310 
Fishery Bulletin 95(2), 1997 
Current, Cay Sal Bank, and north Cuban coast might 
provide information that could be used to forecast 
the appearance and relative abundance of bluefin 
tuna across the western Bahama Banks and the 
Straits of Florida. A direct hydroacoustic count of all 
bluefin tuna transiting the Straits of Florida would 
provide additional information on the numbers of 
bluefin tuna exiting the Gulf of Mexico, and possi- 
bly, regions of the Caribbean. 
Acknowledgments 
Spotter pilots George Purmont (Little Compton, RI) 
and Dave Thompson (Chatsworth, NJ) provided their 
considerable skills and aircraft for this survey. We 
thank Gerry Scott, Steve Turner, and Rosemary 
Sullivant for logistical support, Dennis Lee for blue- 
fin tuna longline capture locations, and Captains 
Edward Murray, Danny Beare, and Richard Wright 
for helpful discussions on the Bahamas bluefin tuna 
sport fishery. 
Literature cited 
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Rivas, L. R. 
1954. Preliminary report on the spawning of the western 
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