Researchers Track Atlantic Bonito Migration Off Massachusetts
A Nature Conservancy project with the New England Aquarium is tagging bonito to learn where the fish travel each season.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Aquariums
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Should Massachusetts adopt strict catch limits on Atlantic bonito?
The Nature Conservancy and the New England Aquarium started a research project to study Atlantic bonito migration patterns after researchers tagged and released 15 of the fish off Massachusetts in September. Massachusetts regulators are working with the group to establish precautionary bonito catch limits.
Why it matters
Atlantic bonito have appeared more often in Cape Cod waters in late summer and fall over the past couple of years, but marine biologists know very little about their seasonal movements. Because the species remains unregulated on the East Coast, the findings could inform whether and how Massachusetts manages the fishery.
Each tagged bonito carries a small acoustic transmitter detected by receivers from Florida to Canada, and the project is designed to show where and when the fish move. Atlantic bonito remain unregulated on the East Coast, while North Carolina has already adopted its own bonito rules.
The players
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization that works on land and ocean protection projects.
New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium is a Boston-based public aquarium that conducts marine research and conservation work.
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is the state agency responsible for managing the Commonwealth's commercial and recreational marine fisheries.
The details
A small transmitter is implanted in each caught bonito, and the fish is quickly released. When a tagged fish swims past a receiver on the ocean floor, the receiver records the tag number and time, building a picture of the fish's movements over time.
Timeline
September: Researchers tagged and released 15 Atlantic bonito off Massachusetts.
Over the past couple of years: Bonito increasingly appeared in Cape Cod waters in late summer and fall.
This fall: Bonito were popular recreational targets across Cape Cod.
Roadmap
North Carolina has adopted bonito regulations while Atlantic bonito remain unregulated across most of the East Coast. The Massachusetts tagging project and planned precautionary catch limits place the state among the first in the region to build the scientific basis for comparable management.
Anglers targeting bonito on Cape Cod may see catch limits introduced once the precautionary measures are finalized. Recreational fishers should watch for updated state rules as the tagging results come in.
The takeaway
Tracking tagged fish gives managers evidence they lack today, so future bonito rules can rest on observed movement rather than guesswork. Anglers and coastal communities benefit when management decisions are grounded in real data.
Further reading
For more on the species and the research behind it, explore Aquariums coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Provincetown Independent.
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Should Massachusetts adopt strict catch limits on Atlantic bonito?
