Bonefish (
Albula vulpes) foragie for crustaceans in shallow waters of the Bahamas. These animals perform unprecedented dives to spawn in the deep sea.
Photograph by Shane Gross
It’s not easy to catch bonefish. Wary of humans, these silvery fish nicknamed grey ghosts blend into the sandy flats where they forage and are quick to dart away.
Several species of the fish are found in shallow tropical waters worldwide. To capture one of these eluders, skilled fishers spend years learning how to mimic the movements of bonefish prey, such as shrimp, with their lures. “It’s an absolute art form,” says Matt Ajemian, a fisheries ecologist at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. When they do take the bait, “these fish hit hard,” and put up a fight, Ajemian says. “They’re real juggernauts that s why people love them.”
This fish lives near the shore but dives deep to spawn, breaking records nationalgeographic.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalgeographic.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
This fish lives by the shore but dives deep to spawn, breaking records Douglas Main
Bonefish (
Albula vulpes) foragie for crustaceans in shallow waters of the Bahamas. These animals perform unprecedented dives to spawn in the deep sea.
It’s not easy to catch bonefish. Wary of humans, these silvery fish nicknamed grey ghosts blend into the sandy flats where they forage and are quick to dart away.
Several species of the fish are found in shallow tropical waters worldwide. To capture one of these eluders, skilled fishers spend years learning how to mimic the movements of bonefish prey, such as shrimp, with their lures. “It’s an absolute art form,” says Matt Ajemian, a fisheries ecologist at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. When they do take the bait, “these fish hit hard,” and put up a fight, Ajemian says. “They’re real juggernauts that s why people love them.”