The Billfish Foundation (TBF), with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) through their Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Grant Program, has partnered with Bluefin Data, LLC (BFD) to enhance billfish conservation efforts. Together, we’ve integrated TBF’s Tag & Release Program into BFD’s VESL electronic logbook app, a major step in simplifying data collection for the fishing community. This collaboration allows private anglers and charter captains to seamlessly submit both Highly Migratory Species (HMS) reporting requirements and TBF’s billfish tagging data through a unified platform, VESL.

With the goal of supporting billfish conservation, this new system streamlines the reporting process, reducing the burden on fishers while improving the quality of data. More than 90% of the data currently used by TBF to manage billfish stocks comes from recreational fishers. With over 290,000 data reports already collected, this system will expand the scope of research by including charter boat data, further enhancing TBF’s understanding of billfish populations and movements.

BFD’s VESL platform is designed to simplify fisheries data collection, making it easier for fishers to report mandatory and optional data in one step. This integration not only improves data accuracy but also supports the sustainable management of fisheries, benefiting both the environment and the industry. The new system sets the standard for future expansions, including additional fisheries research and collaborative citizen science projects.

Private anglers and charter captains can no

w opt into TBF’s billfish tagging program through VESL, contributing directly to conservation efforts while advocating for wider adoption of integrated reporting systems to reduce administrative burdens and enhance data sharing across the industry.

Please follow this link to start reporting through VESL.