Alphonse Island

Alphonse Island

by Sascha Clark Danylchuk

There are certain places on this planet that make my heart happy. They tend to be places with less people, more nature, long views, and warm weather (or at least visited during the summer). Some are places that have helped shaped who am I, and some are new places that I have only just discovered. These places stick to my heart and in my brain, and are revisited frequently in thought, if not in the physical sense.

My seven year old reeling in her first unassisted bonefish. Andy Danylchuk photo

Eye spy… Nick Jones photo

I just returned from a trip to a newly discovered such place. Filled with prehistoric looking land animals and more abundance and diversity in the water than I have seen anywhere else, the Alphonse Group of islands in the Seychelles is wondrous, not to mention home to a plethora of my favorite fish, bonefish. Although many anglers visiting Alphonse set their sights on giant trevally (GT), Indo-Pacific permit, triggerfish, milkfish, and offshore species such as wahoo and sailfish to be caught on the fly, bonefish likely play a critical role in the ecology of the flats ecosystems in the Alphonse group, including being important prey items for GTs and other apex predators.

The animals on land are just as amazing as those in the sea at Alphonse! Sascha Clark Danylchuk photo

With this in mind, a consortium of organizations has embarked on research to better understand the recreational fisheries of Alphonse. This project is unique in that it was initiated at the behest of Blue Safari and the related Alphonse Fishing Company; an example of their dedication to conservation and sustainable recreational fisheries.

The first step in this process currently being carried out is an examination of the movements of GTs. It is not known how territorial GTs are, how far they move away from the atolls where they are commonly found, if they become “hook shy” and, if so, how long it takes for them to revert back to “normal” behavior. Having such information will help facilitate the sustainable management of GTs, and create better angling experiences for guests.

It takes a lot of help to tag a GT in a livewell. Sascha Clark Danylchuk photo

The first phase will take several years to complete, however there are already discussions about expanding these efforts to include other species, including my favorite quarry. In the meantime, Alphonse Fishing Company is embracing and teaching the Keepemwet Fishing principles. Not only can you find our information in their island fly shop and on their boats, but they also discuss best practices for handling and releasing fish in their angler briefings and presentations. As one guest commented to me, “I’ve never seen guides who care as much about the fish as the guides here”.

For updates about the research project, visit www.alphonsefishingco.com

Keepemwet Fishing info in the Alphonse Fishing Co. fly shop. Andy Danylchuk photo

KWF Builds Momentum at ICAST/IFTD

The Keepemwet Fishing Leadership team from left: Bryan Huskey, Sascha Clark Danylchuk, Dr. Andy Danylchuk kick off the ICAST/IFTD trade show in Orlando, Fl.

Andy Danylchuk, Sascha Clark Danylchuk and Jen Lavine of Waterworks Lamson ham it up in Orlando.

Keepemwet Fishing Ambassador Jako Lucas talks shop with KWF Operations Manager Sascha Clark Danylchuk.

Keepemwet Fishing Brand Partner Smith Optics helped distribute our info materials to the conventional tackle portion of the ICAST/IFTD event.

The Keepemwet fish bowls!

Inside the Keepemwet fish bowls info cards and pins shared our catch-and-release best practices and tips.

Kristen Mustad of Nautilus reels gets it.

Artist Ed Anderson brought KWF love to life on canvas at the Realtree Outdoors Fishing booth site.

Sascha Clark Danylchuk and Nick Roberts of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust talk science and fish.

From left: KWF Ambassadors Captain Tony Digulian and photographer Adrian Gray grin along side Neil Horton and Eric Combast of IGFA. Keepemwet founder Bryan Huskey on the end.

Keepemwet Fishing Supporting Partner Castaway Films took home some hardware in the Drake Film Awards. “Atlanticus” features KWF Science Advisor Dr. ANdy Danylchuk.

Old friends. Chris Keig and Ryan Thompson of The Fly Fishing Film Tour pose for grip and grin with Bryan Huskey and a Keepemwet fish bowl.

Catwalk. Dr. Andy Danylchuk and Sascha Clark Danlylchuk cruse to the ICAST/IFTD convention floor in Orlando, Fl.

Christin Kruger of Kast King interviews Sascha Clark Danylchuk and Bryan Huskey for the Million Dollar Ralley supporting a variety of cause-oriented efforts in the fishing community.

