21 Tight Lines Bulletin - Spring 2018 Though the years the West Palm Beach Fishing Club and the Palm Beach County Fishing Foundation have pro- vided support for a wide variety of game fish research ini- tiatives. The most recent research project we are sup- porting is called the Palm Beach County Five Mile Acoustic Gate. Local diver Tony Grogan is spearheading the effort (Tony has as- sisted the Fishing Club on several of our artificial reef projects). The PB- CFF and lifetime WPBFC member Bill Bohnett are among the partici- pating sponsors of this project, which will include the placement of fourteen underwater acoustic receivers offshore of Palm Beach County between the Juno Pier and Jupiter Inlet. The PBCFF is contributing $7,500 towards this effort, plus other logistical support if needed. The technology of tagging and monitoring fish has be- come very sophisticated with the advent of acoustic telem- etry. Fish are being tagged with small acoustic transmit- ters and are moni- tored by an array of acoustic receivers which are placed in estuaries and offshore waters. This acoustic array is rapidly growing up and down the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Many government agen- cies and NGO’s are collaborating to ex- pand the network. Marine scientists and game fish research programs will benefit from ex- panding the number of acoustic receivers offshore Palm Beach County. More than a few are research entities that the Fishing Club has close ties to, including the FWC, FIU, MOTE, FAU and others. The Palm Beach County Five Mile Acoustic Gate will record ‘pings’ from fish such as cobia, groupers, tripletail, sharks, snook, sawfish and other marinelife like turtles. Data on migration patterns, abundance and other critical pieces of information will be captured by the receivers. PBCFF Supports Acoustic Array This effort is exactly the type of locally based project that fits within the mission of the PBCFF. The WPBFC/PBCFF’s Game Fish Research support began long ago when then club President Johnny Rybo- vich earmarked royalty dollars f r o m v a r i o u s books written by the late A.J. Mc- Clane who was very supportive of the Fishing Club. Those early funds were used to pro- vide support for sailfish and later snook tagging pro- grams. Today, the PBCFF’s Rybov- ich Endowment helps fund board approved efforts like the acoustic gate, which is expected to be installed this summer. For more information on this project or becoming a sponsor contact Tony Grogan, (561) 371-1256.