Atlantic Blue Marlin Research

Atlantic blue marlin are considered by many in the sportfishing world to be THE pinnacle gamefish. A species targeted by tens of thousands anglers each year. But what do we know about these magnificent and awe-worthy fish? To be honest, not enough. We are still scratching the surface of what we know about them compared to other marine species. For example, age and growth research is basic and well documented for most species caught in commercial fisheries where data collection is readily available, but not so for billfish. TBF spearheaded research on this very topic on Atlantic blue

Billfish Conservation Act Amendment Update

TBF was very pleased when the National Marine Fisheries Service staff announced the 2018 amended Billfish Conservation Act (BCA) must comply with the agency’s official Guidelines. The amended BCA prohibits Pacific billfish landed by U.S. vessels from Hawaii and U.S. island areas from being sent into the continental U.S. Compliance to the government guidelines prohibiting the redirection of those billfish from being sent to other nations’ markets. Prohibiting the redirecting of U.S. landed Pacific marlin increases the conservation benefits gained from the amended BCA. TBF will remain vigilant to any challenges that may arise to guideline compliance. Generally, government

Increase of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Quota

Good News Bluefin Tuna Anglers! The Angling Allocation of Atlantic bluefin tuna, beginning January 2019, increases by .3 of a metric ton or 661 pounds. This increase applies in each of the three designated angling areas – Gulf of Mexico, the Southern Area (outside Gulf of Mexico) south of 39 degrees 18 N latitude and the Northern Area off of Great Egg Harbor north of 39 degrees, 18 north latitude. The Trophy size limits, at and above 73“curved fork length. The increase may be met with the landing of one additional bluefin in each of the three

2018 Tag & Release Competition Update

Here are the current standings in all categories (except Cape Verde, apologies, we’re working on it) as of October 5, 2018. Scroll through, find your name, find your friend’s name! Fishing for the competition year ends on October 31 and all reports must be in either digitally or mailed into the office by November 15. Winners will be announced via email and regular mail by mid-December. OVERALL RELEASE CAPTAIN Ben Horning –  Jupiter, Florida, USA Ronnie Fields –  Lake Park, Florida, USA Nicholas Gonzalez – Miami, Florida, USA Stuart Simpson – Durban, South Africa Dennis Endee –

No More Driftnet Swordfish fishery Off Southern California

California Governor Signs Historic Law Governor Jerry Brown of California signed into law an act passed by his legislator to begin the phase out use of mile long commercial drift gillnets in open ocean off the state’s shores. This is a major step forward to reducing bycatch mortality of sea turtles, marine mammals and other marine creatures caught in the large mesh gillnets fished for swordfish.   Deep-set buoy gear is being tested in federal waters off California under an Exempted Fishing Permit. Compensation for drift gillnet fishermen is provided for in the Bill to help transition to other swordfishing

Learning to Fish Via Youtube?

Sportfishing is an art/skill that cannot be mastered quickly.  It takes time, energy, failure, and money to become an accomplished angler. The interesting aspect of fishing is the pressure that goes along with it. Many fishermen are not “professional” and have regular day jobs. Thus, they may only fish a couple times a month or a few times a year to hone their skill. Due to this, there is stress to try to make every trip a fantastic event because of the irregularity of trips.  Plus, fishing is a hands-on sport. For example, pitch baiting marlin is not

Analysis of Minimum Length for Blue Marlin Tournaments

The Billfish Foundation’s newest Winthrop P. Rockefeller Ocean Program intern, Nick Becker, a recent graduate from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, worked with blue marlin tournaments out of the Gulf of Mexico for his thesis. His project was to evaluate the size minimums on harvested blue marlin. In order to be harvested, blue marlin must meet the federal size minimum of 99 inches in length. While most blue marlin tournaments have larger size minimums than the federal minimum; however, in some cases, there is room for improvement. Specifically, Nick’s master’s thesis, in conjunction with Dr. Grant

Florida East Coast Closed Zone Will Remain Closed!

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is not issuing an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) that would open the east coast Florida closed zone to pelagic longline vessels for the stated purpose of conducting “research.” Thanks in large part to TBF’s efforts and to our constituency submitting comments to NOAA, this victory was achieved. This is a major accomplishment that will continue yielding conservation benefits to the fish and other marine resources, which will further support recreational fishing and boating opportunities that support a wide array of associated jobs. The decision comes after almost two years of effort

Atlantic Billfish Recreational Landings Update

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just released their preliminary 2018 (January 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018) landings in numbers of fish for Atlantic blue and white marlin, roundscale spearfish, and western Atlantic sailfish.  While many tournaments had not happened yet, we still believe that the recreational community will be well below our annual quota for billfish landed. Landings are compiled using self-reported angler reports from the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Non-Tournament Recreational Swordfish and Billfish Landings Database; tournament landings from the Atlantic Tournament Registration & Reporting  system; catch card reports from North Carolina and Maryland; and individual

Passing of a Legend – Capt. Ron Hamlin

Hamlin was recognized not only for his expertise at placing anglers from all over the world on billfish, but also for his contributions to billfish conservation.  His expertise at the helm won him awards year after year, including the Billfish Foundation’s Top Captain Award, for which he stopped competing. After landing billfish for years during the early part of his career, he later recognized that continuation of his profession depended upon the availability of healthy stocks of fish in the water for clients to catch. He turned to catch and release fishing and became a voice for billfish conservation