Modifications to Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Limit
NOAA is adjusting the daily retention limit for recreational fishermen for the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Angling Category. Effective immediately, the limit will extend throughout the remainder of 2024 unless modified by later action. The daily retention limits will apply to permitted Highly Migratory Species Angling and Charter/Headboat vessels when fishing recreationally. The limits are effective […]
California Fines San Diego Fishermen in Poaching Bust
In a significant move to curb illegal fishing, California authorities have busted and fined a group of San Diego fishermen $145,000 for their roles in an elaborate poaching operation. The fishermen were caught illegally harvesting and selling bluefin tuna, yellowtail, and mahi-mahi without the necessary permits and documentation. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) […]
Recapture on Japanese Longliner!
On August 9th, 2022, Katsue Koyano caught a blue marlin aboard Motohiko Goto’s boat, Gotch, in the waters of Hyoutan, Japan. The marlin was relatively small, with an estimated weight of 120 pounds. Just over a year later, in August of 2023, the blue marlin was recaptured in the waters of Micronesia. It was caught […]
Rock the Ocean Team Joins TBF!
In April, TBF was fortunate enough to spend a day offshore with Tortuga Music Festival’s Rock the Ocean (RTO) team. To say it was a success would be an understatement, as we spent an incredible day offshore, fished aboard the Princess Lily, caught some fish, and successfully tagged an Atlantic sailfish. To start, this day […]
No Protection for Overfished Atlantic Blue Marlin as Protections for Sharks Grow Stronger
The Final Amendment 15 was recently issued by NMFS and fails to provide protections for overfished blue marlin. Instead, the text reflects the government’s lack of understanding of the highly migratory nature of blue marlin, treating them more like residential sailfish. The text even fails to reflect a general understanding of billfishing, insinuating that all […]
Closure of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Angling Category in Southern New England Area
The Southern New England Area Trophy Bluefin Tuna Angling Category will be closed from May 2, 2024, 11:30 pm – December 31, 2024. The 2.3-mt subquota has been reached and exceeded based on available landings information from NOAA. All Highly Migratory Species Angling category permitted vessels, as well as Highly Migratory Species charter and headboat […]
Social Media to the Rescue: Satellite Tag Recovery
Satellite tags are invaluable tools for filling data gaps in billfish research, each worth more than $5000 and capable of transmitting a wealth of information to researchers. But did you know that recovering the tags themselves can yield even more data? In mid-April, we learned one of our satellite tags had washed up on the […]
2024 TBF Lifetime Achievement Awards
The John Rybovich Lifetime Achievement Award This award honors a former TBF board member and pioneer in billfish conservation who founded the Sailfish Conservation Club, the Masters Angling Tournament, the Tournament of Champions, and the Gold Cup. With his brothers, Emil and Tommy, this awardee helped to develop the first offshore sportfishing boat equipped with […]
TBF’s 6-Month Competition Update!
Who’s ready for the six-month update for TBF’s Annual Tag & Release Competition? We can’t believe we’re halfway through this year’s competition already. With our annual fundraiser being right around the corner, it’s time to give everyone a sneak preview on where they stand for the 2023-2024 competition. Listed below are current standings for […]
Recreational Vessels Temporarily Allowed to Fish in California Conservation Area
As of April 1st, recreational vessels are now permitted to fish for pelagic and non-groundfish species within the Recreational Rockfish Conservation Area, including anchoring overnight. NOAA Fisheries enacted an emergency regulation (89 FR 22352; April 1, 2024) temporarily altering a continuous transit rule for recreational vessels in California. Effective until September 30, 2024, vessels are […]
