Dr. Jim Bohnsac is our Science Liaison to the Board of Directors and a Fisheries Biologist with NOAA.  Recently, Jim has been  interviewed several times about the effectiveness of the Dry Tortugas National Park in protecting fish species inside and outside of the protected areas.  The Dry Tortugas lie approximately 70 miles SW of Key West and are an integral part of the greater Keys coral reef ecosystem.  No-fishing zones studied, Protective areas aim to increase size, number of fish

Brian Skolof, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday, July 2, 2008

DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARK - Reeling in a 45-pound grouper used to be just an average day on the water in the Florida Keys. The abundance of behemoth fish attracted anglers from around the world in the early 1900s, including adventurers such as Ernest Hemingway and Zane Grey, who pulled in monsters from the clear, warm depths off Key West. But as Florida's population boomed, the attraction that drew them began to vanish. Anglers were snapping up the larger fish by the thousands. An average grouper caught in the Keys now is about 8 pounds. "We were starting to look like a Third World nation in regards to having blitzed our resources," said University of Miami marine biologist Jerald Ault.

Mr. Ault and others are studying whether putting large tracts of ocean off-limits to fishing in the Keys can help species rebound - and prove a way to help reverse the effects of overfishing worldwide. Federal and state scientists, along with University of Miami researchers, wrapped up a 20-day study on June 9 after 1,710 dives in the region, surveying fish sizes and abundance, in an effort to determine whether it's working. Critics assert that it isn't. They say limiting size and catch quantities, not fencing off the seas, will help restore ocean life.

 The fierce debate has raged between scientists and anglers for years. Some studies suggest the outcome could mean life or death for not only commercial and sport fishing, but for mass seafood consumption as it exists today. Florida has the largest contiguous "no-take" zone in the continental U.S. - about 140 square miles are off limits to fishing in and around Dry Tortugas National Park, a cluster of seven sandy islands about 70 miles west off Key West amid the sparkling blue-green waters that teem with tropical marine life. Nearby, another 60 square miles are also off limits.The region is home to some 300 fish species and lies within a crucial coral reef habitat at the convergence of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.  To see the rest of this story, please visit -
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/02/no-fishing-zones-studied/

More recent interviews with Jim Bohnsac - 

Are artificial reefs good for the environment?

Proponents say they replenish the ecosystem. Some scientists aren't so
sure.
Jeneen Interlandi
Newsweek Web Exclusive
Updated: 8:49 PM ET Jun 20, 2008

http://www.newsweek.com/id/142534

 

Off the Hook? Scientists, anglers debate if 'no-take' zones are helping endangered fish to rebound

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/jul/28/scientists-anglers-debate-if-no-take-zones-are-hel/?living

Jim also did an impromptu interview for the Keynoter newspaper here in the Keys with Kevin Wadslow.  Paul Humann and others participated in this interview as wel. The focus was on the post International Coral Reef Symposium Field Trip discussed in this Enews edition.  The story link is not yet posted but will be within the next few days from here - http://www.keysnet.com/