Ecology and life history

Although most species live in inshore and estuarine waters, 29 species spend their entire life cycles in freshwater. These species are found in disjunct tropical regions of South America (one species), Central Africa (three species) and Southeast Asia (25 species).


Natural defenses :
A pufferfish pressing its mouth against a camera's lens at Big Island of Hawaii
The puffer's unique and distinctive natural defenses help compensate for its slow locomotion. It moves by combining pectoral, dorsal, anal, and caudal fins. This makes it highly maneuverable, but very slow, and therefore a comparatively easy predation target. Its tail fin is mainly used as a rudder, but it can be used for a sudden evasive burst of speed that shows none of the care and precision of its usual movements. The puffer's excellent eyesight, combined with this speed burst, is the first and most important defense against predators. Its backup defense mechanism, used if successfully pursued, is to fill its extremely elastic stomach with water (or air when outside the water) until it is much larger and almost spherical in shape. Even if they are not visible when the puffer is not inflated, all puffers have pointed spines, so a hungry predator may suddenly find itself facing an unpalatable, pointy ball rather than a slow, tasty fish. Predators which do not heed this warning (or who are "lucky" enough to catch the puffer suddenly, before or during inflation) may die from choking, and predators that do manage to swallow the puffer may find their stomachs full of tetrodotoxin, making puffers an unpleasant, possibly lethal, choice of prey. This neurotoxin is found primarily in the ovaries and liver, although smaller amounts exist in the intestines and skin, as well as trace amounts in muscle. It does not always have a lethal effect on large predators, such as sharks, but it can kill humans.
Not all puffers are necessarily poisonous; Takifugu oblongus, for example, is a fugu puffer that is not poisonous, and toxin level varies wildly even in fish that are. A puffer's neurotoxin is not necessarily as toxic to other animals as it is to humans, and puffers are eaten routinely by some species of fish, such as lizardfish[3] and tiger sharks.Also, Japanese fish farmers have grown nonpoisonous puffers by controlling their diet.

Puffers are able to move their eyes independently, and many species can change the color or intensity of their patterns in response to environmental changes. In these respects, they are somewhat similar to the terrestrial chameleon. Although most puffers are drab, many have bright colors and distinctive markings, and make no attempt to hide from predators. This is likely an example of aposematism.


Reproduction :
Blackspotted puffer, Arothron nigropunctatus
Many marine puffers have a pelagic, or open-ocean, life stage. Spawning occurs after males slowly push females to the water surface or join females already present. The eggs are spherical and buoyant. Hatching occurs after roughly four days. The fry are tiny, but under magnification have a shape that is usually reminiscent of a pufferfish. They have a functional mouth and eyes, and must eat within a few days. Brackish water puffers may breed in bays in a similar manner to marine species, or may breed more similarly to the freshwater species, in cases where they have moved far enough upriver.
Reproduction in freshwater species varies quite a bit. The dwarf puffers court with males following females, possibly displaying the crests and keels unique to this subgroup of species. After the female accepts his advances, she will lead the male into plants, moss or another form of cover, where she can release eggs for fertilization. The male may help her by rubbing against her side. This has been observed in captivity, and they are the only commonly captive-spawned puffer species.
Target-group puffers have also been spawned in aquariums, and follow a similar courting behavior, minus the crest/keel display. However, eggs are laid on a flat piece of slate or other smooth hard material, to which they adhere. The male will guard them until they hatch, carefully blowing water over them regularly to keep the eggs healthy. His parenting is finished when the young hatch, and the fry are on their own.
Information on breeding of specific species is very limited. T. nigroviridis, the green-spotted puffer, has recently been artificially spawned under captive conditions. It is believed to spawn in bays in a similar manner to saltwater species, as their sperm were found to be motile only at full marine salinities, but actual wild breeding has never been observed.
In 2012, male pufferfish were documented carving large geometric, circular structures in the seabed sand in Amami Ōshima, Japan. The structures apparently serve to attract females and provide a safe place for them to lay their eggs.

fishing lures Types

           There are many types of fishing lures. They are all manufactured in different ways to resemble prey for the fish in most cases, but are sometimes engineered to appeal to a fishes sense of territory, curiosity or aggression. Most lures are made to look like dying, injured, or fast moving fish. They include the following types 

•  A jig is a weighted hook with a lead head opposite the sharp tip. They are often covered with a minnow or crawfish or even a plastic worm to get the fish's attention. The angler moves the rod to make the jig move.

Deep water jigs used in saltwater fishing consist of a large metallic weight, which gives the impression of the body of the baitfish, which has a hook attached via a short length of kevlar usually to the top of the jig. These types of jigs can be fished in water depths down to 300 metres.

• Surface lures are also known as top water lures, poppers and stickbaits. They float and resemble prey that is on top of the water. They can make a popping sound from a concave-cut head, a burbling sound from "side fins" or scoops or a buzzing commotion from one or several propellers. A few have only whatever motion the fisherman applies through the rod itself, though if skillfully used, they can be very effective.
• Spoon lures are made to resemble the inside of a table spoon. They flash in the light while wobbling or darting due to their shape, and attract fish.
• Plugs are also known as crankbaits or minnows. These lures have a fishlike body shape and they are run through the water where they can make a variety of different movements caused by instability due to the bib at the front under the head.
• Artificial flies are designed to resemble all manner of fish prey and are used with a fly rod and reel in fly fishing.
• Soft plastic baits/lures is a general category of lures that are made of plastic or rubber, and are designed to resemble fish, crabs, squid, worms, lizards, frogs, leeches and other creatures.
• Spinnerbait are pieces of wire bent at about a 60 degree angle with a hook on the lower end and a flashy spinner mechanism on the upper end.
• Swimbait is a form of soft plastic bait/lure that resembles an actual baitfish. It can be retrieved like a plug/minnow lure. Some of these have a swimming, paddle, tail. The development in the finishes in these types of plastic lures have meant that the finishes achieved now look more like a baitfish than ever before.

