1. http://www.oiotaggingproject.com

2. Outline Significance Background Bonefish Hawaiian bonefishes Tagging program Future Research

3. Significance The life cycle of bonefish (Abula spp) is not completely known Two species of bonefish are found in Hawaiian waters (Shaklee and Tamaru 1981) Significant differences between species feeding apparatuses and fishes live in sympatry Hawaiian bonefish have little economic importance No life history studies performed on Hawaiian bonefish Florida’s bonefish recreational fishery is worth over a billion dollars and most bonefish research has been conducted in the Atlantic Ocean (Ault 2005)

4. Significance: A case of resource partitioning? Slightly overlapping habitats Externally indistinguishable Significantly different feeding apparatus Genetically distinct, diverged approximately 20 million years Morphological & perhaps ecological slow to diverge Albula glossodonta (roundjaw), regulated Albula virgata (sharpjaw) www.soest.hawaii.edu

5. Outline Significance Background Bonefish

6. Cosmopolitan species Tropical & sub tropical waters Sand and grass flats Most species are morphologically indistinguishable Highly prized as game and food A. vulpes A. nemoptera

7. Outline Significance and Hypotheses Background Bonefish Hawaiian bonefishes

8. Importance of Bonefish in Hawaiian Culture ‘Ō‘io – Hawaiian name for bonefish Important in ancient Hawaiian fish pond aquaculture Archeological surveys found 11% of fish remains were bonefish (Longenecker & Dye 2009) Often eaten raw mixed with limu (seaweed) or in fish cakes Fishing methods: nets, line fishing from canoe (w/ chum) (Titcomb 1972)

9. Length-frequency distribution (FL - mm) for both Albula spp. (N = 978)

10. Albula glossodonta “Round jaw” Albula virgata “Sharp jaw” Photo provided by Kurt Kawamoto Hawaiian Bonefish

11. Internal Differences A. glossodonta (Randall, J.E. 1981) virgata A. glossodontaA. virgata parashpenoid tooth patch ovalelongate basibranchial tooth patch broadly oval elongate and nearly rectangular # of upper gill rakers 8 - 117 -11 # of lower gill rakers10 - 1310 - 12 # of lateral lines scales69 - 7863 -67 # vertebrae70 - 7565 - 68 snout to upper jaw (cm)3.0 - 3.32.65 - 2.9 A. virgata

12. Hawaiian Bonefish Today Recreational Subsistence Commercial Bonefish Landings Hawaii 1900-2006 1900 Market data 1950-2008 Commercial Fishing Reports

13. Outline Significance Background Bonefish Hawaiian bonefishes Tagging program

14. Tag and Release Program Volunteer Anglers 2003-2006 Tag-and-release program 50 anglers, primarily fly-fishers 2008 Tag-and-release program 3 month pilot program 32 anglers Recruited previous program’s anglers January 2011 315 anglers Recruited mixed gear fishing clubs Annual fishing & seafood festival Volunteers with State of Hawai‘i Ulua/papio tagging project

15. Tag and Release Program Catch rates Growth rates Site fidelity Migration routes Encourage conservation by catch and release

17. Results LocationsNo. Tagged Total Caught Effort Hours CPUE East Shore14120.33 Ewa Beach164154.670.71 Kahana Bay24400.1 Kailua Bay81130.750.43 Kaneohe Bay89271471.980.46 Kauai65N/A Lanai16290.21 Malama Bay44412361947.20.72 Maunalua Bay 148349577.330.84 North East613480.31 North Shore151733.780.46 Waimanalo144063.170.81 West Shore162345.40.55 Totals76620203353.280.49 Fishing success by large locations for all tag reports June 2008 - August 2010. Volunteer Angler Biases Inaccurate measurement Missing information Varied experience

18. 1,947 ‘ō‘io tagged May 2003 to August 2010 81% roundjaw, 19% sharpjaw 25 total recaptures (1.3%) uneven coverage ( Biases: Habitat, Fisheries ) Major tagging locations for ‘ō‘io on Oahu 2003-2010

19. Movement patterns of bonefish from tag-recapture program Average distance 1.0 km 1 exception recapture 78.9 km, off Molokai Average time at-large 290 days Maximum time at-large 1,693 days

21. ‘Ō’io Tagging Project Recaptures Tag DateSpecies Tag Location FL Recap. Date Recap. Location FL2 Days at Large Tag No. 2/11/2005Round JawPaiko Dr. 24.8 4/25/2009Hawaii Kai 9.0 15343302 3/17/2005Round JawAla Moana 2/8/2009Ala Moana 28.0 1424329? 8/28/2005Round JawKaneohe Bay 1/12/2009 Kaneohe Bay South 28.0 12332685 7/18/2008Round JawAina Haina 20.5 6/4/2009Aina Haina 20.5 3224530 10/1/2008Sharp JawKaiser’s Pier 17.0 8/30/2009Kaiser’s Pier 10.0 3333620 10/15/2008Sharp JawKaiser’s Pier 12/10/2008Kaiser’s Pier 9.5 573621 11/8/2008Round JawPaiko Dr. 24.0 12/10/2008Paiko Dr. 24.0 325647 1/12/2009Round JawKeehi Lagoon 20.0 1/5/2010Keehi Lagoon 24.0 3585437 5/1/2009Round JawHickam AFB 26.5 6/6/2009Hickam AFB 26.0 361748 5/1/2009Round JawHickam AFB 26.0 1/28/2010Hickam AFB 24.5 2721750 5/25/2009Sharp JawWaiau HECO 12.0 2/11/2010Waiau HECO 15.1 2626599 7/3/2009Round JawSand Island 22.5 7/17/2009Sand Island 22.5 143726 7/13/2009Round JawHawaii Kai 21.5 9/13/2009Hawaii Kai 20.0 626305 12/27/2009Round JawHickam AFB 22.5 5/19/2010Hickam AFB 21.0 1438482 3/20/2010Round JawWaiau HECO 19.8 4/15/2010Pearl Harbor 19.5 267732 Recaptured tagged bonefish with original tag reports from June 2008 - August 2010.

22. ‘Ō’io Tagging Project Activities O ʻ ahu shoreline fishing tournaments Sponsor tagging categories Classroom demonstrations Hawai ʻ i Seafood & Fishing Festival Ocean Expo/Ocean University

23. Outline Significance Background Bonefish Hawaiian bonefishes Tagging program Future Research

24. Provide species-specific biological information Age and growth rates Bulk and compound specific SIA Acoustic tagging Establish L 50 Open tagging project state wide Determine fishing effort & value of recreational fishery Education and outreach

25. http://www.oiotaggingproject.com Dave McCoy, Emerald Water Anglers