There's just something about fly fishing that seems to inspire a deeper respect for the fish we pursue. Not to say that fly fishing is a less effective way to catch fish. Far from it; in the hands of a skilled angler it can far outfish other methods (depending on the species). A quick look at recent light tackle tournaments in the Florida Keys is evidence enough of this. Nevertheless, fly fishing does take more skill, and a good bit of learning. The curve can be steep.

This respect seems to translate into anglers who not only behave more ethically on the water, but go to greater lengths to protect their beloved fish as well - before and after the catch. Even more important, fly fishing as a method translates into quantifiable results in terms of post-release fish survival as well...

"We have reached the time in the life or the planet when every fisherman will have to be a riverkeeper, a steward of marine shallows, a watchman on the high sees."
     ~Thomas McGuane

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