Junior Angler
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Issue 24 SThe Billfish PEARFIFoundation’s Conservation Program For Kids Who CareS About OurH Oceans 2016 The year of the JUNIOR ANGLER Photo by Capt. Bouncer Smith YOU Are Important for the Big Fish You are IMPORTANT to the future of billfish and they grow and how many are in the oceans. The ocean conservation! The word “billfish” describes more we know about the fish’s life the better job we fish with long pointy noses (bills), it is actually their can do to help conserve them, so when you grow up upper jaw, and include there will be billfish in the marlin, sailfish and water for you to enjoy. TBF spearfish. Billfish use their has dedicated its 30 year long bills to help capture anniversary to you, young food. They can swim far students, to learn about distances offshore and the the oceans and why marlin can dive very deep conservation is important. when they chase their food. When billfish see what they We hope you are already want to eat, they light up. a “Junior Angler,” a That’s right, part of the person under 17 years surface of their skin turns old who loves to fish in bright light blue. Spearfish oceans or in fresh water are the smallest billfish and rivers or lakes. Junior marlin are the largest, William Hixson Jr with Kate Lanier Carter Anglers learn from some can weigh over 1,500 pounds. parents and their friends about how to be conser- vation-minded and boating smart - like using catch The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is a group that was and release methods and making sure you have created in 1986, to help protect oceans and billfish, enough life vests on board before leaving the which anglers (one who fishes for fun) like to fish for. docks. Learning about oceans, fish and TBF works with scientists to learn more about billfish fishing can be fun. The more you know and what they do in the oceans, how fast and large about the fish and fishing the more you can help protect the fish and their homes. Copyright 2016 • The Billfish Foundation • Editor: Peter Chaibongsai • Associate Editor: Beth Black • Graphic Designer: Jackie Marsolais Sister Publications: Billfish & Sailfish magazines • Published by The Billfish Foundation • For subscription information contact: [email protected] Junior YOU Are Important Anglers in for the Big Fish North Carolina Learn About Billfishing! Photo by Jerry Jackson How cool would it be for your grandfather to teach sure some billfish will be in the oceans when you you and your class mates about something really grow up so you can fish for them. Mr. Jackson then awesome? That is what 11-year old Jake Jackson showed Jake’s classmates some of his fishing gear experienced when his grandfather, Jerry Jackson, (rod and reel) that he uses when he is fishing for talked to his class at Gramercy Christian School in billfish on his beautiful boat, Ava D. Jake was also Newport, North Carolina, about the fun of fishing mighty proud when his grandfather told the class he offshore for billfish. He told the class about why had already caught a blue marlin, a white marlin billfish are important to the oceans and why it is and a sailfish. Whether that impressed the girls or important for humans to help protect billfish and not, we don’t know, but we all know it must have their ocean habitat. That is why Jake’s grandfather impressed the boys! told the students he joined the group The Billfish After Jake’s grandfather left the classroom, all the Foundation (TBF), so he could learn more about students in the class wrote letters to TBF telling us the fish and how we help protect them. Protecting about the lesson they learned that day. fish and their habitat helps make Do you have a story to tell OR is your class doing something cool for fish or ocean conservation? Send your stories, letters, artwork or photos to [email protected]. We would love to hear from you and possibly publish your work in an upcoming issue of Spearfish. Join TBF at Billfish.org | 3 Photo by Capt. Bouncer Smith Pace to Burn : Peel How Some of the Fastest Fish in the World Catch Their FooD. Doing Her Youthful Part The Billfish Foundation’s President, Ms. Ellen Peel, takes personally the importance of introducing and including members of younger generations to offshore fishing. Ellen invited her nephew Brian Peel, his wife Angela and their two sons, Ethan, age 10, and Evan, age 9, to stay with her a week in south Florida, a region they had never visited. The trip included a fishing day tarpon back at the dock were also exciting, but Peel with the famous Captain Bouncer Smith and Abie said “she could not have written a more perfect script