The Presidential Challenge Conservation Series, a circuit of offshore billfishing tournaments in Central America, has joined forces with the University of Miami’s Center for Sustainable Fisheries to create a satellite tagging program in the eastern Pacific. The tournaments will raise funds for the placement of 20 to 30 satellite-tracking tags in billfish from Panama to Guatemala, so that the migratory habits of billfish can be understood and applied to better management. The small satellite tags (which cost $4,000 each) allow the location and depth of the tagged fish to be tracked. The information is stored digitally. After 30 days, the tags break free of the fish and float to the surface. The data is then uplinked to a satellite where it can be retrieved by the center. Donations of any size will be accepted to support the tagging efforts. For more information, visit http://www.preschallenge.com.
