What are those wily permit up to? We are working to get to the bottom of that question through the permit tagging program. Using dart and acoustic tags, we are starting to see some patterns emerge.
A total of 16 permit have been acoustically tagged in the Lower Keys since the program began in early 2016. Seven permit have been detected a number of times by acoustic receivers. Most permit appear to remain in the general area where they were originally tagged. Two permit that were tagged on the flats were detected at Western Dry Rocks near the full moon during summer. This likely indicates a spawning migration from the flats to a spawning site at WDR, though this will need to be confirmed by future detections.
So far, anglers and guides have tagged nearly 1,300 permit with dart tags. Most tagging has occurred in the Florida Keys, but there are also a lot of permit tagged in southwest and southeast Florida. We’re up to 35 reported recaptures, most in the Florida Keys. We’re seeing a few distinct patterns:
The majority of permit are recaptured within a few miles of where they were tagged. Some fish have been recaptured on the same flat where they were originally tagged. Two permit have made long distance travels – a permit tagged in Biscayne Bay was recaptured 95 days later near Lake Worth, a distance of approximately 70 miles. A second fish tagged in Biscayne Bay was recaptured 263 days later off a wreck south of Key West, a distance of approximately 120 miles.
The shortest time between the date of tagging and recapture was two days. The longest time between tag and recapture was 897 days – but this fish was recaptured within a ½ mile from where it was tagged.
It seems that most permit have relatively small home ranges, but are capable of longer distance migrations, likely for spawning (like bonefish). As we continue to get recaptures and detections, we will learn more and more information about permit movements and habitat use, which will enable us to advocate for informed management of these fisheries.
Thanks to our many collaborators and supporters of the project, including Costa, Carleton University, FWC, Hell’s Bay Boatworks and the many guides and others who have donated their time to this project.
