NOAA FISHERIES TO DEVELOP NATIONAL POLICY ON RECREATIONAL FISHING

Historically, the saltwater recreational fishing community and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have not always had a great relationship. Over the years this has changed and NOAA has put more emphasis and effort to learn about and from the recreational fishing community. This effort has allowed the two groups to strengthen their current relationship. This week’s 2014 Saltwater Recreational Fishing Summit showcased this strengthening bond. The NOAA-hosted event brought together over 100 fishing industry leaders, scientists, fishery managers and interested observers to brainstorm new ideas for future management of saltwater recreational fishing.The Billfish Foundation was honored

YOUTH MEMBERS RAISE FUNDS FOR TBF

Three of our youngest members from Massachusetts recently stopped by our offices to drop off a donation to The Billfish Foundation (TBF) that they procured earlier this year. Miles Buddenhagen, 8 years old, and his brothers Evan, 10 years old and Kolby, 5 years old, tabled a booth at their school’s sustainability fair. During the fair, they spoke to people about the importance of catch and release and asked for donations to TBF and billfish conservation. They obviously did a phenomenal job, by presenting a $1000 donation to us this week! Their love of fishing and fish conservation began

RECREATIONAL FISHING AND BOATING COMMUNITY CALLS ON CONGRESS TO REVAMP MARINE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

Washington, D.C. – Congress is currently revising the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, the law that governs our nation’s marine resources. Recreational saltwater anglers and the sportfishing and boating industries are intensifying efforts to ensure that their social, conservation and economic priorities are well represented in the legislative process. Today, in a series of meetings on Capitol Hill, the Commission on Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Management co-chairs, Johnny Morris, founder and CEO, Bass Pro Shops, and Scott Deal, president, Maverick Boats, briefed members of Congress and media on the commission’s recommended changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The commission, composed

PALAU ANNOUNCES A BAN OF ALL COMMERCIAL FISHING

On February 4th, 2014 the president of the Republic of Palau, Tommy Remengesau Jr., announced to the United Nation’s his intention to become the first country to close its entire Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to commercial fishing. Instead of selling their fishing rights for exploitation by foreign nations as done in the past, the 230,000 square miles of water would be managed to encourage marine recreational activities with the focus on increasing diving and sportfishing tourism. In his speech to the United Nations, President Remegnesau made it explicitly clear that the increased protection for Palau’s EEZ was not intended

BERMUDA’S PREMIER ORDERS EEZ NOT TO BE INCLUDED IN HAMILTON DECLARATION

Photo Credit: Bonnier

On March 4th the Premier of Bermuda, Craig Cannonier, ordered that Bermuda’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) not be included within the Hamilton Declaration, a multi-lateral agreement for increased protection of the greater Sargasso Sea. If he had not taken this important action, the Hamilton Declaration would have applied to the waters within the 200-mile radius around Bermuda and may have taken flexibility away from the Government of Bermuda in deciding how to manage their EEZ. The Hamilton Declaration is set to be signed and executed by the signatories on March 11, 2014 in Hamilton

2014 TAG AND RELEASE CEREMONY RECAP

On February 13, 2014 The Billfish Foundation honored conservation achievements at the 2014 Tag and Release Ceremony held at Miami’s Jungle Island Treetop Ballroom in front of a crowd of more than 200 individuals. The 24th annual Tag and Release Ceremony was sponsored by Bisbee’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fund  and the awards were presented by King Sailfish Mounts.  TBF would also like to thank all of our Tag and Release Program Sponsors (Casa Vieja Lodge, Costa Sunglasses, and Pelagic Gear) for sponsoring TBF’s cornerstone program for billfish conservation. The incredible ceremony would not be possible without the support of Deceiver Charters for sponsoring the open bar

WELCOME CASA VIEJA LODGE AS A TAG & RELEASE PROGRAM SPONSOR!

The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is proud to announce that Casa Vieja Lodge is TBF’s newest Tag and Release Program partner. They join King Sailfish Mounts, Pelagic Gear, and Bisbee’s Black and Blue, and Costa Sunglasses as sponsors of TBF’s cornerstone conservation program. Established in 1990, The Billfish Foundation’s Tag and Release Program is the largest private billfish tagging database in the world, and is the cornerstone of TBF’s conservation and advocacy efforts. David and Kristen Salazar, the new owners of Casa Vieja Lodge, one of the world’s premier saltwater sports fishing destinations, are pleased to announce an expanded relationship

TBF SUBMITS COMMENTS FOR AMENDMENT 7 FOR BLUEFIN TUNA MANAGEMENT

On January 10,The Billfish Foundation (TBF) submitted official comments to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for Draft Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for bluefin tuna. Within the comments TBF strongly opposed the proposed conditional access to the current pelagic longline closed zones, supported the creation of a Gulf of Mexico Gear Restricted Area (GRA), and advocated for a separate Trophy allocation for Gulf of Mexico anglers. Additionally, TBF questioned the feasibility of an Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) for longline vessels and opposed the reallocation of Angling quota to the Longline category

TBF ANNOUNCES THE 2013 TAG AND RELEASE AWARD WINNERS

The Billfish Foundation is proud to announce the Award Winners for the 2013 Tag and Release Competition. This year TBF received nearly 7,500 tag and release reports from all over the world through both the traditional card system and TBF’s Tag and Release Online Database. Many new names have emerged in this year’s competition and we are excited to see the continued support from winners of previous tag and release awards. This year the Award Ceremony is sponsored by Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournaments with the awards presented by TBF Tag and Release Program sponsors King Sailfish

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR AUSTRALIA

Recreational fishing organizations in Australia are applauding the newly elected Liberal Party’s plans to suspend and reform the management plans for the nation’s network of marine reserves. The newly appointed Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, is also a welcomed change for the nearly five million anglers across the country. The party has vowed to take significant measures to not only restructure the management plans, but also ensure that there is adequate consultation with stakeholders and better representation for anglers.