Big time. Jim Klug and Paula Shearer of Yellowdog Adventures hang with KWF Ambassador and legendary fish-bum Brian O’Keefe.

The Branding of Catch and Release discussion panel featured a mix of angling industry and science professionals. You can find the discussion recorded and linked in the paragraph below.

Tom Rosenbauer of Orvis chats Keepemwet science and angling culture with Sascha Clark Danylchuk and Dr. Andy Danylchuk.

The Keepemwet Fishing team spent last week at the world’s largest sportfishing trade show, ICAST/IFTD, in Orlando, FL.  The highlight of the show for us was hosting a panel discussion on the branding of catch-and-release.  We were joined by Brian O’Keefe, Jako Lucas, Jennifer Lavigne, Mark Harbaugh, Dr. Aaron Adams, Capt. Tony DiGiulian, and Dr. Jake Brownscombe to talk about fishing, fish science, and the roll of anglers, guides, and the industry in creating sustainable fisheries.  You can watch a recording of the discussion here.

The show was also an opportunity to for us to meet with current partners and establish new connections with likeminded individuals and companies.  While Keepemwet Fishing did not have a booth of our own, some of our partners were kind enough to give us space at their booths.  A huge thanks to Patagonia, Nautilus Reels, Thomas & Thomas, Alphonse Fishing Co, KastKing, Smith, Sight Line Provisions, and Ed Anderson for lending us some real estate.  We also debuted our new principles cards, which we will make available to a wider audience soon.  

Keepemwet Team Members April Vokey and Andy Danylchuk Talk Fish.

See the full article here.

The Keepemwet Story

It all started with Instagram. That's the place I first noticed hashtags taking off and their great potential to link topics. What drove me nuts was how many photos I was seeing of fish up on the dry bank and tagged #catchandrelease. I wondered how many people realized those fish were not likely to survive, and continued the practice to keep feeding their social media audience. I wondered how many people were drawn to fishing because of the stunning imagery they'd seen online, and viewed this kind of practice as the norm for how C&R works and what it looks like. With camera phones in every angler's pocket and the insatiable expansion of social media, it seemed like catch & release needed a voice. A way of nudging anglers to consider that how they handled & released fish made all the difference in whether it lived or died- despite what the hashtag said.

One of my early trout "portraits" and example of the Keepemwet style I hoped social media would embrace.

I recalled a trout photography presentation I'd given years back and one of my sub-titles "Keep 'em Wet". The phrase suggested a primary element of ideal C&R and packed together as a hashtag had a catchy spark to it. I wanted to communicate many things at once, and a fish that was kept wet in the first place would likely avoid many additional handling impacts. So I created a hashtag for my trout and steelhead photos- #keepemwet.

From that time in early 2013 the tag caught on with friends and colleges in fly fishing culture. A bit later a buddy pointed out quarrels breaking out on social media- conflict, name calling and spats over the use of the tag. People were leveling accusations at each other as hypocrites for using the hashtag while also posting photos of fish out of water. The tag was being used as a divisive insult and polarizing the fishing community. I was completely blow away at how out of context and confrontational it was becoming. With the help and encouragement from Paul Moinester, I decided to take ownership of the phrase and it's meaning- as I'd intended it.

From left Josh Prestin, Bryan Huskey and Paul Moinester photograph a resting brown trout. Alison Kelsey photo.

We set out to define keepemwet as synonymous with the multitude of science-based principles of catch & release, and assembled a coalition to promote these examples in this new era of social media. We reached out to Dr. Andy Danylchuk, a leading fisheries scientist and professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Andy expressed support and enthusiasm for the keepemwet concept and joined the team. I reached out to the many friends at different companies within the fly fishing industry and explained the support we were seeking to promote better C&R practices. Companies, media outlets and conservation organizations joined us left & right. Keepemwet Fishing™ was born.

Looking ahead to what Keepemwet Fishing can become. Paul Moinester photo.

Looking ahead my hope is for Keepemwet Fishing to unite anglers of all kinds while promoting C&R practices that benefit everyone. In the future I think it can expand beyond fish handling to larger habitat and conservation topics, tying in relationships and becoming a bridge between science and angling communities. Despite the political leanings or stereotype profiles of the vast range of angler groups around the world, they all want to catch more fish, period. Science is revealing new variables that impact overall catch rates, and Keepemwet Fishing wants to share that understanding.

Thanks for coming along.

Bryan Huskey