Roosterfish– the hard-fighting, black-banded fish with the distinctive cock’s comb dorsal fin–is one of the most sought-after recreational species in the eastern Pacific. Anglers happily …
Hefty roosterfish towing your kayak like a water ski. Tussling with peacock bass all day long in a freshwater lake. Exploring a remote jungle wilderness with your paddle and a fishing rod. These are …
Yellowfin tuna greater than 200 pounds; both blue and black marlin; and all the sailfish you want to release. These are among the sport fishing highlights you can enjoy on Panama’s Pacific coast …
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—JANUARY 9, 2012— Internationally known wildlife artist and conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey, who took audiences across the planet in the award-winning Portraits from the Deep documentary …
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![](mailto:?subject=Playing Tag with Roosterfish for Science&body=Roosterfish-- the hard-fighting, black-banded fish with the distinctive cock's comb dorsal fin--is one of the most sought-after recreational species in the eastern Pacific. Anglers happily catch them in the surf, from kayaks and in sport fishing boats along the coast from Mexico's Baja California to Peru using both live bait and artificial lures. They can grow to over 100 pounds, but they're not much good to eat so they've been spared from overfishing so far. But almost nothing is known about their life history, reproduction, and movements.
However, that is about to change.
Marine scientist/artist/conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey and daughter Jessica, project manager for the <a href="https://www.guyharvey.com/ocean-foundation">Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation</a>, recently completed the first-ever roosterfish tagging program in Panama.
The Harveys, together with guides and anglers in the third annual Roosterfish Tournament at Tropic Star Lodge in Pinas Bay, Panama, stuck 80 roosterfish with external streamer tags in three days. The tags bear the foundation's phone number and ask whoever recaptures the fish to report its GPS location and fork length. The crews also took some fin clips for DNA samples and sent them to the <a href="http://cnso.nova.edu/ghri/index.html">Guy Harvey Research Institute</a> at <a href="http://cnso.nova.edu/index.html">Nova Southeastern University</a> near Fort Lauderdale. And at the conclusion of the tournament, outdoors television host Mark Davis of "Big Water Adventures" and his team implanted Panama's first roosterfish with a pop-off satellite tag that tracks its movements in near real-time for about three months.
The Harveys also distributed additional tags to the Tropic Star fleet to continue the program throughout the year.
"There were no recaptures during the tournament, indicating the fish move around a bit and the population is quite large," Guy Harvey said. "This gives us a chance to study an animal that's not commercially exploited but is a very important recreational fish."
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/P8A3282.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4809" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/P8A3282.jpg" alt="" width="5760" height="3840" /></a>
The Harveys and their fellow tournament participants caught the roosters by bottom fishing with live bait on downriggers or working poppers on the surface in depths of 30 to 170 feet. More than 100 fish were caught and released in three days of competition.
The Harveys said they plan to work in collaboration with the Pompano Beach, Fla.-based Gray FishTag research program which has tagged scores of roosterfish in Costa Rica and Mexico---including one satellite tag in Costa Rica that popped off after the fish travelled more than 37 miles in 16 days.
Jessica Harvey said the object is to establish a baseline so that fisheries managers can gauge changes in populations.
"These fish occupy the same territory of other jacks, snappers, and tuna," she said. "In a world where overfishing continues, if we get to a point where there's no more snappers and jacks for people to eat, they could turn to roosterfish. Guy Harvey Research Institute and Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation are always trying to fill in the knowledge gap, given it's a high-demand recreational fishery and not much is known about it.
"We've generated a lot of interest in learning about these fish. The more people learn about them, the more they care and the more people will be sustainable in their fishing practices."
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To learn more about the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and its research please visit <a href="http://www.GuyHarvey.com/Ocean-Foundation">www.GuyHarvey.com/Ocean-Foundation</a>. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/playing-tag-with-roosterfish-for-science/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Get Lost with Big Fish with Paddle Panama&body=Hefty roosterfish towing your kayak like a water ski. Tussling with peacock bass all day long in a freshwater lake. Exploring a remote jungle wilderness with your paddle and a fishing rod.
These are just a few of the heart-pounding outback adventures for you and your family to choose from with Paddle Panama operated by water sports wizard/adventurer Captain Hennie Marais, a Guy Harvey Outpost Outfitter based in Panama City, Panama.
A few years back, Marais opened Panama Paddle Center-- the Central American country's first-ever retail shop, club and outfitter dedicated to kayaking. Here you can buy or rent several different models of kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, get paddling instruction, sign up for races and fishing tournaments, and --best of all--arrange the kayak fishing vacation of a lifetime.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/kayak2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4647" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/kayak2.jpg" alt="kayak2" width="1280" height="853" /></a>
For a remote wilderness experience, you might choose the "Lost Coast" of the Pacific near Bahia Honda. Stay in a thatch-roofed hut on the property of a local family and then paddle out to try to tangle with a roosterfish, big amberjack or Cubera snapper.
Or join Marais on a four-wheel-drive road trip along the "Tuna Coast" of the Gulf of Panama, overnighting in hostels and chasing yellowfins so big they drag your kayak on plane. Continue to the Darien coast to pursue roosterfish, big Cuberas and many pelagic species. More than 300 International Game Fish Association world records have been set in this region.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/kayak3.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4648" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/kayak3.jpg" alt="kayak3" width="5184" height="3456" /></a>
For a freshwater expedition, you'll want to head inland to Lake Gatun to enjoy non-stop peacock bass action. You can catch tarpon and snook in the adjacent Chagres River. The floating Gatun Explorer serves as your base camp.
