longer) had decreased significantly since 1947 (Fig. 

 I). Two gold button sailfish were reported in 1970, 

 six in 1971, and three in 1972. In addition, total 

 numbers of sailfish of all sizes declined during the 

 famous Silver Sailfish Derby from 1948 to 1967 (Fig. 

 2). 



Palm Beach anglers presumed that these declines 

 represented a reduction in numbers of locally avail- 

 able sailfish. However, verification of their conclu- 

 sion relies upon careful examination of several con- 

 tributing factors. 



An objective examination into the apparent de- 

 cline of total numbers of sailfish (Fig. 2) revealed 



Figure 1. — Total number of "gold button" sailfish record- 

 ed by the West Palm Beach Fishing Club, 1935 to 1971. 





< Z 



O < 5 



no. sailfish 

 no. boat-days 



1935-39 40-47 48-52 53-57 58-62 63-67 68-71 



YEARS 



Figure 2. — Sailfish catch and effort data reported for five- 

 year periods during the Silver Sailfish Derby, 19.35 to 1971. 



that Silver Sailfish Derby tournament effort (boat- 

 days) decreased concomitantly (except during 

 1953-57) and apparently has stabilized since 1967. 

 Reasons for this decline are not known. Calculations 

 of catch per unit of effort (Fig. 3) from three popular 



c X 



50 

 Year 



Figure 3. — Mean catch per unit of effort calculated from 

 records of three popular sailfishing tournaments. 



sailfishing tournaments held in the Palm Beaches 

 (Silver Sailfish Derby, 1935 to 1971: International 

 Women's Fishing Association, 1956 to 1966; and 

 Masters Angling Tournament, 1963 to 1971) re- 

 vealed fluctuating patterns of relative abundance, 

 but did not suggest a continued decline. Combined 

 mean catch per unit of effort for these tournaments 

 was 1.31 sailfish/boat-day (approximately 0.16 to 

 0.22 sailfish per hour). These figures exceed those 

 reported for sailfisheries in the Gulf of Mexico 

 (Nakamura, 1971; Nakamura and Rivas, 1972) and 

 those at Malinda, Kenya (Williams, 1970). Wise and 

 Davis (1973) found that Japanese longline catches in 

 the Atlantic during 1956 to 1968 showed a signifi- 

 cant increase in sailfish and spearfish per 1 ,000 hooks 

 fished. This apparently suggests that the magnitude 

 of Atlantic sailfish stocks had not been affected ad- 

 versely up to 1968. 



Obviously there is much contradictory informa- 

 tion. Many knowledgeable anglers and boat captains 

 insist that tournament catch per unit of effort has 

 been maintained only by extending the fishing area 

 northward in recent years and improving fishing 

 methods. Thus the FDNR initiated studies designed 

 to fully investigate the biological status of the 

 species. Further assessment of the welfare of south- 

 east Florida sailfish stocks may then be made. 



82 



