Atlantic Swordfish and Bluefin Landings Update
NOAA Fisheries announced landings updates for Atlantic swordfish and bluefin tuna. This update includes all fish landed between January 1st and October 31st of this year. For swordfish, a total of 835.2 metric tons dressed weight (mt dw) has been landed, totaling 28.4% of the 2,937.6 mt dw baseline quota for 2019. Of this, 791.2 mt dw has been caught intentionally by commercial fisheries, 7.4 mt dw has been reported as commercial bycatch, and 36.6 mt dw has been caught by recreational anglers. At this time in 2018, only 606.9 mt dw had been landed, resulting in a 228.3
TBF’s Gamefish on Thrones Gala Recap
A multitude of characters, looking like they stepped straight out of Westeros, caused heads to spin and added lots of excitement to TBF’s gala, Gamefish on Thrones. Wildlings and Night’s Watchmen filled the ballroom wearing fur from boots to shoulders as the Night King and his whitewalkers brought a sense of unknowing fear to some. That is, until a uniformed platoon of knights marched in, some riding dragons, and kept watch during the dark of night as strangers sipped Bacardi libations. At the same time, strong and beautiful Queens and Khaleesis showed their power as they worked their magic
Blue Marlin Satellite Tagging in the Gulf of Mexico
Because overfished Atlantic marlin receive no government research funding priority, large data gaps relating to their life history characteristics remain. Satellite tagging provides a means to fill some of the data gaps by recording a marlin’s location and movement in the water column, both horizontal and vertical. Each tag records variables in sunlight levels, water temperature and pressure that is converted to location and movement. Movement data then provides insight to such elements as whether oil rigs, which serve as large Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs), modify marlin movements and whether marlin remain in the region all year because
TBF Enters New Partnership with Release Marine
The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is proud to announce our new partnership with Release Marine! Release Marine has been a supporter of TBF for years but will now officially be solidifying and increasing their support by donating a portion of each sale of a new Fighting Chair or Battle Saddle to TBF moving foward. This announcement is significant in illustrating their dedication to billfish conservation and their clear understanding that a healthy sportfishing industry can only come in the wake of healthy billfish populations. “We at The Billfish Foundation are enormously grateful to Release Marine for such a generous commitment
TBF Responds to New Pacific Fishery Management Council Initiative
The Pacific Fishery Management Counsel is proposing to authorize the use of shallow-set longline gear to fish for swordfish off the West Coast of the United States. Below are the official comments by President of The Billfish
NOAA Proposes Fishing Regulations in Gulf of Mexico
NOAA is considering an amendment to the current Fishery Management Plan for Coral and Coral Reef Resources in Gulf of Mexico. The amendment establishes new and modifies existing habitat areas of particular concern (HAPC), specifically coral habitats. An HAPC is a subset of essential fish habitat that is either ecologically important, sensitive to human degradation, currently stressed, or rare. Being essential fish habitat means that these coral reefs are essential to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity. With the potential passage of this amendment, NOAA hopes to protect these essential coral habitats against further degradation
International Tag and Release Competition Reminder
Anglers, captains, and mates! The TBF International Tag and Release Competition will end on October 31st, 2019. All fish caught after that date will not count towards this year’s competition. All tag and release cards must be input into the database or received by the TBF office by November 15th, 2019 to count. Unfortunately, we cannot make any exceptions to this rule in order to ensure that everyone receives a fair shot at the title! These rulings apply for the international competition as well as all regional competitions. If you have any questions or concerns about the competition, receipt
Updated English and Spanish Atlantic HMS Compliance Guides
NOAA Fisheries has released updated compliance guides for recreational fishing of highly migratory species in the Atlantic Ocean. These guides include detailed anatomical figures, identification charts, and species-specific bag limits, landing information, and reporting requirements. The guides also include information on permitting, gear restrictions, sale restrictions, chartering, and tournaments. We recommend fishers keep copies of this guide on hand (either printed out or on their phones) when they’re out fishing. This way, you can ensure that you’re following all the necessary regulations to ensure that billfish and other highly migratory species are around for generations to come. A summary
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fishery Closure
As of 11:30pm on October 13th, 2019, the general category Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery has closed. This closure will persist through November, which signifies the end of the current subquota period. The fishery will reopen on December 1st, 2019, with the default limit of only one fish landed. This closure comes as a result of the fulfillment of the 172.2 mt subquota for this period. It applies to all commercial vessels fishing for bluefin tuna, including commercial General category vessels and  HMS Charter/Headboat category-permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for bluefin tuna. From now
Atlantic Tuna and Swordfish Landings Updates
NOAA fisheries announced third quarter landing updates for bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, skipjack tuna, northern albacore, and swordfish. These landings include all fish landed commercially and recreationally by United States vessels in the Atlantic Ocean from January 1st through August 31st, 2019. The changes as compared to last year are summarized below: More detailed summaries of the 2019 third quarter landings updates for each individual fish are also included below: Swordfish: Bluefin Tuna: Other Tuna: For more information on billfish and sportfishing news, subscribe to our newsletter, become a member, or follow us on social media
