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.
Photo Contest Winners
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TBF/TrollPro Video Contest Winners
We asked for some of your best fishing videos and man did you guys respond! Each month, TBF and TrollPro.com would love to see your fishing videos and you could win a TrollPro just for sending in your best fishing videos to us! Check out each month’s winning video below. For your chance at winning, submit your video to us via email, mail, or share your file via dropbox.com or Google Drive and be sure to “like” our TBF facebook pageas well as TrollPro’s Facebook page. The winning video will be posted on our social media outlets and we’ll mail out your prize
Le Cirque – TBF’s 2013 Gala and Dinner!
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2013 ICCAT NEGOTIATIONS PROTECTS U.S. SWORDFISH AND BLUEFIN SHARE
Photo Courtesy of Brian Cota
The annual negotiations by member nations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) concluded in late November following intense negotiations over western and eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna; North and South Atlantic swordfish; and North and South Atlantic albacore. The current landing levels for both western and eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna were not increased, but rather extended for another year pending the outcome of 2014 stock assessments. The swordfish management measures were extended for another three years, which protects the U.S. quota share for that time. TBF President Ellen
HMS Amendment 7 – Bluefin Tuna
Draft Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for bluefin tuna was released in August of 2013 with possible alternatives for managing domestic bluefin tuna. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) must find a balance between management decisions that will prevent overfishing and minimize bluefin bycatch while also providing opportunities for U.S. fishermen to harvest the full allocation of bluefin tuna. Landing and retaining the entire U.S. quota is a major concern; a failure to land and retain the quota could result in a loss of tonnage to other nations and a diminishment of
66TH ANNUAL GULF & CARIBBEAN FISHERIES INSTITUTE
This past November, TBF staff members attended the 66th Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) conference hosted by the Harte Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies of Texas A&M University. More than 400 scientists, marine managers, fishermen, students, and NGOs from 35 countries came to Corpus Christi, Texas to share their work and exchange information on the management of marine resources. Topics of interest to TBF included fisheries governance and recreational fisheries in the Caribbean which involved interesting research on artisanal fishing as well as the management of fish aggregations devices (FADs), issues which are of growing importance
