Its easy to be sidetracked as the boat gradually motors through the lagoon. Thousands of terns and boobies circle overhead. Sea turtles and giant manta rays wander easily by. All over I look, my biologists eyes find something of interest.
And then my rod twitches, and Im brought back to my function. I have a fish to reel in, as quickly as possible.
As I fight the fish, I can tell its not a huge one, likely a young bluefin trevally. I pull it along with the boat and verify my recognition.
Normally, this is the point to relax, snap a couple of pictures, appreciate the moment. Not for the next 10 days.
PIT tagging a bluefin trevally. © Kydd Pollock/ TNC
My fishing partner, Kawika Auld, a master angler from Hawaii, is already by the side of the boat, gloves on and prepared to go. In one smooth move, he lifts the fish by the tail and gently guides it onto the measuring board. I set the rod aside and drop next to him to help.
We position a damp rag over the fishs eyes to keep it calm, and then Kawika checks out off its measurements to Kydd Pollock, the research trip leader. I reach for a chip reader and run it over the fish, much like you would scan an item at the grocery store.
Already Kawika exists with a small “gun” that inserts a microchip (understood as a Passive Integrated Transponder) just under the trevallys skin. I run the scanner. One beep. The microchip is successfully implanted.
All information tape-recorded, I select up the fish and gently cradle it in the water. With a shake of its tail, it darts off into the lagoon.
It takes longer to compose the process than in fact do it. By the end of the trip, we will have carried this out more than 200 times with bluefin and giant trevally.
Were taking part in the Fishing for Science research program at Palmyra Atoll, a remote uninhabited island nearly 1,000 miles south of Hawaii. Im the first writer to take part in this program, which has actually been hosting angler-conservationists as research participants because 2018. In the weeks ahead, Ill share stories of science and experience from my 10 days on Palmyra.
The author launches a bluefin trevally. © Kydd Pollock/ TNC
Welcome to Palmyra
The Nature Conservancy obtained the privately-owned Palmyra Atoll in 2000, to run as a nature protect. It then offered roughly half of the home to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which expanded security by designating the islands and surrounding waters as a National Wildlife Refuge out to 12 nautical miles.
Provided its remote place and safeguarded status, Palmyra has actually become a center of conservation research study on reef, fisheries, oceanography, invasive species removal and lots of other topics.
The Fishing for Science program released in part to examine the sustainability of catch-and-release leisure fishing at the atoll for 4 popular game species: giant trevally, bluefin trevally, peach-faced triggerfish and titan triggerfish.
These species are targeted thoroughly in other worldwide places, making research study often tough. On Palmyra, the fish might be caught and tagged in an environment with no industrial or other harvest.
Given these species popularity for destination fly angling, the Fishing for Science program likewise uses a method to survey the effects and sustainability of recreational fishing.
Particularly, the project intends to:
“Well, there is one more spot we could check out on the method home,” says Kydd. “We may turn up something with poppers.
Kawika and I turn to each other, smiling. The response is pretty clear. The number of days do you get to fish for science? The number of opportunities like this?
And with that, were motoring again across the wonderland that is Palmyra, looking for the next fish to tag.
Palmyra Atoll functioned as a U.S. Navy base during World War II. Remnants of that base are still visible, and typically provide structure utilized by fish.
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Palmyra Atoll. © Kydd Pollock/ TNC
The job has been established and led by Kydd Pollock, fisheries science supervisor for The Nature Conservancy. Prior to leaving for the trip, multiple people told me that I d never fulfill a more passionate angler than Kydd. This may seem hyperbolic. Until you fulfill Kydd.
From an extremely young age, Kydd grew up on his fathers sportfishing charter boat in New Zealand. He became a sort of Aqua-Man, absolutely consumed with the sea, with fish, with knowing and understanding every element of the undersea realm.
Louie Denolfo, a New Zealand fishing guide and himself a fanatical angler, informs a story I was to hear variations of once again and once again. “He came to us as a young kid and wanted to discover the art of fly fishing,” he says.
Kydd has been working on Palmyra because 2008, and brings that drive to every task. He has actually helped with coral research study, reef fish surveys and sea turtle tagging.
His enthusiasm for Palmyra runs deep, fully on screen every minute as we fished for science.
Kydd Pollock, fisheries science manager for TNC © Tim Calver/ TNC.
