Dr. Aaron Adams, BTT’s Director of Science and Conservation, and Dr. Ross Boucek, BTT’s Florida Keys Initiative Director, along with collaborators from Florida International University (FIU) and UK-based Project Seagrass, recently attended the 11th World Recreational Fisheries Conference in South Africa. The conference, held every three years, is the world’s leading forum for exchange of research, policy, and ideas among those working in recreational fisheries globally. Not only do BTT scientists learn about work that is occurring in other locations, but they are also able to share updates on the research that BTT is conducting. The conference is a great forum for advancing and improving recreational fisheries management and conservation.
Sophia Costa, UGA PhD Candidate Kelsey Vaughn, and Dr. Ben Jones.
Dr. Adams gave presentations on the co-production approach that BTT takes in research and conservation; working with guides, anglers, other scientists, and resource managers is at the core of BTT’s approach, but is new to others. Dr. Boucek gave presentations on bonefish spawning research and management applications, and shark depredation research. BTT’s collaborators from FIU (Dr. Jennifer Rehage, who is also a BTT board member, and Sophia Costa) and Project Seagrass (Dr. Ben Jones) spoke about their work on developing fishery assessment survey methods that will help us track our fisheries over time, which is essential to working with resource managers to improve management.
As BTT scientists and our colleagues at the conference continue to raise the bar for recreational fisheries research and management, the outlook for recreational fisheries improves. And since those who manage our fisheries look elsewhere for ideas to improve management, the progress made at this and other conferences has a positive influence in places that we fish.
BTT thanks the WRFC South Africa team who put on an amazing conference.