{"id":23735,"date":"2024-04-03T14:03:30","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T14:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/?p=23735"},"modified":"2024-04-26T13:37:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T13:37:19","slug":"specialty-plate-spotlight-series-bone-and-tarpon-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/specialty-plate-spotlight-series-bone-and-tarpon-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"Specialty Plate Spotlight Series: Bone and Tarpon Trust"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve got a question for you: wouldn\u2019t it be nice if we humans found a way to have our cake and eat it too?\u00a0 Meaning, what if we found a way to live our lives in a state of win-win all the time. What if, for example, we could do (or buy) something that made us feel really happy, proud, and accomplished, and this thing also just happened to be good for the community, for society, for the planet.\u00a0 Now, wouldn\u2019t that be nice?\u00a0 We think so.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve teamed up with several pretty amazing Florida organizations that are helping change the face of the state and its surrounding waters.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As you may already know, you can order a Florida specialty plate (and have it personalized) through our site at www.etags.com<\/a> but did you know that each time a specialty plate is ordered, a big chunk of the proceeds go directly to the cause.\u00a0 So if you happen to love the Miami Heat and you absolutely must rock a Heat license plate, keep in mind that your purchase of any specialty plate contributes to all the charities associated with the Heat.\u00a0 Now, if that\u2019s not a little \u2018having your cake and eating it\u2019 we don\u2019t know what is.<\/p>\n

To start off our series of Specialty Plate Spotlights, we are super excited to present the top-selling, super-beneficial Bone and Tarpon Trust Plate.\u00a0 This one is a good one, so settle in for some gorgeous history about this group.<\/p>\n

\"Bonefish<\/p>\n

Back in 1997, a group of anglers in the Florida Keys started to notice that the bonefish population had started to decline. They also took note that no one seemed to care or to be doing much about it.\u00a0 And as every good fisherman knows: the number of any one kind of fish in the sea is a massive indicator of the health and longevity of the species.\u00a0 And not only that, but a decrease in a certain type of fish can have all sorts of other impacts on marine life in general.<\/p>\n

More than only the obvious and devastating threat of extinction, a decline due to overfishing can lead to a breakdown in the entire marine ecosystem, including food webs, habitats, and all sorts of wildlife and plant life.\u00a0 Basically, a shrinking number of a certain species is a warning sign that something must be done to restore and regenerate the population before the situation becomes irreversible.<\/p>\n

This group of fisherman decided to embark on a journey of research and information gathering.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They wanted to understand the cause of the bonefish decline and eventually come up with a solution to the problem. Over the span of the next decade, the group contracted the University of Miami, created a research board of sixty founding members, held numerous symposiums with thirty-five scientists, and published their first annual journal.<\/p>\n

\"Fishing\"<\/h2>\n

In 2009 the group officially became the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT), expanding their research and conservation efforts to both tarpon and permit fish in addition to bonefish.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While the first edition of the BTT journal saw 2,500 copies circulated, it has since grown to a distribution of over 15,000. This growth occurred in tandem with the outreach of the trust, which by 2010 had begun to expand its research and conservation over to the Bahamas, Cuba, Belize, and Mexico. The scope and popularity of the cause has allowed BTT to realize many accomplishments since its inception back in 2009.\u00a0 Some of these fantastic achievements include:<\/p>\n