Raymond on Bouncer’s 33 Dusky. for the fishing trip –3 sailfish!” She added, “Captain Bouncer and Abie are not just great at putting client The first time on the Atlantic Ocean, the first time the on fish, but they are fantastic at sharing conser- boys fished in saltwater, and the first time to vation, fishing and safety messages while at sea.” see many marine wonders brought smiles and The family left for home with great smiles and tales excitement to the family’s trip. The highlight, which to tell! Each of the new junior anglers are now Ellen didn’t anticipate, was that her nephew and members of TBF, as is their father. Do you have a each of his boys caught a sailfish and their mom cool or fun fishing tale to tell? Share with TBF and caught a tuna! The shark, the barracudas and giant you could be spotlighted in an upcoming Spearfish! PhotoPhoto byby Capt.Capt. BouncerBouncer SmithSmith Photo by Capt. Bouncer Smith Become a fan of The Billfish Foundation so you can be the first to know the latest TBF news! #everytagtellsastory & #tagurit! @TagBillfish The Billfish Foundation #TheBillfishFoundation Billfish.org Pace to Burn : How Some of the Fastest Fish in the World Catch Their FooD. The same way people differ in how they enjoy food prepared to eat, fish also differ in how Photo by Dave Ferrell and what they eat. Some fish, including some sharks, team up and surround smaller fish, the prey, as they pick and eat what they desire. This is called a feeding frenzy. Others, like angler fish, use a little light attached to their head to lure prey to them, just like in Finding Nemo. The way billfish hunt and what they eat may surprise you. Here are the three kinds of billfish and how they hunt: YOUNG BILLFISH (when they are only a few centimeters long) are very hungry when they are small and survive on constant Marlin diet of microscopic animals (called zooplankton) as well as fish eggs and other small fish. As billfish start to grow, so does their appetite, let’s learn what they eat! ADULT MARLIN eat mackerel, tuna and squid. Once they become “adults” (at about three years old), they begin feeding on bigger tunas, like yellowfin, mackerel and mahi mahi (dolphin fish). Despite years of study and research, scientists still are not 100% SAILFISH like similar food prey as the marlins, tuna, sure how billfish hunt. They especially aren’t sure how much mackerel, jacks, sardines and even squid. What is they use their bill. Recent research shows that about 2/3 of their really remarkable is the way sailfish hunt. They form prey had slash and stab marks from what could be the bill. groups and force schooling (fish that hang out together) fish, like sardines, towards the surface using their dorsal fin (top fin behind their head). Many prey fish are quick, but sailfish are some of the fastest fish in the world (up to 60 miles per hour!) The sailfish slash and poke at the prey fish until they have Sailfish swallowed the whole school. This method is fasci- nating because sailfish hunt like wolves, in packs, but when not hunting food, they don’t hang out in groups. In other words, they make friends just to hunt, but once full, they go on their merry own way. Swordfish SWORDFISH are a little different from their billfish buddies. While swordfish will eat fish including bluefish, butterfish, mackerel, and herring, they always seem to have a craving for squid. Much like sailfish, they slash and stab at potential prey with their very broad bills (wider than any other billfish) while swimming quickly through a bait fish school. However, unlike sailfish, the swordfish does all of its hunting by itself, in solitary, for they have spectacular vision and don’t need hunting buddies. If you were a fish, how would you go after your food? Would you want to hunt food by yourself, or with friends? Have sharp teeth or no teeth? What would you like to eat? Shrimp, lobster, squid or tuna? We would love to hear your stories! une 8 The oceans are essential to food security and the health and survival of all life J on this planet. In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly designated June 8th as World Oceans Day. The designation provides an opportunity to raise global awareness of the current oceanic challenges faced by the international community and become part of the solutions. Here are some other things you can do to SUPPORT WORLD OCEANS DAY: WEAR BLUE, TELL TWO On June 8th wear blue clothing to raise Clean Up drills – Get with a group of awareness for ocean conservation and friends or classmates and choose a share two ocean conservation facts or waterway that needs some garbage duty ways to help the ocean with friends! performed.