Bonefish & Tarpon Trust

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust BTT is a science-based organization dedicated to conserving flats fisheries and habitats.

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust is a science-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to conserve bonefish, tarpon and permit—the species, their habitats and the larger fisheries they comprise. BTT pursues this mission across the southeastern US, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean through science-based conservation, education and advocacy. Visit www.BTT.org to learn more and become a member of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.

Tom Davidson Sr., Founding Chairman of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, will be inducted into the International Game Fish Associ...
08/21/2026

Tom Davidson Sr., Founding Chairman of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, will be inducted into the International Game Fish Association’s Fishing Hall of Fame on August 29 at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri.

When bonefish populations began declining in the Florida Keys, Davidson discovered just how little science existed to understand and protect the species. So he took action, helping launch a bonefish tagging and research program.

That effort grew from a small group of anglers into Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, which has since expanded its mission to protect bonefish, tarpon, permit, and the wider fisheries they comprise throughout the Gulf and Caribbean region.

From the beginning, Davidson championed a principle that still guides BTT today: effective conservation must be grounded in rigorous science.

We congratulate Tom Davidson on this well-deserved honor and celebrate his induction with the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame. Read more about Tom’s remarkable legacy: https://www.bonefishtarpontrust.org/blog/2026-03-10-tom-davidson-sr-to-join-igfa-fishing-hall-of-fame/

Seven permit have been tagged in Belize and Mexico by BTT researchers so far this year, with the help of guides, anglers...
08/20/2026

Seven permit have been tagged in Belize and Mexico by BTT researchers so far this year, with the help of guides, anglers, and fishing lodges. Now in its second year, BTT’s binational Permit Tagging Project has tagged 20 total fish.

Small acoustic tags (photo 2) implanted in the fish send signals every time they swim near receiver devices, which are placed at strategic locations in Northern Belize and Mexico’s Southern Yucatán Peninsula. Recently, four additional receivers were placed, expanding the areas included in the study (photo 6).

Periodically, researchers retrieve the receivers for data collection (photo 4). The data pulled from these receivers will tell BTT what habitats the tagged permit are using and when they visit them. Our team will now analyze the data from the previous two years and prepare it for use by resource managers and stakeholders in both countries.

The goal of this research is to improve protections and management of the areas essential for healthy permit populations, benefiting the larger flats fishery and the communities that rely on it.

The team has 16 more permit tags to go to reach BTT’s goal for the project this year. Later this year, we plan to share some interesting results from the initial data; stay tuned for more information on permit movements and habitat use throughout the region.

Photos by Dr. Addiel Perez and Lysandra Chan.

08/19/2026

Win a fishing trip with Capt. Will Benson!

If you’ve dreamed of fishing the flats of the Lower Keys, now’s your chance! Enter before August 27 for your chance to win a day of guided fishing with an awesome prize pack. AND you’ll also be eligible for the Ultimate Flats Boat Sweepstakes grand prize from coming up on September 24!

Every ticket supports BTT’s conservation efforts in Florida, The Bahamas, Belize and Mexico, and beyond. Enter today at BTT.org/2026-Sweeps

WorldAngling

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This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram). You understand that you are providing your information to Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, and not Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram). By participating in this promotion, you agree to a complete release of Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram) from any claims.

08/18/2026

Keys guide Capt. Nate Weinbaum shares why you should enter the Ultimate Flats Boat Sweepstakes: It’s a chance to win a Floyd Skiff—his “forever boat”—and support Bonefish & Tarpon Trust’s conservation efforts for clean water and healthy flats fisheries and habitats. 

Enter today at BTT.org/2026-Sweeps!

Bonus prize drawing: August 27
Grand prize drawing for the fully rigged 5 WT: September 24

Capt. Nate Weinbaum


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This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram). You understand that you are providing your information to Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, and not Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram). By participating in this promotion, you agree to a complete release of Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram) from any claims.

Meet Max Collins, BTT Science Intern!Max is working on multiple BTT research projects in the Florida Keys this summer. M...
08/18/2026

Meet Max Collins, BTT Science Intern!

Max is working on multiple BTT research projects in the Florida Keys this summer. Max shares that “just in the few months I’ve been here, I feel as if I’ve grown tremendously as a scientist. I’ve learned boating skills, how to tag and dissect fish, stable isotope processing, and many new statistical methods.”

For the Permit Food Web Study, Max worked with our collaborators at FIU to collect prey samples using a throw trap. “The permit project would not be possible without the fin clip samples and f***l swabs provided by fishing guides,” Max shares. “I’m working on an informative visualization showing what exactly was in the diets of the fish they sampled. Guides can use this information to create flies matching actual diet items. This will allow us to give back to the guide community, which is so essential to our operations.”

Max graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Marine Biology and Computer Science. Working with BTT helped Max realize that recreational fisheries can be a viable career path for a scientist. “I’ve been passionate about recreational fishing for years now, but as a hobby rather than in a professional sense. It feels incredibly fulfilling to contribute directly towards the conservation of the flats.”

