Celebrating the Miami Seaquarium’s Birthday With A Beach Cleanup
Bags of trash collected during Miami Seaquarium’s beach cleanup to commemorate their 62nd anniversary The Billfish Foundation strives to support its local south Florida community and partners with like-minded organizations to expand our work. In keeping with this practice, TBF helped the Miami Seaquarium celebrate its 62nd birthday this past Sunday, September 24. To commemorate its 62nd anniversary, MSQ invited the community to a beach cleanup at the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, across the street from the Seaquarium. In addition to the recent damage from Hurricane Irma, the Park is a popular spot for locals and that heavy use can
THE QUEST FOR MEDITERRANEAN SWORDFISH OFF FRANCE
In a small coastal town on the French Riviera, fishing is now part of history, romanticized by the thousands of international holiday seekers making new use of the beaches and docks that once served fishermen. Today, yachts far outnumber fishing boats in Saint-Tropez, which became popular with tourists in the 1960s and remains known as a trendy destination. But there is at least one man still bringing beasts up from the depths off southeastern France. Samuel Urbain is not a commercial fisherman, nor does he keep much of what he catches. Urbain goes fishing for the joy of it
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ATLANTIC SWORDFISH VARY BY STOCK
Highly migratory species, including tunas and billfish, travel the world’s oceans and traverse national boundaries. Regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs) work at the international level to manage such species, bringing together scientists and policymakers from all nations who have a stake in the fishery. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) is the RFMO that manages tuna, billfish, and sharks in the Atlantic Ocean. Management and catch limit recommendations are made each year based on the best available science. However, assessing the health of each species requires a substantial amount of data and cannot be accomplished
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fishery Closes For September
The Atlantic bluefin tuna General category fishery for large-medium and giant bluefin tuna (73 in. curved fork length or larger) closes September 17, 2017 for the remainder of the month. The National Marine Fisheries Service instituted the closure, effective 11:30 p.m. local time Sunday night, until the reopening on October 1, 2017. It was determined that the subquota for September will have been reached by Sept. 17, and therefore the closure is warranted. The closure, which affects vessels permitted in the commercial Atlantic tunas General category as well as the HMS Charter/Headboat category, is intended to prevent overharvest
Sailfish Brewery Welcomes TBF At Tag & Release Festival
Members of The Billfish Foundation team spent a full Saturday at the Sailfish Brewing Co. in Fort Pierce, Florida for Labor Day weekend activities. The brewery hosted a Tag & Release Festival to announce the new can for its Tag & Release Amber Ale, a beer named after TBF’s global billfish tagging program. A watermelon eating contest was also on the agenda, as well as live music from two local groups. Patrons were able to visit TBF’s stand for a prize wheel spin or to enter the raffle. Numerous drawings throughout the day made for many happy winners –
TBF Takes Aim At Nova’s Longline Research In Closed Zone
Nova Southeastern University’s longline research in Florida’s east coast closed zone may damage its reputation for community relations and science. An associate professor from the university was granted an exempted fishing permit to begin longline research in August. The Billfish Foundation maintains that allowing longlines in the zone will threaten sportfishing opportunities and the species that support the industry. See the letter TBF sent to the university President below. Become a member of TBF today and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on news like this. Donate to support our fight for this and other
NMFS Introduces Online Reporting System For Fishing Tournaments
An online reporting system will now be available for highly migratory species (HMS) fishing tournaments in the Atlantic Ocean, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced this week. HMS tournament operators are required to register with NMFS whether targeting sharks, tunas, billfish, or swordfish. The tournaments must also keep records of anglers and the results, and may be required to send a catch report at the end of the event. All billfish tournaments are required to send the catch report. Reporting is important for the management of the involved species as it helps to characterize a portion of the recreational
InTheBite Magazine Presents Captain of the Year Award
One of the last billfishing competitions of the summer, the Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament concluded this past weekend in Virginia Beach, VA. The tournament hosted 75 teams this year for three days of fishing. First place went to Capt. Fin Gaddy of the Qualifier, who landed an 801 lb. blue marlin. Also at the tournament was InTheBite magazine, who recognized an award winner. Elliott Stark, from InTheBite, presented Capt. Harvey Shiflet of Anticipation with the Captain of the Year Award, alongside mate Frank Riganto and boat owner Paul Coury. The Billfish Foundation will be sponsoring this honor at next
Winner of Florida West Coast Bluewater Series Tags Every Billfish
The 46th Annual Old Salt Loop Billfish Tournament concluded in Clearwater, Florida this past weekend, wrapping up the Florida West Coast Bluewater Series (FWCBS) as it was the third and final leg of the series. First Place Overall Series Winners for the FWCBS went to Twisted Bills, owner Ralph Munyan and crew: Captain RJ Schwab, Daniel Munyan, Robbie Munyan, Grant Johnston, Jason Lozeau, Hugh West and Hunter Gibson. The team was also awarded 1st Place Billfish Release Division and 1st Place Swordfish in the Loop Tournament. But the most impressive distinction of their victory was that every one of the
Rubio & Nelson Introduce Florida Fisheries Improvement Act
Earlier this month U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced legislation designed to enhance and protect Florida’s fishery resources and those who rely on them. The Florida Fisheries Improvement Act comes with a number of changes to improve flexibility for management as well as stakeholder input. “This bipartisan bill reflects the best ideas from Florida’s commercial, charter and recreational fishing communities, and would ensure federal fishing laws reflect the realities of our unique Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic regions while continuing to promote research and conservation efforts,” Rubio stated in a press release. “As
