There are still a few open spots for the 3rd annual Hell’s Bay Cabin Bluff Tarpon Cup, taking places August 18-21 in Woodbine, GA. This two day catch-and-release tournament will raise money to benefit BTT’s tarpon acoustic tagging program. There will also be an opportunity to participate in the acoustic tagging program, as Dr. Aaron Adams will be on hand to tag tarpon and present on the program.
This two day catch & release tournament will begin on Thursday evening, the 18th of August, with a welcome gathering and captain’s meeting which will include a Lowcountry boil, cocktails, and a presentation by Dr. Aaron Adams. Friday will be the first day of tournament fishing, followed by cocktails and dinner. Saturday will be the final day of fishing with the awards dinner to follow.
For more information or to register for this event, please call Todd Fuller at Hell’s Bay Boatworks (321) 383-8223 or email: todd@hellsbayboatworks.com
About BTT’s Acoustic Tagging Program: The purpose of this study is to obtain scientific data necessary for tarpon conservation that will be used exclusively to protect tarpon and enhance their habitat through improvements in fishery management.
Although satellite tagging previously funded by BTT provided valuable data, the tags typically only stayed on the tarpon for a few months at a time, which prevented long-term tracking. In addition, because of the large size of the satellite tags, their use is limited to tarpon over 80 pounds. The new Tarpon Program will use acoustic telemetry to track tarpon movements.
Advantages of acoustic tags are that they are smaller and can remain with the fish and active for up to five years rather than a few months. In addition, because acoustic tags come in a range of sizes, they can be used on tarpon from 20 pounds and larger, not just the extra-large adults. They also cost significantly less than satellite tags.
The program just began in May, but we already got a tarpon detection on a 45-lb fish named Helios that was tagged in the Lower Florida Keys and traveled over 400 miles in a month before being detected near Port Orange, FL. This is the first time tarpon of this size have been tracked. As the program continues, we will diversify both the geographic range and fish size in our tagging efforts. During the Cabin Bluff tournament we will be acoustically tagging our first Georgia fish, and results of that will provide fascinating new insight on the tarpon fishery.
