IN like a lamb ? does that mean that March will exit like a lion? I'm not so sure of the applicability of that adage to Bermuda because all too often spring comes early and it has often kicked off in the month of March. The water temperature will start to rise even inshore and by mid-month, the first schools of jacks might well be seen making life uncomfortable for whatever fry there may be inshore.

The changes offshore are even more pronounced and those usual harbingers of spring, the humpback whales, are due in numbers any time now. They move with the seasons so when they arrive, Mother Nature is saying that it is spring and that means that the first wahoo run can not be far behind. It may be a poor run but it will happen and it would be nice to be prepared.

For the moment though, the 'hoos remain spotty even though a few boats claim to have had up to half a dozen. Reported sizes range from the mid-teens to about 50 pounds, so there is some promise there.

Yellowfin tuna continue to remain in residence and while drifting is the preferred method for catching these fish ? very few boats have actually been putting in too much effort for this species. It rather seems that the market is not as good as it might be with the restaurants, supermarkets and retailers preferring white fish.

It might be an idea to start thinking about getting the boat ready for the season ahead. It is, more or less, eight weeks away with the Easter weekend accounting for at least one of those. Remember, the fish could get active anytime!

The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) recently confirmed a new line class world record for Bermuda. The lucky angler making the catch was Patrick Trott. The fish in question was a 55-pound 4-ounce Almaco jack (also known locally as the horse-eye bonita, but not to be confused with the horse-eye jack) that was caught from Capt. Keith Winter's on 50-lb test during the Bacardi Tournament on June 29th last year.

Congrats to both skipper and angler on a job well done!

The only fly in the ointment is that although this sets a new world mark, it is considerably smaller than the long-standing Bermuda record for that line class and, in fact, is smaller than some of the local records set on lighter tackle. In fact, this is likely to remain the case for quite a while unless there are some new Bermuda records that also meet the IGFA criteria for a world record. Quite simply, the Bermuda records for this species are all huge! It is a shame that it is IGFA policy not to accept retroactive entries; otherwise, the Almaco jack section would be severely dominated by Bermuda.

The rationale for not accepting records that were set previous to IGFA recognition is quite valid. It should be recalled that IGFA requires samples of the lines used in world record claims and then these are individually tested to validate the line test. In the case of local records, seldom are lines tested and, depending on the jurisdiction and specific circumstances, the IGFA rules and regulations may not have been adhered to. It is characteristic of most locally granted records that it is the size of the fish that matters; more so than the manner in which it was taken. In fact, line test frequently does not even enter into the matter.

Examples of such are some of the state records set in both salt and fresh water in the United States.

To return to the question of why the Almaco jack grows so large in local waters, it will be readily noted that this also seems to extend to other reef-dwelling species. In addition to the Almaco jack attaining a large size here, the other species that come most readily to mind are the yellowtail snapper and the amberjack (amberfish).

In most instances the rate of growth of fish is related to water temperature. At least, for reef-type species. It is far less clear what growth factors affect the true open ocean wanderers such as tuna and marlin; it seems that sometimes the local seasonal runs of blue water species consist of larger individuals; or at times, smaller fish.

Although these species are found throughout the Gulf of Mexico and into the Caribbean where the water is warm all year around, it is here in Bermuda that they seem to attain the largest sizes.

Using the water temperature argument, at least five months of the year see Bermuda water temperatures well below what might be expected in climes farther south. With that it would be expected that the fish should actually grow more slowly. So the suggestions are that the fish may actually live longer here and the greater longevity more than compensates for the reduced growing season while accounting for the size differential. This is difficult to support given the pressure brought to bear by fishing on a relatively small piece of bottom. The Bermuda Platform and the offshore banks do not make for any vast area where fish might live for years before encountering any fishing effort; similarly, the normal predatory-prey relationships probably are not any greater or any less than they are anywhere else.

A second solution is that the fish population here has undergone some sort of genetic adaptation that permits growth at lower temperatures or which favours an accelerated growth rate during that period when the water is sufficiently warm enough to allow growth.

As with so much of our knowledge of the ocean and its creatures, the jury is still out and it could even be some totally unthought-of of factor that creates this situation. Whatever the reason the fact remains that these species do reach extraordinary proportions in local waters and were the light tackle line classes to come back in to regular use, some new world marks would probably be set. Certainly with yellowtail snapper wide open, this summer should see a plethora of applications on all the eligible line classes (up to 20 lb (10 kg) class) for both men and women.

The IGFA has also recognised red grouper as a species eligible for line class records. Although the fish is known from local waters and was once quite common, it is unlikely to do much for Bermuda in the record book. As mentioned, numbers of this species (locally called deer hamlet) have declined to the point that they are on the protected species list. As with other grouper species, they might attain world class sizes here, the bottom line is that if you happen to be lucky enough to catch one, then it will have to go back even if it did make for some Tight lines!!!