Project Gulf

Overview

Project Gulf is The Billfish Foundation’s newest large-scale satellite tagging initiative, expanding off TBF’s continued satellite tagging efforts in the Gulf. Focused on blue marlin and white marlin in the Gulf, this season-long effort brings together captains, crews, scientists, tournament partners, sponsors, and conservation leaders from May 1 through September 30, 2026 to advance billfish research across one of the most important regions in the world for highly migratory species.

Building on TBF’s longest-running satellite tagging work in the Gulf, Project Gulf will utilize pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) to track billfish movement, migration, depth use, and habitat preferences. The goal is ambitious: to build one of the largest coordinated marlin tagging efforts TBF has ever done.

More than a single expedition, Project Gulf is a community-driven movement that turns tournament anglers and their passion into real-world science.

Project Gulf

Why Gulf?

The Gulf is a critical region for billfish. It serves as a spawning area, migration corridor, and feeding zone, yet major questions remain about how blue marlin and white marlin use these waters throughout the season.

In 2023, TBF’s first successful 12-month satellite tag recovery tracked a blue marlin traveling more than 27,000 miles and diving to depths exceeding 1,100 feet. That milestone demonstrated the power of long-duration satellite tagging to reveal unprecedented insight into billfish behavior, habitat use, and migration.

Project Gulf builds on that success by working to:

Expand baseline data on blue marlin and white marlin in the Gulf
Better understand vertical movement within the water column
Identify critical habitat, spawning areas, and seasonal movement patterns
Evaluate fishery interactions and bycatch concerns, including overlap with species such as bluefin tuna and protected species such as Rice’s whales

The data collected through this project will help strengthen fisheries management, support responsible sportfishing, and advance science-based conservation for future generations.

Project Gulf

How it Works

Project Gulf uses Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tags, or PSATs, which are advanced tracking devices designed to collect environmental and behavioral data from billfish after release.

Once deployed, each tag records:

Depth and vertical movement
Ambient water temperature
Light-based geolocation data
Time-at-depth and habitat preference

After a pre-programmed deployment period, the tag detaches from the fish, floats to the surface, and transmits summarized data via satellite. TBF and its scientific partners then analyze the data to reconstruct migration routes, identify habitat preferences, and better understand how billfish move through the Gulf.

The Skillie Project

Team

Peter Chaibongsai

Project Lead, TBF

Hannah Trotter

Project Communications

Capt. Joe Gugino

Project Partnerships

Matt Rissell

Videographer

Matt Foley

Photographer

Capt. John Galvin

Captain, El Diablo

Capt. Robbie Goodwin

Captain, Scup Slayer

Dr. Walter Golet

Lead Scientist, UMaine

Sammi Nadeau

Scientist, UMaine

Capt. Martin Scanlan

Captain Whiskey, UMaine

Project Gulf

Powered by the Project Gulf Fleet

Project Gulf is a captain-and-crew-driven initiative built around the Gulf sportfishing community. Participating vessels become part of the Project Gulf Fleet, a visible group of boats contributing directly to science while supporting the fishery they depend on. Unlike a short-term research trip, Project Gulf is designed to continue throughout the season, allowing vessels to participate in tournaments or on independent fishing days.

Project Gulf

Participating Tournaments

The project kicks off at the Orange Beach Billfish Classic (OBBC), where TBF will engage the fleet through dockside outreach, educational resources, sponsor activations, and a tagging seminar with the project team and scientists. A long-time supporter of TBF, OBBC has been instrumental throughout this process. Their support of billfish conservation and our community is without question and we at TBF could not be more appreciative of their advocacy.

Project Gulf will activate across several Gulf-based tournaments, including:

May 12–16: Orange Beach Billfish Classic
May 26–31: Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic
June 12–16: Pensacola Big Game Billfish Tournament
June 19–23: Emerald Coast Billfish Classic
September 20–21: Kenny Vines Memorial Fishing Tournament

Project Gulf

Scientific Partnership

Project Gulf is supported by TBF’s scientific partner, the University of Southern Mississippi, which will help guide tagging protocols, data collection, and scientific analysis.

Prior to deployments, TBF and its scientific partners will host a tagging seminar for participating vessels. This seminar will review satellite tagging protocols, proper deployment techniques, visual cues for ideal tag candidates, and the scientific value of successful deployments. The goal is to align the fleet around best practices while ensuring that every tag deployed has the greatest possible chance of producing valuable data.

Project Gulf

Part of the “40 for 40” Campaign

The Southern Florida Sailfish Initiative is a core component of TBF’s 40 for 40 Campaign, celebrating 40 years of conservation by committing 40 satellite tags.

Every tag brings us closer to:

• Stronger science
• Smarter management
• Sustainable billfish populations for generations to come

Project Gulf

Get Involved

Whether you are a tournament team, sponsor, or conservation supporter, you can help expand the Project Gulf.

Support a tag.
Partner on a deployment.
Help advance billfish conservation across the Gulf.

Together, we’re proving that community can spark conservation.

Tag Sponsors

Interested in becoming a tag sponsor?

Project Gulf

MAKE A DONATION

Please Note: This is only a donation to The Billfish Foundation.

Your funds will be directed to the program of your choice and not towards a membership.

Project Gulf

Overview

Project Gulf

Why Gulf?

Project Gulf

How it Works

The Skillie Project

Team

Peter Chaibongsai

Project Lead, TBF

Hannah Trotter

Project Communications

Capt. Joe Gugino

Project Partnerships

Matt Rissell

Videographer

Matt Foley

Photographer

Capt. John Galvin

Captain, El Diablo

Capt. Robbie Goodwin

Captain, Scup Slayer

Dr. Walter Golet

Lead Scientist, UMaine

Sammi Nadeau

Scientist, UMaine

Capt. Martin Scanlan

Captain Whiskey, UMaine

Project Gulf

Powered by the Project Gulf Fleet

Project Gulf

Participating Tournaments

Project Gulf

Scientific Partnership

Project Gulf

Part of the “40 for 40” Campaign

Project Gulf

Get Involved

Tag Sponsors

Project Gulf

MAKE A DONATION

Project Gulf

Sponsors

Garmin Marine

Roffs Marine Forecasting

Phone

Email

Yeti Coolers

Address

Phone

Email

The Skillie Project

Community Support

Capt. Bob Goodwin

Fishery Pioneer

Doug Lindley

Fishery Pioneer

George Bassett

Matt Reimeno & Fishing Nantucket

Jonas Baker & Brotherhood of Theives

Bonnie Lema & Nantucket Anglers Club

Slip 14

Cisco Brewing

Peter Van Dingstee

Logo Artist & Owner Pete’s Fishing Tales

Upcoming Event

October 30th, 2026

6:30 pm

Fort Lauderdale, Fl

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