Tangling with Trevally
Its the first early morning of our trip, and action has been sluggish. We troll rubber squid draws through our first lagoon, and dont even register a nibble. I ultimately get a small bluefin trevally, but Kydd is clearly getting anxious.
And then my rod doubles over, line shouting out against the heavy drag. A huge trevally.
Im straining against the fish, and suddenly what Ive signed on for. A bit of my own angling backstory: nearly all of my fishing has remained in freshwater. My specific favorite is casting small flies to native trout in streams you can hurdle. I have actually even written features about microfishing, a very uncommon and extremely little subset of anglers who target tiny fish like shiners and darters.
Kawika Auld attracts the next fish. © Kydd Pollock/ TNC
There is nothing “micro,” absolutely nothing subtle, absolutely nothing reflective about a huge trevally. Fishing for them resembles the angling equivalent of a barroom brawl. The fish is not just powerful, however it will often quickly find reef edges to break your line off, something I would experience firsthand in the coming days.
And then the stunning fish with silver flanks is there, best along with the boat. I breathe a sigh of relief and almost subconsciously begin to relax, when I understand we still have to tag the fish and measure.
Kawika Auld attracts a huge trevally while the author prepares for the tagging process. © Kydd Pollock/ TNC
In the taking place excitement, I dont see my rod and the idea snaps off. Kydd just says, “It is what it is,” which I take to be his calm approval. I later recognize this is his mantra– with similarities to Seinfelds “tranquility now!”– to try to relax his certainly not-calm behavior. It most likely conserved me from being tossed overboard.
Be that as it may, I kept fishing with the broken rod, quickly christened as “Stubby.” Stubby would go on to serve me well in the days ahead, catching lots of trevally.
Offshore, we utilized handlines, heavy ropes with lures attached to rapidly catch larger fish in shark-rich waters. And we fly fished for the 2 triggerfish species on the flats, although these fish showed cautious and we did not land any throughout our journey.
Kawika Auld prepares to launch a huge trevally after it has been tagged. © Kydd Pollock/ TNC
Another Spot
In my career as a conservation writer, Ive joined many research study teams in the field, seeing whatever from bison behavior studies to radio tracking rattlesnakes. Im normally the observer. Perhaps the finest part of Fishing for Science was being a complete participant in the research study program.
As any conscientious angler understands, returning a fish to the water rapidly is key to survival in catch-and-release. Getting the fish measured and tagged was therefore of paramount importance. We modified jobs, one individual fishing while the other made sure tagging went efficiently.
A couple of days in, after capturing lots of fish, we could have a fish “processed” in 90 seconds or less.
Therefore we fell under a regular, starting our fishing instantly after breakfast and continuing until dinner. It was strenuous and extreme, but every day brought insights and surprises, which Ill be sharing in a series of short articles in the coming weeks.
Kawika Auld (left) and the author scan giant trevally for PIT tag. Larger fish were “processed” in the water. © Kydd Pollock/ TNC
And we took time to explore the marvels of Palmyra. We snorkeled the healthy coral reef, alive with a variety of fishes. We took a side journey to a refuge island where giant coconut crabs– the largest terrestrial arthropod on Earth– wander about in daylight. We released undersea camera systems and stopped to marvel at dolphins and big sharks and more.
After 10 days, we had actually tagged more than 240 trevally, more than any previous Fishing for Science trip. The fishing had slowed and Kydd cut the engine as we wandered the edge of the lagoon. “Weve captured a lot of fish, and possibly its time to head back, get a shower, and relax a bit,” said Kydd.
determine the impact of recreational fly fishing on post- release survival of the targeted types.
track development rates across the size variety of these species through regain occasions.
assess the effect of fly fishing on the behavior of blacktip reef sharks toward these targeted types.
document the population characteristics, home-range and daily movement patterns of the targeted types at Palmyra Atoll.
We place a wet rag over the fishs eyes to keep it calm, and then Kawika reads off its measurements to Kydd Pollock, the research study journey leader. I breathe a sigh of relief and almost subconsciously begin to relax, when I realize we still have to tag the fish and measure. And we fly fished for the two triggerfish types on the flats, although these fish showed careful and we did not land any throughout our trip.
Getting the fish determined and tagged was therefore of vital significance. “Weve captured a lot of fish, and maybe its time to head back, get a shower, and relax a bit,” stated Kydd.
