We’ve got a question for you: wouldn’t it be nice if we humans found a way to have our cake and eat it too? Meaning, what if we found a way to live our lives in a state of win-win all the time. What if, for example, we could do (or buy) something that made us feel really happy, proud, and accomplished, and this thing also just happened to be good for the community, for society, for the planet. Now, wouldn’t that be nice? We think so.
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We’ve teamed up with several pretty amazing Florida organizations that are helping change the face of the state and its surrounding waters.
As you may already know, you can order a Florida specialty plate (and have it personalized) through our site at www.etags.com but did you know that each time a specialty plate is ordered, a big chunk of the proceeds go directly to the cause. So if you happen to love the Miami Heat and you absolutely must rock a Heat license plate, keep in mind that your purchase of any specialty plate contributes to all the charities associated with the Heat. Now, if that’s not a little ‘having your cake and eating it’ we don’t know what is.
To start off our series of Specialty Plate Spotlights, we are super excited to present the top-selling, super-beneficial Bone and Tarpon Trust Plate. This one is a good one, so settle in for some gorgeous history about this group.
Back in 1997, a group of anglers in the Florida Keys started to notice that the bonefish population had started to decline. They also took note that no one seemed to care or to be doing much about it. And as every good fisherman knows: the number of any one kind of fish in the sea is a massive indicator of the health and longevity of the species. And not only that, but a decrease in a certain type of fish can have all sorts of other impacts on marine life in general.
More than only the obvious and devastating threat of extinction, a decline due to overfishing can lead to a breakdown in the entire marine ecosystem, including food webs, habitats, and all sorts of wildlife and plant life. Basically, a shrinking number of a certain species is a warning sign that something must be done to restore and regenerate the population before the situation becomes irreversible.
This group of fisherman decided to embark on a journey of research and information gathering.
They wanted to understand the cause of the bonefish decline and eventually come up with a solution to the problem. Over the span of the next decade, the group contracted the University of Miami, created a research board of sixty founding members, held numerous symposiums with thirty-five scientists, and published their first annual journal.
In 2009 the group officially became the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT), expanding their research and conservation efforts to both tarpon and permit fish in addition to bonefish.
While the first edition of the BTT journal saw 2,500 copies circulated, it has since grown to a distribution of over 15,000. This growth occurred in tandem with the outreach of the trust, which by 2010 had begun to expand its research and conservation over to the Bahamas, Cuba, Belize, and Mexico. The scope and popularity of the cause has allowed BTT to realize many accomplishments since its inception back in 2009. Some of these fantastic achievements include:
- Working with anglers and Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to create catch-and-release regulations for both tarpon and bonefish
- Improving permit fishing regulations as well as implementing the very first permit-tagging program in Florida, Belize, and Mexico
- Helping to guide the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Everglades National Park with their management strategies by mapping critical flats fishing areas
- Conducting bonefish studies in Florida, Bahamas, Mexico, Belize, and Cuba in order to develop fishery and habitat protections
- Collaboratively launching the Juvenile Tarpon Habitat Initiative, which identifies, protects, and restores the juvenile tarpon habitat
- Implementing the biggest study ever conducted in bonefish reproductive science, leading to the development of new tools for bonefish restoration
- Creating the “Fix Our Water” campaign, which notifies and engages Florida anglers of ongoing water management issues
- Working with Florida and foreign governments to protect recreational fishery industry
- Contributing to the establishment of six nationally protected bonefish conservation areas in the Bahamas
Now, if all this isn’t inspiration to get on board and support this cause, we don’t know what is. We see more than enough reason for the Bone and Tarpon Trust plate taking the lead in the most popular specialty license plate in Florida. And if this group of conservationists and their efforts has sparked a little something in your soul and you’d like to know more, you can head over to their site https://www.bonefishtarpontrust.org/ and check out all the details regarding their excellent work.
What’s really nice about Florida’s specialty plate program – other than the fact that you get to share your cause with the world while it is displayed on your vehicle – is that you don’t have to wait until your registration expires to order your plate.
A specialty plate can be ordered – and personalized, if that tickles your fancy – at any time during your registration period.
The process is super simple and can be initiated at www.etags.com . One thing to keep in mind though, is that because of the demand of certain plate designs, some tags can take several weeks to be minted. But fear not: eTags can provide temporary registration while you anticipate the creation of your special plate, allowing you the freedom to roam about in the meantime.
If you’re convinced or just curious about specialty plates, please reach out to us with any questions, comments, or new orders. Our Specialty Plate Spotlight has only just begun, and we are eager to help you acquire the tag that’s right for you!
