The FADS of Destin & Big Fish

The Destin, Fla., Tourism Development Council (TDC) is launching a project to attract big fish that has never been done in the continental U.S. For seven years, TDC and Okaloosa County Commissioner Kelly Windes have worked on obtaining approval from National Marine Fisheries, Coast Guard and Eglin Air Force Base, which would deploy eight Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) in the Gulf of Mexico. A FAD is a floating buoy that’s anchored to the Gulf’s floor. The device is designed to attract large fish such as marlin, wahoo and tuna. The buoys have radar reflection, GPS, real-time weather stations, and options for scientific equipment. The use of FADs date back centuries. There are FADs around Caribbean islands, Australia, and New Guinea. The Hawai’ian islands have had FAD systems in place for 30 years, and are the only active system in among U.S. states, but none have never been set up in the GoM. The project is primarily funded by Okaloosa County TDC with support from Gulf, Bay, Walton, Santa Rosa, Escambia counties in Florida, and Gulf Shores, Ala. A feasibility study took a look at buoys’ effectiveness. The study concluded buoy placement in deeper waters of the GoM was feasible. The eight FADs are to be deployed within 60-80 miles of Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Okaloosa Island in the De Soto Canyon. (Source: Destin Log 03/28/19)