MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yamaha Rightwaters™ recently renewed its sponsorship of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust® (BTT), a relationship that began in June of 2022 when Yamaha became the official outboard of BTT. With continued support from Yamaha Rightwaters, BTT will advance its international mission to conserve bonefish, tarpon and permit species as well as their habitats.
Since June of 2022, BTT has expanded its Juvenile Tarpon Habitat Initiative, leading the planning of a 1,000-plus-acre tarpon habitat restoration project in Southwest Florida. BTT also continues to advance its mission in the Florida Keys, where the organization was founded more than 25 years ago. Yamaha Rightwaters provided an outboard to power the BTT research boat used to research bonefish spawning in the region.
"By joining forces with Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, we can amplify our efforts to protect and preserve vital marine ecosystems in the Florida Keys,” said Joshua Grier, Sustainability Program Manager, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. “Yamaha Rightwaters’ support of BTT also helps to foster a future where our industry and marine environments can thrive together."
BTT directly addresses the decline of juvenile tarpon habitat in Southwest Florida by applying scientific approaches to map existing habitat, restore degraded habitat and enhance habitat protections. Bonefish spawning research led to a major breakthrough in the spring of 2023 when BTT documented a bonefish spawning site, a hopeful sign for the species’ continued recovery after a decades-long decline. BTT continues a comprehensive research and conservation program in the Keys and across the Caribbean basin with staffed programs in The Bahamas, Belize and Mexico as well as grant-funded research projects in Cuba and other locations.
In addition to renewing its sponsorship of BTT, Yamaha Rightwaters also provided a Yamaha F70 outboard for “The Florida Boat Sweepstakes.” Part of BTT’s Win Back Our Water campaign, “The Florida Boat Sweepstakes” runs from May 3 to August 15, 2024. Launched in November 2023, BTT’s Win Back Our Water campaign seeks to raise awareness of Florida’s urgent water quality issues. The campaign highlights key issues identified as harming Florida’s water quality including altered freshwater flows, failing and/or outdated wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, pharmaceutical contaminants and glyphosate pollution that results from the use of herbicides.
“We greatly appreciate Yamaha’s continued support of our organization and its generous donation of a F70 outboard to power ‘The Florida Boat’,” said Jim McDuffie, President and CEO of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. “In partnership with Yamaha Rightwaters, BTT is conserving and restoring vital sportfish habitat at scale. Our latest collaboration— ‘The Florida Boat Sweepstakes’—will raise funds for this critical work while also raising awareness of the issues threatening Florida’s waterways and the science-based solutions BTT is pursuing to address them.”
Win Back Our Water educates and encourages Floridians to take action to protect the state’s waterways and builds on BTT’s water quality priorities, most notably advocacy in support of Everglades restoration. The campaign emphasizes the importance of water quality not only for marine ecosystems but also for the many Floridians who depend on clean water for their livelihoods, recreation and quality of life.
“The Florida Boat” will tour several fisheries within the state during the summer, beginning in the Florida Keys, to highlight the water quality issues and the science-based solutions needed to address them.
For more information and to enter The Florida Boat Sweepstakes, please visit: BTT.org/the-florida-boat.
About Bonefish & Tarpon Trust
Bonefish & Tarpon Trust's mission is to conserve bonefish, tarpon and permit—the species, their habitats and the larger fisheries they comprise. BTT pursues this mission across the southeastern US, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea through science-based conservation, education and advocacy. Learn more at BTT.org.
Yamaha Rightwaters is a national sustainability program encompassing all of Yamaha Marine's conservation and water quality efforts. Program initiatives include habitat restoration, support for scientific research, mitigation of invasive species, reduction of marine debris, and environmental stewardship education. Yamaha Rightwaters reinforces Yamaha's long-standing history of natural resource conservation, support of sustainable recreational fishing and water resources, and the Angler Code of Ethics, which requires pro anglers to adhere to principles of stewardship for all marine resources.
Yamaha’s U.S. Marine Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Ga., is responsible for the sales, marketing, and distribution of Yamaha Marine products in the U.S. including Yamaha Outboards, Yamaha WaveRunners®, Yamaha Boats, G3® Boats and Skeeter® Boats. Supporting 2,400 dealers and boat builders nationwide, Yamaha is the industry leader in reliability, performance, technology and customer service.
REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear.
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