Max is passionate about protecting spawning sites to ensure that recreational flats fishing is sustainable. “The seasonal closure at Western Dry Rocks in 2021 seeks to ensure the survival and reproduction of grouper, snapper, permit, and more. I’ve personally seen an abundance of juvenile mutton snapper near Key West, especially compared to the amount I’m used to seeing near my home in Tavernier. This seasonal closure is set to end in 2028, but I believe the ongoing monitoring efforts will show its success.”

Thanks to Max for his great work!

Pictured here:
1: Max lands a mutton snapper. Photo: Will Collins
3: Brothers Will and Max Collins, BTT interns, with FIU researchers Alia Jones and Haley Blische.
2: Researchers examine prey samples for the Permit Food Web Study.
4: Alia Johnson, Max Collins, and Will Collins. Photo: Capt. Will Benson.

Fish the Keys for conservation! Registration is open for the 13th Annual All-American Backcountry Tournament, November 1...
08/15/2026

Fish the Keys for conservation! Registration is open for the 13th Annual All-American Backcountry Tournament, November 13 – 14 at Cheeca Lodge & Spa in Islamorada. The all-release tournament benefits Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.

Learn more: https://www.cheeca.com/.../all-american-fishing-tournament

Photo: Silver Kings

BTT is collaborating with partners to research the impacts of sargassum on the environment, people, and the economy in a...
08/13/2026

BTT is collaborating with partners to research the impacts of sargassum on the environment, people, and the economy in affected areas in Belize and Mexico. This includes water quality monitoring efforts, now underway.

Earlier this year, BTT hosted scientists and resource managers from Belize and Mexico in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, MX to share previous and ongoing work related to sargassum. BTT’s goal is to provide scientific resources that will inform and support decision-makers and people in affected communities, helping form effective solutions for healthier coasts and resilient economies.

BTT’s 2023 socio-environmental analysis of the impact of the massive arrival of sargassum off the coasts of Mexico and Belize is available at: BTT.org/research-reports.

Meet Will Collins, BTT Science Intern!This summer, Will has been assisting Dr. Ross Boucek in the Florida Keys on fieldw...
08/12/2026

Meet Will Collins, BTT Science Intern!

This summer, Will has been assisting Dr. Ross Boucek in the Florida Keys on fieldwork related to permit food web research and locating bonefish pre-spawning aggregations, as BTT works to document a PSA site in the Lower Keys. Will’s new skills include catching bonefish with bait and by sight, internally tagging them, and following the tagged fish with a hydrophone.

Will is also designing his own bonefish research project based on bonefish stable isotope data from fin clips. “Bonefish migrate large distances to spawn,” Will says, “but the extent of their migrations is not easy to study. The goal of this project is to estimate how far bonefish have traveled to reach a spawning aggregation using only molecular information in their fin clips.”

The chance to work alongside a career scientist while studying his favorite species in their natural habitats has been Will’s favorite part of working with BTT. But he’s also seeing firsthand how pollution and other factors are detrimental to the Florida Keys ecosystems. “Habitat conservation is the greatest environmental issue in South Florida,” Will says. “Conducting research that leads to conservation of habitats is one of my greatest career goals.”

Will graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Marine Biology and minors in Environmental Science and Visual Arts. He is also lending his artistic abilities to BTT, creating infographics and other visuals to illustrate upcoming research publications.

Thanks for your great work, Will!

Pictured here:
1. Will Collins (left), and his brother Max (center), both interning with BTT this summer, and BTT research technician Jess LaBadie (right).
2. Florida Keys Shark Depredation Project infographic by Will Collins.
3. Will lands a Florida Keys bonefish on fly.

08/11/2026

Win a skiff—and a sweet pair of Costas!

The new San Carlos Untangled from Costa Sunglasses is featured in the next two drawings of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT)’s summer sweepstakes. Your chance to win supports BTT’s conservation efforts for bonefish, tarpon, permit, and the coastal habitats they call home. 

Bonus prize drawing: August 27
Grand prize drawing for the fully rigged 5 WT: September 24

Enter today at BTT.org/2026-Sweeps!



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This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram). You understand that you are providing your information to Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, and not Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram). By participating in this promotion, you agree to a complete release of Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram) from any claims.

08/07/2026

Want to win a Floyd Skiff? Enter the Ultimate Flats Boat Sweepstakes today for two chances to win an awesome prize pack or the grand prize: a fully-rigged Floyd 5 WT!

Kaylee Fordyce loves her Floyd Skiff. It’s the perfect boat for poling skinny water. By entering the sweepstakes, you’ll be helping Bonefish & Tarpon Trust protect these same flats habitats and fisheries for the next generation of anglers to enjoy.

To enter, visit BTT.org/2026-Sweeps!

Bonus prize drawing: August 27
Grand prize drawing for the fully rigged 5 WT: September 24


***
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram). You understand that you are providing your information to Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, and not Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram). By participating in this promotion, you agree to a complete release of Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook or Instagram) from any claims.

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2937 SW 27th Avenue Suite 203
Miami, FL
33133

Telephone

+17866189479

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