IGFA Roosterfish Research Program

Did You Know?

• Roosterfish are one of the most important inshore species along the Pacific Coast of Mexico and Central America
• Recreational fishing for roosterfish contributes significantly to local economies throughout their range
• Commercial artisanal and subsistence fisheries for roosterfish exist across their range, but the impact on their stocks is unknown
• The scientific community knows almost nothing about roosterfish movements or the connectivity of their populations
• Common fisheries statistics used to estimate the population’s health are not available for roosterfish, which leads to an inability
to properly manage the stocks
• It is impossible to manage roosterfish in the face of a changing ocean and commercial fisheries without knowing more about
their population

Questions the IGFA Roosterfish Research Program will answer:

1. What is the contemporary population structure of roosterfish throughout their range, and what are the most
appropriate population management units locally and internationally?
2. What is the effective population size of roosterfish?
3. What is the historical gene flow of roosterfish?
4. How connected is the roosterfish population? From Mexico to Peru, do roosterfish make up one large stock or
multiple localized stocks?
5. Should this species be managed by individual countries or as a single large stock across its range?
6. What indications do we have for how roosterfish will cope with future climatic conditions along its range?

The IGFA Roosterfish Research Program is being conducted in collaboration with the world’s leading roosterfish experts, Dr. Sofía Ortega Garcia of Instituto Politécnico Nacional-CICIMAR and Dr. Jaime Alvarado Bremer of Texas A&M University in Galveston. Genetic studies will collect fin clip samples from roosterfish from Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, Guatemala, and Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula over a two-year period.

How you can help?

The Roosterfish Research Program needs to raise $100,000 to conduct genetic testing over the two year span of the study.

You can help us learn more about roosterfish to better understand information about the species necessary for proper management and conservation. To donate, please visit igfa.org/roosterproject.

Thanks to a matching gift, your contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 until August 31, 2022.

The International Game Fish Association is a United States 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Contributions are tax deductible to the extent of the law. 

For more information about how you can get involved with the project
contact IGFA Conservation Director Dr. Bruce Pohlot at [email protected].

 

Thank You

The IGFA thanks the sponsors of the IGFA Roosterfish Research Program:

Karen Comstock

Rocky and Judy Franich

Tom Olivo

The Bullard Family Foundation, courtesy of Betsy Bullard

The International Roosterfish Tournament