These guided kayak fishing expeditions generally run four to seven days and accommodate up to four anglers.
For more information about Panama kayak fishing, email <a href="mailto:Hennie@paddlepanama.com">Hennie@paddlepanama.com</a>. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/get-lost-with-big-fish-with-paddle-panama/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Fish Panama This Spring and Summer!&body=Yellowfin tuna greater than 200 pounds; both blue and black marlin; and all the sailfish you want to release.
These are among the sport fishing highlights you can enjoy on Panama's Pacific coast from late March through the end of July with Captain Hennie Marais and Panama Yacht and Fishing Charters-- an exclusive Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition.
In the remote Coiba Islands, a national park located off Panama's southern coast, Marais will slow-troll live bonitos along the gamefish-rich Hannibal Bank where the baits get crashed by huge yellowfins and black marlin. Your floating base camp for this adventure is a comfortably-appointed 66' Buddy Davis sport fishing yacht that can accommodate parties of up to six. You have the option of an additional battle wagon too-- a swift 37-foot Strike with top-of-the-line tackle and equipment to hoist huge tuna up from the depths and subdue greyhounding marlin.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IMG_0377adjusted.jpg"><img class="wp-image-4589 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IMG_0377adjusted.jpg" alt="IMG_0377adjusted" width="1739" height="1159" /></a>PHOTO: Your floating base camp - a 66' Buddy Davis luxury sportfishing yacht with the optional 37-foot Strike.
Or Marais can escort your group east to the Gulf of Panama where the waters around the Pearl Islands and Pinas Bay further south provide abundant opportunities offshore for tuna, marlin, sailfish and mahi. Inshore, you'll get shots at feisty species such as roosterfish, snapper, and amberjack. On this expedition, you can stay at a private resort and make day trips, live aboard the luxury yacht, or arrange a combination of the two.
"Fishing in Panama is exotic, with beautiful warm weather and beautiful scenery," Marais said.
Book your adventure now at <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com">GuyHarveyOutpost.com</a>, or call our travel desk at 800-513-5257. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/fish-panama-this-spring-and-summer/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey’s "Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation" Documentary Scheduled for Release in Spring 2012&body=<a href="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/pf-guygeorge1.jpg"><img title="On location filing "Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation"" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/pf-guygeorge1.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="300" /></a>
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—JANUARY 9, 2012— Internationally known wildlife artist and conservationist <a title="Guy Harvey Inc. web site" href="http://www.guyharvey.com" target="_blank">Dr. Guy Harvey</a>, who took audiences across the planet in the award-winning Portraits from the Deep documentary series, is launching several new film projects in 2012, starting with <a title="Watch the trailer for "Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation" " href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQRksWAxdoI&list=UUK-ol6-5sVk_NcRHN1LtmOQ&index=1&feature=plcp" target="_blank">Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation</a> due for release this spring.
“A critical part of the mission of the <a title="GHOF web site" href="http://www.guyharveyoceanfoundation.org" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation</a> is education and film is a superb way to deliver the messages of science and conservation,” said Dr. Harvey. “Only through understanding the issues can we hope to save our seas for future generations.”
In <a title="Watch the trailer for "Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation" " href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQRksWAxdoI&list=UUK-ol6-5sVk_NcRHN1LtmOQ&index=1&feature=plcp" target="_blank">Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation</a>, Dr. Harvey and two-time Emmy Award winning producer <a title="About George Schellenger" href="http://www.statusproductions.com/aboutus.html" target="_blank">George C. Schellenger</a> takes the audience on an expedition where the jungle meets the sea in an explosion of life, an unforgettable vision of Panama and its surrounding waters. The film will show how scientists are working against the clock to protect a land and sea paradise that attracts visitors from around the world.
<a href="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/tslmarlin7.jpg"><img title="Leaping marlin!" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/tslmarlin7.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="300" /></a>
“The film will feature massive storms, majestic marlins and even protective dolphins—all part of an adventure that takes place above and below the water,” said Dr. Harvey, whose latest documentary <a title="About "Mystery of the Grouper Moon"" href="http://guyharvey.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/fishing-ban-extended-at-one-of-the-last-spawning-areas-for-the-nassau-grouper/" target="_blank">“The Mystery of the Grouper Moon”</a> played a pivotal role in protecting one of the last know spawning areas of the Nassau grouper. An updated version of the documentary is in production. Also, a film revealing scientific breakthroughs in the study of migration patterns of satellite-tagged Tiger Sharks is underway for a 2012 release.
Dr. Harvey and Schellenger have collaborated on several projects recently, including <a title="Trailer for "This is Your Ocean: Sharks"" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUMViXUJQM0&feature=related" target="_blank">“This is Your Ocean: Sharks”</a>, a 44-minute documentary depicting sharks in their natural environment. This film captures the adventure and passion of shark diving and evokes a call for conservation and protection for the species that today is threatened by over fishing for a growing demand for shark fin soup.
Trailer for "Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQRksWAxdoI&feature=related https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harveys-panama-paradise-edge-of-conservation-documentary-scheduled-for-release-in-spring-2012/){kind=link}
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