          Fishing lures can be made of wood, plastic, rubber, metal, cork, and materials like feathers, animal hair, string, tinsel and others. They can have many moving parts or no moving parts. They can be retrieved fast or slow. Some of the lures can be used by alone, or with another lure.

         One advantage of use of artificial lures is a reduction in use of bait. This contributes to resolving one of the marine environment's more pressing problems; the undermining of marine food webs by overharvesting "bait" species which tend to occur lower in the food chain. Another advantage of lures is that their use promotes improved survival of fish during catch and release fishing. This is because lures reduce the incidence of deep hooking which has been correlated to fish mortality in many studies. Mortality by swallowing hooks is mostly caused by the handling stress and damage resulting from removing the hook from the gut or throat. The best course of action when a fish is gut-hooked is to leave the hook and cut the line as soon as possible. Hooks will then be encapsulated or evacuated from the body. Use of non corroding steel is not recommended because a corroding hook will be easier to for the fish to expel.

Thank for Info : http://en.wikipedia.org

Fisherman

 

          A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers.The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men and women. Fishing has existed as a means of obtaining food since the Mesolithic period.

Thank for Info : http://en.wikipedia.org

Popular Sport Fish

Red Grouper

          Red Grouper: Bottom dwelling fish associated with hardbottom; juveniles offshore along with adults greater than six years old; nearshore reefs

Black Grouper

          Black Grouper: Offshore species; adults associated with rocky bottoms, reef, and drop-off walls in water over 60 feet deep; young may occur inshore in shallow water

Gag Grouper 

          
          Gag Grouper: Adults offshore over rocks and reefs; juveniles occur in seagrass beds inshore

Goliath Grouper

          Goliath Grouper: Nearshore around docks, in deep holes on ledges; young often occur in estuaries especially around oyster bars; more abundant in southern Florida. Protected species closed to harvest

Nassau Grouper

          Nassau Grouper: Range limited to south Florida. Smaller individuals are found nearshore, adults are found offshore on rocky reefs. Forms large spawwning aggregations. Protected species closed to harvest.

Crevalle Jack

          
          Crevalle Jack (Jack Crevalle): Common to both inshore waters and the open sea.

African Pompano

          African Pompano: Young are found in the open ocean. Adults are found to depths of 180 ft., often associated with reefs, wrecks, and rock ledges.




Thank for Info : 
http://ocean.floridamarine.org/boating_guides/florida_keys/pages/sport_fish.html

Popular Sport Fish

          Red Drum (Redfish): Inshore near grass beds, oyster bars, and docks pilings; deeper channels during the warmest and coolest months

          Snook:  Canals, tidal creeks, and other deep warm waters in cool months; near tidal passes and mangrove fringe at high tide

          
          Spotted Seatrout (Speckled seatrout): Inshore over grass beds, sand, and sandy/mud bottoms; deeper water during warmest and coolest months

           
          Tarpon: Found mostly inshore near bridges, pilings, rock walls, harbors, around structures, and on flats

        
           Bonefish: Primarily and inshore fish; found in shallows often less than one foot deep, usually over lush grass flats, occasionally over white sand.

         
         Spanish Mackerel: Inshore, nearshore, and offshore over grass beds and reefs

        
           Cero Mackerel: Nearshore and offshore, especially over coral reefs and wrecks; common in south Florida

         
           King Mackerel (Kingfish): Nearshore and offshore; occasionally taken from piers running into deep water

          
          Wahoo: Offshore game fish associated with the Gulf Stream and blue water

          Sailfish: Offshore game fish associated with the Gulf Stream and blue water


Thank for Info : http://ocean.floridamarine.org/boating_guides/florida_keys/pages/sport_fish.html#Top

Techniques

Techniques

          There are many fishing techniques or methods for catching fish. The term can also be applied to methods for catching other aquatic animals such asmolluscs (shellfish, squid, octopus) and edible marine invertebrates.

          Fishing techniques include hand gathering, spearfishing, netting, angling and trapping. Recreational, commercial and artisanal fishers use different techniques, and also, sometimes, the same techniques. Recreational fishers fish for pleasure or sport, while commercial fishers fish for profit. Artisanal fishers use traditional, low-tech methods, for survival in third-world countries, and as a cultural heritage in other countries. Mostly, recreational fishers use angling methods and commercial fishers use netting methods.

          There is an intricate link between various fishing techniques and knowledge about the fish and their behaviour including migration, foraging and habitat. The effective use of fishing techniques often depends on this additional knowledge. Some fishermen follow fishing folklores which claim that fish feeding patterns are influenced by the position of the sun and the moon.

Thank for Info : http://en.wikipedia.org

Bass fishing

           Bass fishing is the activity of angling for the North American gamefish known colloquially as the black bass.There are numerous black bass species considered as gamefish in North America, including largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui), Spotted bass or Kentucky bass (Micropterus punctatus), Guadalupe bass (Micropterus treculii), and many other species and subspecies of the genus Micropterus. Though referred to as bass, all are actually members of the sunfish family (Centrarchidae: order Perciformes).

          Modern bass fishing has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry. The sport has changed drastically since its beginnings in the late 19th century. From humble beginnings, the black bass has become the second most specifically sought-after game fish in the United States. The sport has driven the development of all manner of fishing gear, including rods, reels, lines, lures, electronic depth and fish-finding instruments, drift boats, float tubes, and specialized bass boats.

Thank for Info : http://en.wikipedia.org