30 Incorporating Expertise in Bonefi sh and Tarpon Fishery Research to Support Science-Based Management Decision Making

SUMMARY Cooperative research studies on recreational fi sheries—particularly volunteer-based tagging and logbook programs—have a longstanding history and important place in the study and management of sport fi sheries (Cooke et al., 2000; Arlinghaus, 2006; Conway and Pomeroy, 2006; Schratwieser, 2006; Cooke and Philipp, Chapter 25, this volume). As the only potential source of data on catch rates in release fi sheries, such studies can fi ll a persistent gap in the knowledge of bonefi sh and tarpon fi sher-ies in particular. The cooperative activities of the bonefi sh and tarpon conservation research programs described here are by no means unique in their structure or achievements. Like all other cooperative fi shery research programs, their success is based on establishing trust and consistent communication between participating anglers and scientists (Conway and Pomeroy, 2006). Indeed, whenever communica-tion and connections between anglers and scientists are enhanced, the likelihood of meaningful progress in the management of recreational fi sheries is practically guar-anteed (Dumont and Long, 2003; Kelly, Chapter 28, this volume; Sosin, Chapter 29,this volume). We reviewed these examples to highlight their contributions to the scientifi c understanding of these species, and expect them to shape the management of their fi sheries in the not-so-distant future.